DIVISION 1A
Clare
Manager: Brian Lohan
Year: Six
Notes: Lohan is back for the final year of his current term, but given last year's All-Ireland triumph don’t assume this will be his swansong.
There is some change in the backroom team though as they prepare for 2025.
Shane Hassett, who had been with the Banner for four years, has stepped away to focus on his studies.
Replacing him is former Galway star Rory Gantley who has worked with Limerick’s Kilmallock and Clare’s Tubber in the past.
Cork
Manager: Pat Ryan
Year: Three
Notes: Pat Ryan begins the third year of a three-year term with the obvious aim of going one step further than last year’s All-Ireland final loss to Clare.
The same management team remains in situ as they try and win something, the big asterisk against their obvious progress.
Experienced heads like Séamus Harnedy, who is understood to have taken a bit of time to decide, Patrick Horgan, Conor Lehane and Damian Cahalane are back on board - and the latter could be joined by his brother Jack after he quit the Cork football squad.
The Rebels will have a new captain in 2025 with Robert Downey taking over from Seán O'Donoghue.
Galway
Manager: Micheál Donoghue
Year: One
Notes: Micheál Donoghue has been handed real backing in Galway as his initial term is a four-year one having replaced Henry Shefflin.
It’s his second stint, of course, with the Tribe having guided them to the 2017 All-Ireland title and he’ll have Francis Forde, Noel Larkin and Eamon O’Shea along for the ride.
Forde and Larkin had worked with him when Donoghue was Dublin manager while O’Shea was added by Shefflin ahead of last season.
Kilkenny
Manager: Derek Lyng
Year: Three
Notes: Derek Lyng has made a few changes to his backroom team as the Cats try and claim a first All-Ireland title since 2015 as he enters the final leg of his initial three-year term.
It’s been quite the whirlwind few months for Thomastown who moved from intermediate to senior in 2024 and walked the Kilkenny final, and their manager Noel Doherty is linking up with Lyng as a coach/selector while Declan Wall, previously an analyst for the side, is expected to have a more hands-on role with the team next season.
Conor Phelan and Peter Barry have stepped away from last season, as has S&C coach Mickey Comerford.
Limerick
Manager: John Kiely
Year: Nine
Notes: Limerick’s five-in-a-row hopes vanished at the semi-final stage last season and John Kiely has decided to shake his backroom team up as the Treaty County aim to regain the Liam MacCarthy Cup.
Alan Cunningham and John Flavin are back as coach/selectors while there is a new addition in Liam Cronin, who has worked with the Cork camogie and Limerick minor teams in the past. Ger Barry is also in having previously worked with the county's minors.
Dowling to make shock Treaty return as goalkeeper
Adrian O’Brien is the new strength and conditioning coach and will be especially familiar with one player, 2024 breakout star Shane O’Brien, his son.
Former Limerick captain Donal O’Grady has left the set up to take on the minor job in the county while S&C coach Cairbre Ó'Cairealláin has moved onto the Derry footballers. High performance manager Joe O’Connor has also departed, as has Aonghus O'Brien.
Tipperary
Manager: Liam Cahill
Year: Three
Notes: There was a bit of speculation around Cahill's future after a disappointing year for the Premier County, but he emphatically put that to bed after the campaign by saying he had the full support of the players and county board.
It's the same management team for 2025 with David Herity understood to have a bit more of a prominent role on the coaching side of things.
The playing pool changes though with the likes of Patrick 'Bonner' Maher and Dan McCormack retiring.
Noel McGrath, who has committed for a 17th season, is now the sole survivor from the 2010 All-Ireland winning side.
Wexford
Manager: Keith Rossiter
Year: Two
Notes: After an up and down first year in charge, Keith Rossiter is preparing for his sophomore season and has the same team in place.
However, it will be a weakened side that takes part in the early stages of the league.
Lee Chin is in Australia, Liam Ryan will be out with a calf injury while Oisin Foley is also unavailable. Diarmuid O'Keefe has retired and Matthew O'Hanlon may not be about either.
DIVISION 1B
Antrim
Name: Davy Fitzgerald
Year: One
Notes: There’s always plenty of speculation about where Davy Fitzgerald will end up – and few could have guessed the Glens of Antrim after leaving Waterford.
The Clare man was appointed on a two-year term with the option of a third, and there’s no doubt Corrigan Park will have a bit more focus on it next season.
Neil McManus is the big name on the coaching ticket with his Cushendall team-mate Arron Graffin, son-in-law of Down football great Ross Carr and husband of camogie star Sara-Louise, also there.
Former Antrim U20 boss Paudie Shivers also comes in as, does former Kerry coach Pat Bennett.
Carlow
Manager: Tom Mullally
Year: Five
Notes: Tom Mullally's return for a fifth campaign was greeted very enthusiastically by chairperson Jim Bolger.
"We're delighted ourselves as well to have a man of Tom’s calibre back with us again for year number five. We’re thrilled with him having Tom’s experience there," he said.
Not surprising given some good performances in Leinster last year, most notably their draw with Kilkenny.
The manager has added Shane Briggs as a coach.
Mullally, as has been the case for the last number of years, was looking after Naas too and helped them to a sixth Kildare title in a row before Westmeath's St Martin's ended their season in November.
Dublin
Manager: Niall Ó Ceallacháinn
Year: One
Notes: It's been quite the busy spell for Ó Ceallacháinn.
In September, he was unveiled as Dublin's new boss on a three-year term, but he's been double-jobbing ever since given Na Fianna's incredible run.
Ó Ceallacháinn happy to remain busy on two fronts
Earlier this month, he guided them to a first-ever All-Ireland hurling final so his main focus right now is preparing the side for their meeting with Cork outfit Sarsfields.
That means he'll be leaning heavily on his coaching ticket with Dublin right now, so there'll be plenty of work to go around for David Curtin, Donal McGovern and Nigel O'Hara.
Laois
Manager: Tommy Fitzgerald
Year: One
Notes: It’s been a tough few months for Laois as new manager Darren Gleeson had to step down a few weeks after his appointment to undergo cancer treatment.
Former Laois player Tommy Fitzgerald will instead lead the side in 2025.
Former Dublin defender Niall Corcoran will act as lead coach having worked with Fitzgerald with the O’Moore County when Eddie Brennan was in charge.
Offaly
Manager: Johnny Kelly
Year: Three
Notes: Kelly is into his third season with the Faithful County and he has made a notable addition with Séamus Callanan taking on the role of forwards coach.
The 2019 Hurler of the Year will link up with former Tipperary team-mate Brendan Maher and Maher's brother Martin who were already part of the Faithful set-up.
Offaly enter the new season as Joe McDonagh champions after their thrilling final win over Laois.
Waterford
Manager: Peter Queally
Year: One
Notes: Davy Fitzgerald’s former right-hand man steps up to replace the two-time All-Ireland winner, with Tipperary’s Eoin Kelly staying on board from the previous set-up.
Dan Shanahan, 2007 Hurler of the Year, is also involved while Ballygunner's Shane O’Sullivan assumes the role of performance coach with John Matthews looking after the team’s strength and conditioning.
Queally will be the first Waterford man to manage the Déise since Páraic Fanning in 2019.
Westmeath
Manager: Seoirse Bulfin
Year: One
Notes: After Joe Fortune’s decision to step down, Seoirse Bulfin was appointed as Westmeath’s new manager at the end of July.
Head coach with be Shane O’Brien, who led the Lake County to Joe McDonagh Cup success in 2021 as manager. O’Brien had worked with Micheál Donoghue in Dublin more recently before his departure to Galway.
Elsewhere, David O’Reilly will look after the defenders, Fergal Lynch will be in charge of the forwards, David Bulfin, the manager’s brother, will oversee the goalkeeping coaching while Michael Frawley will oversee the S&C.
DIVISION 2
Derry
Manager: Johnny McGarvey
Year: Three
Notes: Johnny McGarvey has made one change for the new season with Gavan Duffy coming in to help the Oakleafers.
The Antrim native has worked with a number of teams and is heavily involved with Queen's University in Belfast while he also helped out Warwickshire in recent seasons.
Derry's Slaughtneil contingent will be back earlier than they would have hoped after their narrow All-Ireland semi-final loss to Sarsfields.
Donegal
Manager: Mickey McCann
Year: Eight
Notes: One of the longest serving hurling managers in the game, McCann is back for another trip around the sun with Donegal.
The Tir Chonaill management set-up will look pretty similar to last term as they try and build on the progress of recent seasons.
Some of the more experienced heads have been granted a lighter early-season workload to keep them fresh for the latter stages of the year.
Down
Manager: Ronan Sheehan
Year: Seven
Notes: Ronan Sheehan is an enthusiastic manager and it shows no sign of waning as he is back for year seven.
It’s pretty much as you were with Trevor Fletcher and Brendan McLoughlin back, and while Diarmuid O'Sullivan is also returning this season, his focus will be split for the next while given that he is selector with the Sarsfields side that has an All-Ireland final to look forward to early in the new year.
Plenty of Ulster derbies to look forward to in the league with Derry, Donegal and Tyrone all about.
Kildare
Manager: Brian Dowling
Year: Two
Notes: A few changes for the Kildare backroom team with Nigel O'Hara and Fiachra Ó Muíneacháin departing, along with S&C coach Rory Flemming.
Mick Gillick will now be in charge of the S&C while Richie Ruth, Conor O’Shea and Richie Hoban will be assisting Dowling on the sideline.
An exciting campaign awaits, especially at a redeveloped Newbridge with Kerry, Donegal and Tyrone set to visit during the league.
Kerry
Manager: John Griffin
Year: One
Notes: The Lixnaw man replaces Stephen Molumphy who stepped down after last season’s Joe McDonagh Cup campaign.
The former Kerry captain has coached extensively in Cork and was also goalkeeper coach for the Rebels previously under Kieran Kingston.
Griffin’s selectors will be Abbeydorney’s Aidan Healy and Kilmoyley’s Seán Maunsell.
Much of the pre-season surrounded the future of star player Fionán Mackessy who had been linked with a move to Kilkenny, and he had linked up with Derek Lyng's squad ahead of the league.
Meath
Manager: Johnny Greville
Year: One
Notes: The Meath position was a difficult one last season as Seoirse Bulfin stepped down in March due to "personal and family commitments" with Stephen Clynch stepping in as the side lost all their Joe McDonagh Cup fixtures.
Clynch will not continue in the role with Johnny Greville from neighbouring Westmeath instead taking over.
Greville has managed Raharney to three Westmeath SHC titles and has been given a three-year term.
Joining him will be selectors Sean Corrigan and Tom Shine with Adrian O’Donnell acting as head coach.
Tyrone
Manager: Stephen McGarry
Year: Two
Notes: McGarry enters year two of his three-season term and the good news for the Red Hand boss is that his management team remains in place.
There are some player changes - the likes of Seán Óg Grogan has retired while Oran McKee and James McCann have suffered long-term injuries.
McGarry will use the league to blood young players like Aidan Woods, Francis Hurson and Fionn Corry.
DIVISION 3
Armagh
Manager: Karl McKeegan
Year: Three
Notes: It's a bit of a fallow period for Armagh hurling but Karl McKeegan is remaining committed to the project as they try and start moving back up the food-chain.
It's a similar set up to last year although McKeegan has added Ronan Kearney from his native Cushendall to act as both goalkeeper coach and selector.
Cavan
Manager: Ollie Bellew
Year: Three
Notes: It's as you were on the sideline in Cavan as their renaissance continues.
Ollie Bellew is back for a third year and he has his trusty right-hand man Tomás Mannion signed up once again.
Cavan reached the Division 3A semi-final last year and gave Sligo a real game and they are no longer the easy touch of a few years ago.
London
Manager: Neil Rogers
Year: Two
Notes: Rogers is back for a second year with the Exiles and he can call on the same coaching ticket as last year.
The St Gabriel's clubman is still keen to add another coach to the management team with former Cork player Anthony Nash a name mentioned in dispatches as a possible option.
London's Allianz Hurling League campaign starts with a home match against Roscommon.
Mayo
Manager: Ray Larkin
Year: Two
Notes: A second season but a different landscape for Larkin as he worked with joint-manager Brian Finn in 2024 but will be flying solo now.
Larkin has retained the services of former Galway hurler Nigel Shaughnessy (head coach) while former Sligo boss Pádraig Mannion also returns.
Finn's involvement with the county hasn't ended though and he has agreed to remain as U20 manager.
Roscommon
Manager: Kevin Sammon
Year: Two
Notes: A couple of Clare additions to the backroom team as the Rossies target a productive 2025 campaign.
Patsy Fahy of St Joseph’s Doora Barefield and Corofin’s Matty Shannon come into boost Kevin Sammon’s options in what will be his second year in charge.
Fahy has previously worked with his home club as well as Turloughmore, Gort, Corofin, Kilmaley and the Clare camogie team, while Shannon has coached Corofin and Éire Óg.
Sligo
Manager: Stephen Shiel
Year: Two
Notes: The same manager, but plenty of change in Shiel’s backroom team.
Tom Hennessy comes in as coach having worked extensively in Ulster and also as a consultant with Limerick.
Clare 1997 All-Ireland winner Noel Considine has been added as goalkeeping coach while Offaly man Joe Quinn will look after the strength and conditioning.
Galway man Seamus Qualter, however, will not be continuing and will be focusing on the TUS Midlands college team.
Wicklow
Manager: Jonathan O'Neill
Year: Two
Notes: 'Bosco' O'Neill took over the Garden County after last season had already started when Casey O'Brien stepped away. With that in mind, this is his first full year in charge.
Eoghan Dunne is coach-selector, Tom Finn is goalkeeping coach-selector, Paddy Lee is selector and John Barrie will look after their S&C.
DIVISION 4
Fermanagh
Manager: Joe Baldwin
Year: Six
Notes: Joe Baldwin is back on board for another year despite his health issues last year. Baldwin suffered a stroke midway through the season but was back on the sidelines just a few weeks later.
Hugely popular, Baldwin always brings an optimistic outlook and the Erne County will be hoping to take more strides forward.
There is change in the management team for the road ahead. Daithi Hand and Peter Galvin have exited but in comes Conor Tinnelly, formerly of Waterford, as coach.
Lancashire
Manager: Liam Óg Knocker
Year: Three
Notes: Liam Óg Knocker is back on board for a third term and the management team remains pretty much the same.
The one notable change sees Ronan Walsh depart after just a season involved.
The English side endured a difficult campaign results wise in 2024 so will be hoping to get a few wins under their belts in the coming months.
Leitrim
Manager: Mike Wall
Year: One
Notes: A Kilkenny man has taken charge out west with Mike Wall taking over shortly after stepping down as Kildare camogie boss.
He replaces Olcan Conway and he will be joined in the management team by selectors Ger Walsh, Keith Murray and Damien Donohue strength and conditioning coach Niall Herbert.
Longford
Manager: Diarmuid Cahill (pending ratification)
Notes: Longford were hit with a blow as Adrian Moran stepped down just a few weeks before the start of the league season but they have moved fast with Diarmuid Cahill announced as a successor, pending ratification, on Sunday.
Cahill, son of former Antrim manager and famed Brian Corcoran sceptic Dinny, has worked with a number of clubs as well as the Westmeath camogie side.
The former Kildare player's expected ratification will take place next month before their league opener against Warwickshire on 25 January.
Louth
Manager: Trevor Hilliard
Year: Two
Notes: Trevor Hilliard is back for a second season in charge of the Wee County and a number of names remain in situ.
Paddy McArdle is still there as coach/selector and Diarmuid Murphy is selector. Eimear Kelly is back to look after the S&C.
Aine Breen is in charge of nutrition with Gerard Smyth looking after the stats.
Monaghan
Manager: Arthur Hughes
Year: Four
Notes: Arthur Hughes has bunked in with the Oriel County once again with Aidan Morgan and Jimmy Lacey acting as coach and selectors. Declan Crowe will look after the S&C again.
Monaghan picked up one league win last season – against Armagh – but pushed Louth, Sligo and Cavan all the way, so winning tight games is an area they’ll be hoping to improve on.
Warwickshire
Manager: TBC
Notes: Tony Joyce stepped down and Warwickshire are yet to find a replacement, bur hope to do so early in 2025.
