Kilkenny

Last Season: 1st (Division 2)

Record: Won 14 Drew 3 Lost 1 Pts 45 Goals For 59 Goals Against 23

Captain: Hugh Kelly

Players In: Mark Weir (Naas), Brian Gray (Fingal)

Players Out: Eddie Dore (Cork Harlequins)

Summary: Success for Kilkenny this season is clear: avoid relegation. For the division 2 champions, the threat of losing players to Dublin clubs never materialised and they have added former Kilkenny schoolboys Brian Gray and speed merchant Mark Weir. Whilst they face arguably their toughest trip, to Pembroke, on day one, hosting UCD could provide a sign of how both sides will get on this year and home form could prove the decisive advantage if points are hard to come by at the bottom. A 3-0 preseason defeat to Cork Harlequins was respectable while they will be buoyed by a 3-2 win over Railway. Avoiding relegation, though, could well be beyond them.

First three games: Pembroke (a); UCD (h); TRR (h)

Prediction: 10th