We can focus on the year at hand now as Dublin’s Division 2 National League Campaign throws in tonight
Dublin v Kildare
Alliannz NFL Division 2
Saturday, January 28th. 5:00pm
Croke Park, Dublin
The winter break comes to a confirmed close later today. And Dessie Farrell’s Dublin Senior Football panel start life in Division 2 of the Allianz National Football Leageue. And with the new Championship format in 2023, Division 2 now carries so much more significance.
The fact that Dublin are involved in this Division makes for a very interesting sub-plot, and tonight’s opener will be an important one for the travelling Kildare panel.
Farrell will be bouyed by the return of some more established senior panel members. But whether we see them make an appearance tonight is another twist in the tail. And the Dublin boss will certainly want to make Dublin’s stay in Division 2 as short as physically possible.
Dublin and Derry stand as clear favourites in the Division, and Dublin’s fate will be very dependent on how Dessie’s men fair out on their road trips. Dublin were beaten by six points on their last visit to Celtic Park, by three on their last trip to Cork, and by five on their last hop across the county bounds to Páirc Tailteann. They’ll be visiting grounds they’ve lost familiarity with. So to say this league campaign will be interesting might be a massive understatement.
Dessie Farrell’s team includes ten of the starting XV from Dublin’s All-Ireland Semi-Final defeat to Kerry last summer
Dublin Starting 15 (v Kildare)
1. David O’Hanlon (Na Fianna)
2. Eoin Murchan (Na Fianna)
3. David Byrne (Naomh Olaf)
4. Michael Fitzsimons (Cuala)
5. Lee Gannon (Whitehall Colmcille)
6. John Small (Ballymun Kickhams)
7. Cian Murphy (Thomas Davis)
8. Brian Fenton (Raheny)
9. Tom Lahiff (St. Judes)
10. Niall Scully (Templeogue Synge Street)
11. Lorcan O’Dell (Templeogue Synge Street)
12. Seán Bugler (St. Oliver Plunkett’s/Eoghan Ruadh)
13. Cormac Costello (Whitehall Colmcille)
14. Ciaran Kilkenny (Castleknock)
15. Con O’Callaghan (Cuala)