Ballylanders open the defence of their Live 95FM Limerick Senior Football Championship with an interesting tussle against southern rivals Hospital/Herbertstown in Bruff on Friday next (7pm).

In last year's county final, Eamon O'Neill's team produced an awesome display to topple Dromcollogher/Broadford in a one-sided affair. That was the contest in which Kieran O'Callaghan announced himself as a star in the making, with a personal contribution of 1-8. O'Callaghan, however, wasn't alone in the bragging rights, as Jimmy Barry-Murphy, Tom Fox, Willie Kelly, the ageless Connie McSweeney and county hurler Mike O'Brien were also prominent figures.

It would represent an unbelievable upset if Ballylanders were not to collect the championship points on offer here.

Again, the championship is divided into two groups of six teams, with the leading four in each qualifying for the quarter-finals. It was on the recommendation of Pallasgreen that quarter-finals be introduced into the championship – the east Limerick club felt hard done by last year to lose out on a place in the knock-out stages on scoring difference.

Elsewhere in Group One, Pallasgreen tackle St. Kieran's and are expected to come through. A big crowd is expected in Abbeyfeale for the meeting of great rivals Athea and Newcastle West. Although they appeared in the county final only a few years back, Athea are not fancied to come up trumps in this engagement. Newcastle West are correctly viewed as dark horses for serious achievement this season.

Beaten finalists Dromcollogher/Broadford and Claughaun will actually commence the championship season at Kilmallock's Fitzgerald Park on this Thursday night. The West Limerick side have put in place a completely new management structure, but the old reliables in Tom McLouglin, Seanie Buckley, Ray Lynch, Pat Donnelly and Micheál Reidy are still around, players well able to produce the goods at this level.

Adare, who have been there or there abouts in recent times, are out against Monaleen. One more, the Maiguesiders have set themselves an ultimate task this season of annexing both the senior hurling and football championship titles. This tie is arguably the toughest that Adare will encounter in the group stages, but are fancied to bag the early season points on offer.

Two of the heavyweights in the championship, Fr. Casey's and St. Senan's, also come into combat at the weekend – the Abbeyfeale selection have shown great promise at underage level in the very recent past and are given the vote to win against a team that contested the county final only two years ago.

A full-round of games in the Paudie Ryan Catering Intermediate Football Championship is also listed for next weekend.

The second round of both championships is penciled-in for the weekend after next.

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