The pre-season tournaments crank up a gear this weekend with no fewer than 13 new managers in place - all hoping that they and their respective squads can make a real impact in 2017.
Some squads are more advanced in their preparations for the battles ahead than others, with new faces hoping to stake a claim for places for when the days get that little bit longer and the Allianz League begins.
So who then are the new men at the helm?
FOOTBALL
Mattie McGleenan (Cavan)
Peter Creedon (Laois)
Benny Guckian (Leitrim)
Billy Lee (Limerick)
Andy McEntee (Meath)
Seamus McEnaney (Wexford)
HURLING
Colm Bonnar (Carlow)
Donal Moloney and Gerry O'Connor (Clare)
Fintan O'Connor (Kerry)
Eamonn Kelly (Laois)
John Kiely (Limerick)
Kevin Ryan (Offaly)
Davy Fitzgerald (Wexford)
DID YOU KNOW
- Seamus McEnaney, Kevin Ryan and Davy Fitzgerald are all set to embark on a third inter-county management post.
- Kerry hurling manager Fintan O'Connor never played the game competitively.
- New Cavan football boss Mattie McGleenan was the first player from the Eglish club in Tyrone to play in an All-Ireland final (1995).
- Andy McEntee will have four former All-Ireland winners on his Meath backroom team - his brother Gerry, Finian Murtagh, Donal Curtis and Cormac Sullivan.
- In now managing Laois, following his stint with Offaly, Eamonn Kelly follows in the footsteps of Michael 'Babs' Keating, who also managed both counties.
- Billy Lee was initially placed on a six-man committee tasked with finding John Brudair's successor as Limerick football manager.
WEEKEND WEATHER
Saturday will be dull, damp and misty with patches of light rain and drizzle on Saturday, but overall a fair amount of dry weather. Sunday will be rather mild for the time of year but cloudy with scattered outbreaks of rain and drizzle, and patches of mist and fog too, mostly on coasts and in particular the south coast, further to the north some brighter weather will develop. Light southerly or variable winds. For more go to met.ie
RTÉ COVERAGE
1245 Live score updates on all of Sunday's games on www.rte.ie/sport
1400 RTE Radio 1's Sunday Sport will have reporters on the day's key games.
WEEKEND FIXTURES
SATURDAY 7 JANUARY
O'Byrne Cup Round 1 (2016 winners - Meath)
1400 Kildare v Longford, Newbridge
SUNDAY 8 JANUARY
Connacht SFL Round 1 (2016 winners - Galway)
1400 Mayo v NUIG, MacHale Park
1400 Roscommon v IT Sligo, Boyle
1400 Sligo v Galway, Enniscrone
1400 Leitrim v GMIT, Mohill
McGrath Cup Round 1 (2016 winners - Cork)
1400 Kerry v Tipperary, Austin Stack Park
1400 Clare v Waterford, Meelick
McKenna Cup Round 1 (2016 winners - Tyrone)
1400 Antrim v St Mary's, Glenavy
1400 Cavan v Tyrone, Breffni Park
1400 Derry v Armagh, Owenbeg
1400 Donegal v UUJ, MacCumhaill Park
1400 Down v Queens, Downpatrick
1400 Monaghan v Fermanagh, Clones
O'Byrne Cup Round 1 (2016 winners - Meath)
1400 Carlow v NUI Maynooth, Netwatch Cullen Park
1400 Dublin v DCU, Parnell Park
1400 Laois v DIT, Crettyard
1400 Meath v Wicklow, Pairc Tailteann
1400 Offaly v IT Carlow, Geashill (Raheen GAA)
1400 Westmeath v Louth, Cusack Park
1430 Wexford v UCD, Gorey
Munster SHL round 1 (2016 winners - Clare)
1400 Cork v Kerry, Mallow
1400 Waterford v Limerick, Fraher Field
Walsh Cup Round 1 (2016 winners - Dublin)
1245 Wexford v UCD, Gorey
1400 Galway v DIT, Ballinasloe
1400 Kildare v IT Carlow, Newbridge
1400 Laois v NUIG, Rathdowney
1400 Meath v Offaly, Trim
1400 Westmeath v Antrim, Kinnegad
