January makes you think ahead to the summer Driving conditions are scarcely hectic, the pitch itself is even worse and the teams before you are working on half battery. Still, January draws you from the nest like no other month - it signals the end of the winter hibernation of The Gael. It might be a provincial league fixture in the only playable field in the host county but you can still rustle up a few of the lads for the road trip. You will leave in good time because of the forecast but the early departure has an added bonus - the small band of travellers can wonder about the road before them in a football context. And the spare time is put to good use in other ways too. Though you and your fellow supporters consider yourselves veterans of this part of the season, nobody in the vehicle can identify the first fifteen. Worse still, following a call to your local journalist friend to help with the process, you realise you know little about their status in the county. You probably share the same anxiety of the new manager - we're all on a learning curve here folks. Be in no doubt, the autumn/winter break was needed. Despite faint cries from hard pressed county board treasurers to return to the way we were and have some cash coming in for October and November, the truth is we are shattered by the time the final whistle of the club provincial championships is sounded. Full up, fed up and fit to drop we head for the safety of the off-season. While the on field action has disappeared, you are entering the high season of AGMs and EGMs, new manager committees, financial ruin investigations and a select committee to identify and coax a couple of new players from the neighbouring parish to sign. The AGM agreed we are within a man of a county title and all it needs is a couple of more players! But spare a thought for the second and third level player who had to forsake the break in play and get down and dirty in early September. The dull and dank days of winter roll out before them with little in the way of glory apparent from this angle. But they will work on the lungs, hearts and legs as they prepare the mind and body for the key battles of early spring when Sigersons and Hogans open up for business and the winning. County minor and under 21 managers will come calling for the best of them and early form here might even interest the senior man. Club leagues yawn and awake and without blinking the next 'great one' is on call to a handful of managers as he quickly careers down the slippy slope where the end state is a chronic injury or a loss in form. Many years ago, when officials in the association hardly gave a damn for the player or the supporter, the draws for the various championships might take place in early spring with dates and timings very often left until somebody decided to get around to it. It made planning the games around your workload almost impossible and the team manager's efforts at a cohesive plan of organisation a lottery. We put up with it because we knew no better but thankfully we can all now look forward to a master fixtures programme for the inter county player and as an off shoot, the supporters. Someday soon, HQ will demand the same detail for the hard-pressed club player. Having recently exited management at this level in Roscommon, where incidentally the fixtures committee ran a splendid show, I can vouch for the crazy programmes some other counties are running. By late November of 2005, we had gathered in Killarney to conduct the championship draws. All were invited but one province declined and went on a solo run. Ulster often wonders why it gets a bad press - do the maths. Normally, the draw will throw up some interesting pairings and it is easy to look at the line-up in each province and pick the plum tie. Alas, the 2006 version failed to excite and the championship will reach July before the crackers will ignite. We think it will be finals time in the four kingdoms before the crowds come out. Out with the crystal ball then and lets have a forecast for the year ahead. As mentioned in the last edition, Tyrone will not retain their All-Ireland title. It is based on the retirement of one Peter Canavan and the significant loss he will be to them. Think back to the key moments in Ulster and the All-Ireland Series and his name emerges each time. But they might well win Ulster and deny Armagh some serious stats here. Down are well placed to announce themselves as a more determined outfit this year. They are gathering the material for their preferred mode of attack - in big and home early. They come from nowhere and when the way begins to open up they go for the full trip. Expect a battle royal with Tyrone at the semi-final stage. Armagh or Monaghan will await and my money goes on Armagh in such a scenario. But Tyrone will peak by winning the final with Armagh happy enough to settle for the Qualifiers. Connaught is straight forward - Galway will play Mayo in the final but only after Roscommon have won some pride back for the county by pushing the Green and Red all the way. When the two great powers of this province meet in a final it is usually a toss up. It seems to me that it is the turn of Mayo and so the vote goes to them. Indeed, I fancy Mayo may end up in an All-Ireland semi final this year. We will have to wait and see, but for now, Mickey Moran has something to look forward to. In Munster, the old order is slowly returning and the annual question concerns the order of the draw: Did Cork avoid Kerry? Yes! Then, as sure as night follows day, this will be the final pairing and Kerry should win out. The situation in Leinster is the most difficult to figure but for a change we will start at the end - Dublin will retain their title by beating Wexford in the final. Kildare could emerge again and it is definitely last chance saloon for a Laois team many of us fancied to someday win Sam. Offaly might bark for a few months too, possibly the Qualifiers, but it is hard to see them involved at the business end. Top Eight then: Mayo, Kerry, Tyrone and Dublin as champions and if the others stay apart in the Qualifiers expect to see Galway, Cork, Armagh and Down come through. I will print this column and hang it on the office wall - should make for a good laugh come the middle of August! Tweet

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