Inside Track: Never mind Ulster... let’s look forward to what happens in Leinster

It’s easy to understand why the Ulster was mostly in focus when the draw for next year’s senior football championships was being made.

As said before, this provincial contest is a bear-pit, and nothing has changed in the meantime. Every year six or seven of the nine counties are nearly always labelled as genuine contenders. 

Derry won it this year, giving them a second successive title. 

Prior to that no other team had done the two-in-a-row for over a decade..  

The interest surrounding its next episode is sure to be as intense as ever. That, of course, has as much, if not all, to do with Mickey Harte taking charge of Derry. 

There are other sideshows – Jim McGuinness back with Donegal, for one, and, for another, Kieran McGeeney’s attempt to win something big with Armagh.

If there’s to be a meeting of Harte’s current and former teams, it won’t happen until the semi-final stage. Derry meet Donegal in the quarter-finals; and Tyrone play the winners of the only preliminary round, which brings together neighbours Monaghan and Cavan.

As the fella says, let them at it. Of more concern to this county is what has happened in the Leinster draw. Can we say a bit of alright? 

To begin with, Dublin – the elephant in every room except their own – are on the other side, while Louth’s first match is against either Carlow or Wexford. 

If successful in this quarter-final, a meeting with either Kildare, Westmeath or Wicklow will follow.

A lot of National League water will pass under the bridge before then – and if I can return to the North, no matter what happens in the championship up there, there’s sure to be a meeting of Tyrone and Derry in the points competition. That should be good.

Louth compete in Division Two for the second year running, and if they can keep their charges there, the new management team will have reason to be happy with their first major campaign.

Three of them, Ger Brennan, Niall Moyna and David White, were at the county final, and they can only have been impressed with the score-taking. 

This was of the highest order, from play and placed-kicks, and while they’d have known of Sam Mulroy’s prowess, clapping eyes on Daire McConnon could have been a first.

McConnon came to countywide supporters’ attention a couple of years ago, and when Harte brought him into his fold, a regular place in the red jersey looked imminent. 

However, but for sporadic appearances, mostly off the bench, the Ardee player was nearly always in the background.

It should be different next year. Operating at full-forward in direct opposition to one of Naomh Mairtín most consistent players, Thomas Sullivan, McConnon put his name of five points from play, giving a performance that was the day’s best in many people’s opinion.

It’s not known what the new regime’s plans are, but if following the pattern of recent years, there’ll be a number of trials along with the O’Byrne Cup campaign before they decide on a panel. 

In Munster, the meeting of Kerry and Cork in the final happened so often in the past it had whiskers on it. 

If they meet next year it will be at the semi-final stage, which gives the other four counties the chance of at least one good day out.

There’s again an international flavour to the Connacht test, with New York and London taking part. 

New York have been drawn at home, so if the competition yields nothing else for them, Mayo can at least look back on a trip to the Big Apple. Galway are at home to London.