New Year, new season, will we have new champions? Many debates have raged over the last few weeks in counties as they ponder their team's credentials for the forthcoming hurling season. The questions most likely to have been asked were: Will the team be the same as last year? Is there any new talent around? Who will stop Kilkenny? Can the so called weaker counties make an impact in the All-Ireland series? Is 2007 Waterford's last chance of glory? By now most teams are back in action with the majority involved in divisional leagues and tournaments in preparation for the forthcoming national league matches. Counties are giving every player the opportunity to stake their claim for a right to be involved come championship time but is it a fair opportunity at this time of year. Playing in January and early February time of year can be a bit of a lottery in terms of weather and also in terms of how much preparation an individual will have done to improve his fitness and more importantly his hurling. A guy might be given only one opportunity to play and impress and never be given that chance again. A player might not shine in January but could be a very good player come May and June when he is needed most. This is the fine balance selectors have to adjust to in picking the 30 or so that will make up a panel of players. There is no point having a guy at number 28 or 29 if you have no intention of giving him a game and that he is only there to make up the numbers. A fellow would be better off back with his club playing competitive hurling and enjoying it. Once the novelty of being on a panel for the first year or two wears off because of lack of games, an individual's form can be affected at club level. And we all know the consequences of this - neither the club or player is happy which leads to frustration and nobody wins at the end of the day. I can understand managers wanting panels of 30 players for training and games purposes but more often than not there is at least six or seven that will never the get the chance of playing and as a result of this get into the so called comfort zone and suffer long term. Players train to play and when involved at intercounty level they should also be allowed play with their clubs as often as possible, particularly those squad members from number 20 to 30. National League 2007 If the hurling league gets the same publicity and generates the same level of interest as the football league has done so far, then all hurling fans more than happy. It is a marvellous achievement for the GAA to say that the full house signs were up nearly a week before the Dublin-Tyrone NFL game was played under lights in Croke Park. I cannot say that a situation like that will ever happen in hurling but a lot more must be done to make it attractive for people to come out on these cold days and nights to be entertained. It will be interesting to see if the marketing and promotion of the national leagues is a one off and will it continue through out the full campaign. There is a lot more happening outside of Dublin which also needs to be taken into consideration. So who will take the league seriously in preparation for the championship? One team that springs to mind straight away is Kilkenny. They use it as an opportunity to blood new players but also make no bones of the fact that they want to win it every year and see it as a key factor in preparation for the harder road of championship hurling. Other teams must take notice of this and do likewise or else the competition will fade badly and that is not what the GAA or its sponsors want. Because of the profile other sports get at this time of year it is vitally important that we hold our ground and make it as attractive as possible to increase the crowds following our games during this period. There is no doubt that floodlighting is the way forward for most counties and if games can be played on a Friday or Saturday night, it certainly brings a new dimension to our sport. If we throw in live television with it also then there is not much marketing left to do afterwards. Of all teams looking for progress again this year in the league, I will be looking to Limerick, Clare, Galway, Wexford and Dublin to see if progress is been made. Some under new management will be keen to start on a high note and others will look to improve again on last year's performances. There is nothing better than winning when you are building a team and confidence grows in players with them looking forward to every game as if it is a championship match. You also cannot deny the fact that it is only the league and harder days lie ahead but as stated already and as the Cats will tell you - winning becomes a habit and winning a national league does not hamper a team's ambition to win the All-Ireland. For the above teams, younger players must be given their opportunity while at the same time the older guys must not be discarded too easily either. Getting the balance right between youth and experience is the job of the manager and his selectors alike and injecting new blood will always keep the more experienced guys on their toes. It will be an interesting few weeks with more pressure on some managers than others to deliver. We will have to wait to see how it unfolds but if we believe everything we hear is happening in the west, there might be only one contender for outright glory. Tweet

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