Mayo midfielder Seamus O'Shea is looking forward to renewing acquaintances with Kerry this weekend.

The Connacht champions will bid to gain a small measure of revenge for last year's All-Ireland semi-final replay defeat when they travel to Fitzgerald Stadium on Sunday for the first round of Division 1.

O'Shea was one of the guest speakers at today's Allianz Football Leagues launch in Croke Park and he said: "It's a nice one to start off with.

"Playing the All-Ireland champions at home is always going to be a difficult start to the league. It's a tough one but they're all tough games in Division 1.

"We've got off to a slow start in the League over the last couple of years so it would be nice to get off to a good start and pick up a couple of points."

What are Mayo's ambitions for this year's league campaign under the new management of Noel Connelly and Pat Holmes?

"First of all the main thing is to stay up. Over the last number of years, the teams that get relegated and the teams that get to the semi-finals, there's probably only a couple of points between them. It's very competitive.

"From our point of view we just want to get back into the swing of things. Pat and Noel have brought in a good few young fellas so it will be great if a few of them step up and made the panel and, hopefully, make the team later in the year. I think that would be a good start.

"Look it, any competition or any game you're in you want to win it so hopefully we'll go as far as possible.

"I have never won an Allianz League so it would be a nice medal to win. In saying that, we obviously have one eye on the championship as well and there will be players that will be tried out and you'll be trying different things.

"But we'll be going flat out if we can and hopefully we'll get a good run at it and try to get to the play-offs anyway and see where that takes us."

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