Shaun Casey runs the rule over the Ulster hurling counties or something ahead of the championship

Antrim

Manager: Davy Fitzgerald

Captains: Conal Cunning and Niall O’Connor

The Division 1B league campaign didn’t exactly go to play for Davy Fitzgerald’s charges, but they retained their status despite losing to Ulster rivals Down in the last round. They have an instant change of revenge in the opening round of the Joe McDonagh Cup when they host the Mourne men. The Joe McDonagh Cup is a tricky one for Antrim. Win it, and they’re expected to. If they don’t collect the title however, then it’ll be a disaster. The competition isn’t exactly a walk in the park. Down will have their eyes set on competing for the crown while Laois will look to go one step further than last year, when they reached the decider. On paper, the Saffron’s should go all the way, but it’s a long way to the steps of the Hogan Stand.

Armagh

Manager: Karl McKeegan

Captain: Barry Shortt and Odhran Curry

Armagh managed to avoid relegation for the last few years, but their luck ran out in 2026. Next season, they’ll compete in Division Four and the team is going through a tough period of transition in Karl McKeegan’s fourth season in charge. They welcomed a lot of fresh faces into the panel, and gave a large number of them gametime, but the championship will be a different test for the Orchard County, who failed to win any of their league games. Retaining their Nickey Rackard Cup status will be the key objective for McKeegan’s men, and they’ll be targeting their ties against Fermanagh, Louth and possibly Sligo as the best chance to pick up a few points. Armagh haven’t competed in the Nickey Rackard Cup final since 2019, although they did finish third in the group last year, but with the large turnover in their squad, it’s unlikely they’ll get back to that level just yet.

Cavan

Manager: Ollie Bellew

Captain: Enda Shalvey

Cavan reached the ‘Theatre of Dreams’ in Croke Park last season in the Lory Meagher Cup but New York, who entered the competition at the semi-final stage, halted their progress in the decider. Having lost a few of the older heads in their changing room, could Cavan have missed the boat in 2025? Their league performances saw them finish midtable in Division Four but Ollie Bellew, who’s in his fourth season in charge, will hope they can turn the tide in the championship. They begin their campaign at home in Kingspan Breffni Park, where they meet Warwickshire, but three of their last four games are all on the road. It’s a long way back to Croker for the Breffni County, but they’ll take it one game at a time and have their eyes set on going one better than last year.

Derry

Manager: Johnny McGarvey

Captain: Cormac O’Doherty

Johnny McGarvey’s men just weren’t good enough to hang onto their Division Two status in the end, ultimately losing five of their six outings. Their solitary victory came against Mayo, who they finished above, but it wasn’t enough to save their bacon. It’s all about the Christy Ring Cup now for the Oak Leaf County and in truth, while they wouldn’t have wanted to get relegated, everything was always pointing towards the championship. They came up short in the Christy Ring Cup final last season at Croke Park, with London edging them out by three-points in the end. Derry will be one of the favourites to climb the steps of the Hogan Stand this time around and their first outing is on home turf against Roscommon, who have been promoted from the Nickey Rackard Cup.

Donegal

Manager: Michael McCann

Captain: Conor Gartland

While Donegal didn’t get their hands on the Division Three league title, they did achieve the ultimate goal of gaining promotion and an immediate return to Division Two hurling for next season. Silverware has eluded them so far, including the Conor McGurk Cup earlier on in the year, and now they match into the Christy Ring Cup with a point to prove. Their only defeats in the league came against Wicklow, both in round six and the showpiece, but Mickey McCann’s charges have an instant shot at revenge when they welcome the Garden County to O’Donnell Park for the opening round of the championship and they’ll be eager to get off to the best start possible, and hoping it’s third time lucky against their Leinster foes.

Down

Manager: Ronan Sheehan

Captain: Caolan Taggart

Although they were relegated from Division 1B, Ronan Sheehan’s men finished the league campaign on a high, beating Ulster rivals Antrim in stunning fashion at Páirc Esler, Newry, with a last-minute goal from Donal Hughes. They’ll head into the Joe McDonagh Cup campaign with plenty of confidence off the back of that and will hope to repeat the feat when they take on the Saffron County in the opening round of the competition. Down have competed in the Joe McDonagh Cup over the past number of seasons and will feel like it’s time that they make a proper tilt at the title. If the Mourne men can get their best team out on the field, they will be confident of giving it a right rattle.

Fermanagh

Manager: Daithí Hand and Peter Galvin

Captain: Odhran Johnston

Fermanagh’s share of the spoils in the final round of the league, away to Armagh, were the only points they picked up throughout the entire campaign, and they dropped out of Division Three alongside the Orchard County. Fermanagh finished bottom of the Nickey Rackard Cup group last season, losing four on the bounce before earning a final round draw with Mayo, but they remain in the competition thanks to New York winning the Lory Meagher Cup and the America’s haven’t been promoted, meaning no one dropped down from the Nickey Rackard. The Erne County begin proceedings away to Louth and their first home game of the championship season will be against Armagh at Brewster Park. Those two games will be two Fermanagh will target as very winnable matches.

Monaghan

Manager: Arthur Hughes

Captains:Niall Garland and Eithan Flynn

Since their Lory Meagher Cup triumph of 2023, Monaghan have struggled to build on that success. They finished second from bottom in the Division Four league table, just above Lancashire who they recorded their only win over, and now they’ll be looking to turn things around heading into the championship. Everything kicks off on Saturday afternoon as they make the journey to Páirc Seán MacDiarmada to face Leitrim in their opener before meeting Cavan on home turf the following week. The Farney County reached the last three of the Lory Meagher Cup last season and will be keen to at least get back to that stage once again in 2026.

Tyrone

Manager: Stephen McGarry

Captain: Aidan Kelly

After a few seasons competing at Christy Ring Cup level, Tyrone are back down in the Nickey Rackard Cup this season and will be one of the favourites to land the title. Their league performance didn’t merit promotion from Division Three, but they’ll look at the championship as a real chance to get their hands on some silverware. On league standings, Mayo, who were relegated from Division Two, will be their biggest contenders. Stephen McGarry’s side get the show on the road at Garvaghey on Saturday when they welcome Sligo up north and the Red Hand County should get their campaign up and running with a win, but it’s their round two clash with Mayo that could ultimately tell the tale.