Club: Kilkenny City

Last Season: 2^nd in 2.2. Lost play-off against Wolfhounds on penalties.

Players In: David Walsh (10.8m) a 20yo MC, Kyle Doherty (6.5m) another 20yo MC and Ovidiu Florescu (4.6m), not a 20yo MC (a 31yo DM/M R)

Players Out: None

Prediction: Hegarty may not be retiring this season, but he isn’t getting any younger. Kilkenny will need to push hard to equal or exceed  last season, but automatic promotion should be their goal.

Club: AC Pool

Last Season:  3^rd in 2.2, three behind 2^nd and four ahead of fourth.

Players In: None

Players Out: None

Prediction: With no immediate youngsters, or transfers, and a slightly creaking team, AC Pool will probably fail to reach last season’s heights. Expect safe mid table obscurity.

Club: Team_Zissou

Last Season: 4th after a famously long drawing opening streak.

Players In: Adam Connolly, 29yo D/DM R for 7.2m and Matthew O’Leary a 24yo GK for 6.8m

Players Out: None

Prediction: A good squad, but a few are just hitting 30 or above, so this could be the last chance before needing a rebuild. Should be in the play-off spot come the end of the season, or questions will be asked.

Club: Tipperary Scum

Last Season:  5^th in 2.2, a point ahead of 6^th.

Players In: None

Players Out: None

Prediction: Some great youths, but lacks overall quality in the squad. Five great players on the pitch also means six not-great players. Has some good youths waiting to mature – this season will not be it, but if everything goes to plan they will be champions in season 16.

Club: Galwayrules

Last Season: 6^th in 2.2. 11 points off the play-off spot and 12 off relegation. Dictionary definition of mid-tableitis.

Players In: None

Players Out: None

Prediction: A solid squad, with a few good youths waiting in the wings. Probably just shy of promotion, but will be Tipp’s main rivals next season. Expect Rory O Raighne to be a major star – aan international call up is likely.

Club: Pats Reds

Last Season: 7th in 2.2 on 49 points. We’re not with those taht were closer to relegation than promotion.

Players In: None

Players Out: None

Prediction: A healthy looking young squad with some exciting looking prospects in the wings. A challenge for the title is possible; expect them to be 3^rd at worst.

Club: Crusaders

Last Season: 8^th in 2.2, GD separating them from 9^th.

Players In: None

Players Out: None

Prediction: Another team with a healthy youth system – should be safe in the top five, but just shy of promotion potential. At this rate i can’t wait for season 16.

Club: Dynamo Dundrum

Last Season: 9^th in 2.2. A healthy distance above 10^th and GD behind 8^th.

Players In: None

Players Out: None

Prediction: Smallish squad, with no major youth prospects this season and an ageing selection they’ll be dropping below 9^th this season. Will be dangerously close to the relegation zone, and may end up the wrong side of it.

Club: Shamrock Clovers FC

Last Season: 10th on 43 points, a point above 12^th (seeing as 11^th was banned).

Players In: None

Players Out: None

Prediction: A below average squad, and no youth prospects. Will be battling relegation early on.

Club: Erin County

Last Season: 12^th in 2.2, three points above the relegation zone

Players In: None

Players Out: None

Prediction: Another strong youth squad, but a year or two away from maturity. The future won’t sustain them this season though, and they will be going down.

Club: Pathetic Thistle

Last Season: 13^th in 22 – saved from relegation by the banning of Newcastle Magpies Fc

Players In: None

Players Out: None

Prediction: Another youth team that won’t bear fruit this season – to the determent of Pathetic. They’ll struggle to stay up.

Club: Derry FC

Last Season: 17th in LOI, five points away from the dubious safety of a playoff.

Players In: None

Players Out: Carlos Magno Machado (41m), Leo O’Donovan (55.4m), Steve Keane (112.7m) and Scott Hanley (89.2m)

Prediction: having gone back on his proposed retirement, Derry will be in semi-sleeper mode. Combine that with the sale of his best assets (see above) and we’re speaking a one-way drop to the bottom.

Club: Balloon FC

Last Season: 1^st in 3.4, three points clear in the end.

Players In: None

Players Out: None

Prediction: A squad that looks unspectacular and a B team that is some seasons away from promoting quantity and quality to the main squad, Balloon will struggle to stay up. Their main ray of hope is that there are others in the same boat. Tough one – but may hang in by the skin of their teeth and their manager’s experience.

Club: Carlow Cows

Last Season: 2^nd in 3.4, a point ahead of 3^rd spot.

Players In: None

Players Out: None

Prediction: A squad that could be called Oscar O’Connor and friends – the leap in quality to the Second Division is probably a step too far. They will struggle, and, ultimately, will be going back down.

Club: Steaua 1

Last Season: 2^nd in 3.5 – but default champions due to Irish Empire inactivity/banning.

Players In: Amit Green (63.6m), an Israeli DM CR and Albert Kimgard (90.6m) a Sweidsh forward.

Players Out: Mohammad Kamal (49.4m) a 32yo Pakistani OM C.

Prediction: A team lacking upcoming youth but with a solid if unspectacular, but ageing, squad. Will be tough for them to stay up, but has the look of a team that may just grind out the necessary points to stay up. Just.

Club: Tallafornia Tokage FC

Last Season: 3^rd in 3.5, but bumped to second place.

Players In: None

Players Out: Cormac Curran, 2.1m for a 34 year old D/DM C.

Prediction: A small squad, no youths and almost half of them non-Irish. Will be battling with derry for bottom spot.

Club: Fatherworld United

Last Season: 1^st in 3.6, seven points clear of 2^nd and thirteen ahead of 3^rd.

Players In: Izz Aldin Jamaan, a 24 year old Syrian defender bought for 168m.

Players Out: Alojzy Skarzynski, a Polish OM C for 400k.

Prediction: Another solid squad, and some nice talent, but with some youths that may mature in a couple of seasons. May struggle slightly, but should be strong enough to survive ‘til next season.

Club: Cineplex Utd

Last Season: 2^nd in 3.6, six points ahead of 3^rd place Limerick legends.

Players In: John Gracey (5.6m) for a 31yo MC.

Players Out: None

Prediction: Will struggle in the second division despite three or four quality players. They will probably be one of the tams just either side of the relegation zone come end of season.