The Allianz Football League is back this weekend with a new format and mini local competitions that promise plenty of fireworks, especially in the Ulster counties.

The latest Throw-In looks ahead to the return of inter-county gaelic football action and Will Slattery is joined by Donnchadh Boyle and Dick Clerkin to preview all the big games where Division 1 North with Tyrone v Donegal and Monaghan v Armagh the pick of the ties.

Division 1 South sees Kerry at home to Galway while Dublin face Roscommon. Pointing to Dublin’s self-belief, Dick Clerkin says this is what other teams to do work on if they really want to de-throne the Dubs.

“People talk about resources, they talk about players, they talk about all this stuff. I had the privilege of going down to watch Dublin three times last year in the empty stadium and you got to appreciate the intensity, the focus and the pure confidence that they play with on the pitch and I've never seen another team play like that.

“They back their tactics, they back themselves and they play off the front foot. So if a Kerry, a Mayo, a Donegal, a Tyrone, a Monaghan, any of these teams want to beat Dublin, they have to bring that confidence that Dublin bring because that's what keeps them up at that top level of consistency and other teams just can't get up to there. It's not always just ability, it's just not backing themselves and backing the talent that many of them have in their ranks.”

The question is whether Kerry are the only team that can put it up to them or whether Donegal’s promise or Mayo’s youth can stand up and deliver. The next few weeks in the football league will give us all a better idea come the summer.

For more from the Throw-In podcast go to:
www.independent.ie/podcasts/the-throw-in/

The Throw-In podcast is in association with Allianz.ie.

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