Weekend's football will tell a tale

Really looking forward to the weekend’s football games in the league.
The big one as far as I’m concerned, is the Division 2 clash of Armagh versus Dublin.
The Dubs have had a good start to the season but they have shown many of the same vulnerabilities that have caused them championships over the last five or six seasons.
They are still playing in patches, hugely impressive when they are in gear, but at times look novice like when they are pinned to their collar.
They are still reliant on Jason Sherlock to give their attack something different and while I think Bernard Brogan was a good addition to the panel last season I have yet to be convinced that the Dubs have what it takes.
Armagh have been in the last chance saloon for so long now it’s hard to remember when they were always the team to beat if you wanted an All-Ireland.
Between 1999 and 2003, apart from Armagh’s glory year of 2002, all the Sam Maguire winners had to overcome the Orchard men on the way to the title.
Things are changing slowly in Armagh, they still have a nucleus of players from the glory years of 2002 and 2003 but the introduction of some of the new Cross contingent and a new manager Peter McDonnell has given fresh hope for a change in fortune.
I think Armagh will remain a tough team to beat this season but I think their progress still sits largely on the health of one of the stars of their breakthrough season Ronan Clarke.
A fit Clarke gives Steven McDonnell so much more space to play in and wins an enormous amount of ball to feed the Killeavey man.
Clarke always weighs in too with a few scores of his own but the chief worry about Clarke has been the fact that he has not been injury free for a full season since 2002.
Armagh still have problems too in the full back line, it is susceptible to pace.
Tomorrow’s game will be a good indicator of where these sides are at in terms of the big challenges for the year ahead.
Two other big games are Tyrone and Donegal and although Tyrone are at home and need the points I think that the Tir Chonaill men are ahead of them at this point of the season.
If Donegal are to show that they really have arrived back on the national scene then they must win.
Mickey Harte at least has the luxury of hoping to show that his side is making progress.
Meath and Monaghan is another big clash with both sides intent on proving that their great seasons last year were no fluke and they will again be in the shake-up in the summer.
Anthony Moyles will be missing for Meath and I think his absence swings things further the Farneymen’s way.
No matter what way the results go I think this weekend will be the first serious test for several of the top sides about who is ready to mount a serious challenge to Kerry’s Kingdom.