UCD

Last Season: 9th

Player/coach: John McInroy (1st season)
Captain: Tim Hill

Players In: Tim Hill (UCD), John McInroy (Corinthian), Ronan Flannery (Pembroke), Ross Gribben (Corinthian), Rob Anderson (YMCA), Jamie Tobin (YMCA), Shane O’Donnell (YMCA)
Players Out: Stephen O’Keefe (Railway Union), Runar O’Moore (Monkstown), Ali Nolan (Monkstown)

Summary: Good recruitment and some highly motivated preseason work sees UCD enter the season with higher hopes than usual. Indeed, they have brought in decent forwards to help alter the stat from last season that the students only scored when Robbie McFarlane was in the squad.

Given his injury problems, bagels proved regular occurrences but Jamie Tobin and Tim Hill have both struck four times in preseason while McInroy is always good for a goal or two.

Ronan Flannery is a key acquisition and UCD will put up more of a fight this year but may not have enough in the tank for a sustained top five push just yet.

First three league games: Glenanne (h); Monkstown (a); Pembroke (date TBC)
League prediction: 8th