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Group 1

Going by group form, it will be Mattock Rangers and St Brides, two sides who finished in the top six of Division 1 prior to the split, that will be favourites to progress to the knockout stages. However early on the league, Geraldines, the third team in this group, did start strongly.

Back-to-back wins over Cooley Kickham and St Fechins had them near the summit and they backed this up with a victory over Naomh Mairtin, albeit against a weakened side. They did slip down the table, but were never in any danger of relegation.

With the likes of the highly rated Louth Minor Beanon Corrigan up front and Matt Corcoran from the Wee County Seniors to call on, the men from Blackrock will be hopefully of causing some surprises having missed most of the big guns.

They open their account against Mattock Rangers, a side that has looked very impressive at times in the league without really battling for honours come the second phase.

In the championship last year they pushed eventual finalists St Mochtas all the way, narrowly losing out after extra time, 1-22 to 1-17. Contrary to that form is the Gers, who struggled in last year’s competition in a group alongside the Dreadnots and the Martins.

Meanwhile St Brides have been ticking along quite nicely in 2022 without blowing anyone away. They ended up meeting Mattock in the championship last year and were beaten 0-18 to 1-10 before a comfortable win over the O’Connell’s saw them advance to the Quarters.

Unfortunately, they ran into an in-form St Mary’s side that brushed them aside, 5-9 to 1-13. They will have the advantage this year of seeing the other teams lock horns in round one in a group that looks tough to call. Don’t rule out any of these three teams.

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Group 2

One thing is for certain here, a very decent outfit will be exiting the race for Joe Ward much earlier than expected with either St Patrick’s, Newtown Blues or last year’s beaten finalists St Mochtas having to lose out.

The opening fixture sees the Lordship and Louth Villages clubs meet again, having produced a rip-roaring encounter in the group stages last season.

They were deadlocked at 1-14 apiece with just three minutes left to play, before Craig Lennon and Declan Byrne stepped up with vital scores to win it.

Having both drawn against St Mary’s, that meant the Mochtas advanced at Pat’s expense, having also been denied via another late rally a week earlier versus Ardee.

In terms of league form, the Pats narrowly missed out on the top six but have looked unstoppable ever since. Whereas last year’s championship runner ups will have felt annoyed to have only finished third in the top half, thus not getting the chance to contest the Cardinal O’Donnell Cup final.       

Waiting in the wings to play the winners are Newtown Blues, who overall probably have the best form of any side in the senior ranks this season. They already have silverware in their clubhouse having defeated the Mochtas 1-12 to 0-9 in the Paddy Sheelan Cup Final.

Throughout the league they have been at the summit for the vast majority of the year, only recently taken out of that spot by a St Mary’s side that has really hit form since getting their hands back on their county stars.

Having been the Louth kingpins before the emergence of Naomh Mairtin, the Drogheda based club never really found their best form last year, despite still making it to the Semi-finals. However, they have found their groove now and will fancy their chances of regaining the county crown. 

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Group 3

Intermediate champions St Fechins make their return to the top tier of Louth Football this year and have been put in an interesting group alongside a struggling Dreadnots and the three in a row chasing Naomh Mairtin.

The Termonfeckin men coasted to promotion in the final with an impressive display against Cooley Kickhams in the final, alongside a one-sided semi-final victory over a fancied Hunterstown Rovers. League wise, the team have been plying their trade in Division 1B, flirting with relegation.

Their opening opponents are the men from Clogherhead, a side which has really struggled to find form this year. Throughout the league they have been flirting with relegation, a win in the final week seeing them finish in the play-off position.

Interestingly they were the only side to really push the Jocks in the championship, losing out by 1-11 to 0-9 in the opening round. However, they were comfortably defeated come the Quarter finals by the Blues, 2-9 to 0-12.

The Martins have not had a league to remember in 2022. They finished in the top half but never looked a threat in the race for the league trophy. However, that is often the case, with Fergal Reel’s troops tending to peak later in the summer.

When facing these sides in the league, the Jocks were defeated by the Dreadnots by a point while drawing with St Fechins. This may give both teams some hope, but overall it should be a simple progression for the champions.  So too should the winner of the opener.

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Group 4

Many people’s favourites to end their long wait for Senior success, Ardee St Mary’s look a cert to progress from Group 4 having been paired alongside St Josephs and Dundalk Gaels.

The Mary’s have become a formidable unit in the league, notching up 10 wins in a row to comfortably finish at the top of the Division, winning by an average margin of around 10 points.

They really hit top form when getting back their county stars, the likes of Donal McKenny, Liam and Tom Jackson, Ciaran Keenan and Daire McConnon ripping teams to shreds. Come the second phase, they were rarely threatened in any game.

Last year was a bit of a let down for them. They struggled to find form in the group stages alongside St Mochtas and St Pats, narrowly hanging on to record two draws that ultimately secured their progression. They were eventually knocked out by St Mochtas in what was seen as a major shock by many pundits.

They sit out the first round, leaving the two Division Two sides to fight it out, knowing the winner will more than likely progress to the knockout phase.  

The Gaels were the form team early on, Dylan McKeown being their chief scorer as they went unbeaten in the first phase, before defeats to St Kevins, O’Raghallaighs and Hunterstown brought them back down to earth.

Meanwhile the men from Dromiskin had a very poor start which resulted in Colin Kelly taking over the team midway through the league. It was too late to make the top six, but they have steadied the ship, staying towards the top of Division 2B.

They are the side most in form, but the Gaels will hope they can overcome this slump and make sure they are not in another relegation scrap like in 2021. The Joes were quarter finalists last season, but this is a much tougher ask.