Part 2: Your team by team guide to Kildare's Division 1 opponents in the National League

Yesterday we brought you the first part of our team by team guide to Kildare's Division 1 opponents in the National League, and today we bring you four more teams who are set to contest the top tier alongside the Lilywhites.

Kerry

Eammon Fitzmaurice

The former Kerry player is now entering his sixth season in charge of the Kingdom, and this could prove to be yet another year of transition. However, they won the All-Ireland when they were supposedly in transition in 2014.

The Kildare view

Outside of the football, there will be plenty of Kildare fans who will have pencilled this game into their calendar from a long way out. Kerry play host to the Lilywhites in the sixth round, a game which will be played on St Patrick’s Day, so a Paddy’s weekend in Killarney beckons for many.

On the field it is hard to know how Kerry will line out for the league. The older players such as Donnchadh Walsh and Kieran Donaghy are unlikely to be involved, but the clutch of talented young players coming through could ensure their absence is hardly felt. Kerry have the forwards to hurt anyone, and Fitzmaurice will likely be looking to build some squad depth ahead of the championship.

A league title may not mean as much to Kerry this year as it did when they won it in 2017 considering their subsequent championship performance, and their success primarily depends on how well their younger players step up to the mark.

Main man

David Moran

A Rolls Royce footballer, when Moran plays well he invariably improves those around him. One of the best fielders of the ball in the game at present, a potential battle with Kevin Feely around the middle should be one to savour.

One to watch

David Clifford

The most talked about youngster in GAA at present, Clifford appears to have the world at his feet as he enters his first year at senior level. Having destroyed the Kildare minors in 2016, there will be some within O’Neill’s panel who know just how much damage the Fossa man can inflict.

League odds: 7/2

Mayo

Manager

Stephen Rochford

Currently in his third year in charge of the Green and Red, bank employee Rochford will have grand designs on finally getting his home county over the line in the All-Ireland.

Mayo have tended to start extremely slowly in the National League in recent years before finishing like a train to either stave off the threat of relegation or make a push for the semi-finals. With the absence of semi-finals again this year there is less room for manoeuvre.

The beaten 2016 and 2017 All-Ireland finalists arrive to St Conleth’s Park in round five, and that is far from ideal. An early meeting with Mayo would have given Kildare a greater chance of catching them on the hop, especially when you consider the vast majority of their panel were holidaying in Asia during January.

There may be a certain amount of confidence within the Kildare ranks ahead of the meeting in Newbridge however, with manager Cian O’Neill having a good knowledge of the opposition panel following his stint in the west and the fact that Kildare beat them in their last league meeting back in 2014 when Paddy Brophy starred for Jason Ryan’s side.

Aidan O’Shea

Expect Player of the Year Andy Moran to be spared from too much game time during the league in preparation for championship, while Lee Keegan is out injured. O’Shea will be the lynchpin for Mayo once again.

Ross Egan

A thrilling forward at underage, Egan will be looking to break into the attacking unit where many other youngsters have failed to do so.

League odds: 15/2

Monaghan

Malachy O’Rourke

Now into his sixth season in charge of Monaghan, O’Rourke remains one of the game’s most unheralded managers despite his continued strong performance with Monaghan. He has managed to keep the county in Division 1 against the odds, and recent championship performances mean that fans will look back on this spell as a golden period.

Monaghan will be the first side to pitch up to St Conleth’s Park this spring when they arrive on February 4, and it will be earmarked as one of the big games that Kildare could garner a win from. That may not be as straightforward as some think however – Monaghan are a bloody good league team.

They’ve remained in the division for three seasons and have steadily bolstered their panel to ensure that they can deal with the demands of league and championship football, and they always appear to be flying in the early stages of the league.

Monaghan would surely be a team that Kildare should aspire to emulate, with the Farney men enjoying continued involvement in the top tier and delivering provincial titles in 2012 and 2015. The outcome of the game on the first weekend in February could be pivotal to Kildare’s chances in the league this year.

Conor McManus

The undisputed star of Monaghan football, and perhaps the best forward in the game at present. McManus seems to consistently bring his game onto another level each season, and he will be the main attacking threat to each opposition O’Rourke’s charges face this season.

David Garland

An U21 star for Monaghan last year, Garland looks like he has all the talent to step up another level and make a mark for his county at senior level. He impressed in his first two outings in the McKenna Cup by bagging 1-8 against Fermanagh and Queens, so he could be a useful foil for Conor McManus up front.

League odds: 12/1

Tyrone

Mickey Harte

The longest serving intercounty manager in the game, Mickey Harte retains the ability to produce competitive teams that have the ability to beat any team – aside from Dublin – on their day. The legendary three-time All-Ireland winning manager’s position mirrors that of Arsene Wenger’s at Arsenal in some way – he will most likely be allowed leave on his own terms rather than being pushed.

Tyrone arrive in Newbridge in the third round of the league, and they will be expecting to pick up two points on the road. Considering that they have a tough trip to a Galway side that have looked good in the FBD League in round one and welcome the Dubs in the second round, they may well be in need of a win by the time they face Kildare.

The Red Hands just about survived in Division 1 last year, but they generally manage to beat sides that are perceived as weaker than them, evidenced by the fact that they triumphed over Roscommon, Cavan and Monaghan last year. A meeting with Kildare falls into that category.

The last meeting between the two teams in the league was an absorbing encounter in St Conleth’s Park back in 2014 when Tyrone edged it by 3-16 to 1-21, with Ronan O’Neill particularly influential as he scored 1-5.

The Lilywhites tend to struggle against teams who pack their defence, and in the tight confines of St Conleth’s Park it could be a huge advantage to the Ulster men.

Peter Harte

The versatile Errigal Ciarán man is one of the country’s best footballers and has consistently proved a hard man to tie down as he operates as an auxiliary wing-back before breaking forward at menacing pace. With Seán Cavanagh now retired, Harte is one of the main leaders of Tyrone’s side.

Cathal McCarron

The experienced corner-back is expected to be lining out for Athy this year as an impending transfer from his club in Tyrone goes through, so there will be plenty of eager eyes on the former All-Star. He could line up against a clutch of his new teammates.