Former Kerry manager Eamonn Fitzmaurice believes Division 1 of the Allianz Football League is more of a minefield now than it has ever been.

League action for 2025 begins tomorrow (Saturday) with the Division 1 opener a repeat of last year’s All-Ireland SFC final between Galway and Armagh (5.15pm), before Malachy O’Rourke’s Tyrone side host holders Derry (6pm) and Dublin and Mayo cross swords at Croke Park (7.30pm).

Sunday afternoon sees Kerry welcoming Donegal to Killarney (1.45pm) in a battle of provincial champions and, speaking to the RTE GAA podcast, Fitzmaurice says that it’s “a serious test” for his home county.

"It’s fascinating. One thing for sure is Division 1 is bonkers competitive. It’s as competitive as I’ve ever seen it. There is no free passes, every game will be a complete battle so teams will be taking points off each other,” said the 2014 All-Ireland winning boss.

"Donegal had their overseas camp in the Middle East. By all accounts it was a tactical style camp. To me that tells you of a team that is a good bit down the line. If you’re able to be focused on the tactical nuances that early in a season, it means you are in a good place.

"It’s a serious test for Kerry on the first day. If they get two points out of Donegal they would be very happy. My feeling is Donegal will come in locked and loaded is not based on anything else, we haven’t seen anything yet, but considering the personnel they have and the person is charge of them, and that they seem to have a bit of work done, they’ll be a handful early on for everyone.

"It’s very hard to know overall. Kerry are playing Dublin in the third round and at that stage you could have a scenario where they are grappling for points from being under pressure from earlier games. It’s great how competitive it is."

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