Plucky, loveable underdog picked on by the rich bitches from the other side of the tracks/the Barrow. Wears a colourful, home-designed outfit to the prom/Leinster final Probably not as good as they appeared against Galway and certainly not as bad as they looked against Kilkenny a week later, when the notion of staying in Thurles the night beforehand gave the match an importance it didn't merit and duly backfired. Plenty of competent defenders offset by the usual shortage of scoring forwards.

Consistency from Stephen Nolan . . . Superman in the quarter-final, the Invisible Man a week later . . . will be crucial.

Need Caution against Dublin

8 LIMERICK (-3) Manager Richie Bennis All Irelands Seven If they were a film character they'd be Rocky Balboa. Champions of the world in the mid-1970s but not much to get excited about since.

Started the league well against Tipperary, finished it with a bang against Offaly but were frequently abject in between. Won't be reinventing the wheel with their tactics-free attitude, a direct contrast to the county's studied approach under Ger Cunningham. Bound to give it socks against Tipp . . . but what then?

Need The Peter Lawlor of 2005

9 DUBLIN (+1) Manager Tommy Naughton All Irelands Six John Book (Harrison Ford) in Witness.

Hard-bitten city dwellers pitched in among a bunch of rural types and stunned at the culture shock.

Unfortunate to end the league with the dying fall they did, having made quanti"able progress thereto under the admirable Naughton. Some chance of reaching the last eight, which would cap the year perfectly.

Need Self-belief against Wexford If they were a film character they'd be

10 OFFALY (-1) Manager John McIntyre All Irelands Four If they were a film character they'd be Frodo Baggins in The Lord of the Rings. Young, lightweight, setting out on a perilous journey.

Hurled better during the league than their fate suggested; shame about the defensive collapse versus Limerick.

Options boosted last week with the return of Brian Mullins and Michael Cordial.

Putting three solid performances together in the qualifiers may be a task beyond them.

Need A time machine back to the mid-1990s

11 LAOIS (no change) Manager Damien Fox All Irelands One If they were a film character they'd be One of the other hobbits.

Fox, an Offalyman, can't be accused of living for the moment; bar James Young and Joe Phelan, every member of the panel is 23 or under. Recovered from the early hiccup against Wicklow to take the Division 2 title in style.

But that's about as good it'll get for them this year.

Need To maintain a big-picture mentality

12 ANTRIM (new entry) Managers Sambo McNaughton/Dominic McKinley All Irelands None If they were a film character they'd be The North Vietnamese in Apocalypse Now. Come from the north. Outgunned but courageous. Don't surf. .

Unsurprising league campaign partially redeemed by the win against Dublin. Can't afford to take London for granted today.

Will be targeting one of the Leinster teams in the All Ireland quali"ers.

Need Provincial silverware