AIL season getting underway

The Ulster Bank All-Ireland League returns this week with seven teams from Cork involved in divisions over four levels from 1A to 2B. Cork Constitution is the only club in Cork to have won the title with four wins overall, the last coming in 20120. Last year the team finished in fourth place in Division 1A and coach Brian Walsh is hoping that they can build on that progress in the season ahead.

"Pre-season has gone quite well. We've played a few matches in the Munster Senior Cup and we played and beat a couple of first division teams in that which was a good boost. So progress for now has been good but we'll know a lot more once we have played our first couple of games in the League."

This Saturday Cork Con will play Clontarf, a side that finished second in the league last year, at home at Temple Hill. Brian describes last season as a "year of progression", something he is hoping to build on in the months ahead.

"We haven't had much movement over the summer in terms of players in and players out. Last year was a bit different in that we had a big changeover but we are very keen to keep that side together and we've got a few younger players coming through as well so we're happy with the way we are going. The match on Saturday will be a big one for us. Clontarf are a fancied side who are on the back of a very good season and we'll know a lot more about our form after that match.

"The week after we're away to UL Bohemians which is a team with great momentum at the moment, it will be a totally different ball game. They came up for Division 1B last year and from what i hear things are going quite well for them. It always takes one home match and one away match before you can take stock of how things are at the start of the season so we'll certainly know a lot more after those two games."

Progression, Brian says, is key to the team's chances in being in the running at the business end of the season.

"We're taking it in blocks to see how competitive we are as you want to be there or thereabouts coming up to Christmas. If a team are to be having any slip-ups, it would want to be on this side of the season rather than after Christmas. The League is won after that but our lads have a rugby maturity after last year, I think it has really brought them on a lot and should stand to them this year. We're looking forward to it all though, we had a lot of pre-season training and fellas have been working hard on conditioning and everything else so I think we're in a good place There's a good buzz around the clubhouse as well which was recently renovated so there's great excitement with everyone and we've a clean bill of health heading in so we'll see how these two weeks go and take it from there."

Cork Constitution play Clontarf in Temple Hill at 2.30pm in Division 1A of the Ulster Bank League.