Every week, Chris Coady will cast his eye over the main talking points from the weekend's Allianz Football League fixtures.
In this entry, he delves into Dubkin's dramatic draw with Kerry, Wexford's poor start under Paul Galvin, an impressive win for Armagh and a strong second half showing from Cork.
‘The league isn't competitive’
Many tend to hop on the bandwagon with this saying but having the opening round of fixtures throwing up five entertaining draws, including Dublin and Kerry not being able to be separated at GAA HQ, it's fair to say teams aren't here just to make up the numbers despite it only being in January.
Jersey Puller
And I’ll start in Croker.
David Clifford got off to a flying start as Kerry captain and his number 14 jersey nearly came flying off itself, with some of the Dubs decided to test out the quality of his top just after Clifford tpped over the equalising score in a 1-19 apiece affair on Saturday evening.
A Step Above
Cork defeated Offaly on the same evening by seven points, and set their stall out early for an immediate return to Division 2.
However, the 0-20 to 0-13 scoreline somewhat flatters the Rebels, who were a point down at the break.
Their extra quality shone through in the end.
They now look forward to a trip to Leitrim on Saturday.
Slow Start
Life under Paul Galvin at Wexford got off to a bad start at the weekend after their fruitless trip up north saw them have three green flags waved against them in a six-point loss to Antrim.
However, a first home game of the league to Carlow this weekend can help the Yellow Bellies bounce back and start their promotion battle.
Mind The Gap
With the previous four meetings between the two counties producing two draws, Ulster neighbours Armagh and Cavan were expected to contest a tight battle again.
However, Armagh didn’t read the script, and marched to a 13-point win on Sunday in the Athletic Grounds, taking the two points on offer and leaving Cavan rooted to the bottom of the division.