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when action resumes. Tipperary were also holding their own in the top flight in their second season in Division 1. The Premier County had five points on the board from five outings, including an opening day stalemate with Dublin. Tipp, however, suffered a 0-4 to 1-12 loss to in-form Galway in what turned out to be their final League match of the season. Tipp will have learned much from that experience, however, and they can't be discounted in a three-team group. Shane Ronayne's charges will have learned much from their previous Senior Championship campaign in 2018, and with the threat of relegation removed from the equation, all teams will feel that they can express themselves with a bit more freedom. Monaghan were relegated from Division 1 of the Lidl National League last year but the county's minors contested an All-Ireland A final in 2019 and they had started Division 2 by collecting nine points from a possible 15. Monaghan ran Kerry to just four points prior to lockdown and the vibes coming from the Farney County indicated that significant progress was being made. Given the fact that Galway contested last year's All-Ireland Final against Dublin, and left Croke Park with a sense of regret, Tim Rabbitt's team will be the favourites to top Group 2 and advance to the last four of the All-Ireland series. SENIOR CHAMPIONSHIP GROUP 2: GALWAY, TIPPERARY, MONAGHAN Galway lost out in both of the national deciders they contested in 2019 – the Lidl National League Division 1 Final and the showpiece TG4 All-Ireland Final. The Tribeswomen have been knocking hard on the door in recent times and on the back of standout underage success, there's a rich conveyor belt of talent supplementing the more established members of the senior set-up. Galway were sitting pretty on top of Division 1 of the Lidl National League before Covid-19 brought a halt to playing activities and they'll hope to pick up where they left off GROUP 3: DUBLIN, WATERFORD, DONEGAL Dublin will start the TG4 All-Ireland Senior Championship as holders – and with a fourth successive title in their sights. For long-serving stars like Siobhán McGrath, the 2019 TG4 Senior Players' Player of the Year, and Lyndsey Davey, this could well be the last season that we see these brilliant players in Sky Blue – and they'll be anxious to bow out with a bang if that is indeed the case. Dublin will fancy their chances in Group 3, as they're pitted with Waterford and Ulster Champions Donegal. Dublin had started their Lidl National League campaign in stuttering style but manager Mick Bohan was reintroducing key players to his set-up as the weeks slipped by. Dublin were on seven points from five games when play was halted, with Donegal on six and Waterford looking over their shoulders on four points, just one clear of basement team Westmeath. Looking back on Championship 2019, Waterford won't need reminding that they ran into the Dublin juggernaut during the Group stages, losing out by 2-6 to 5-15 in Portlaoise. Ciaran Curran's charges will naturally hope that they've closed the gap since then. Indeed, the final group game before the League shutdown saw Dublin beat Waterford by just four points, 4-5 to 0-13. Despite lifting the Ulster title last year, Donegal disappointed in the All-Ireland series, losing to both Tyrone and Mayo and missing out on a place in the knockout stages of the competition. Maxi Curran's charges will hope to make a much bigger impact in the Championship this time and they did group opponents Waterford by two points in the League, and they beat Dublin in the League at Croke Park last year. A noticeable recent Donegal trend has seen them start League and Championship campaigns "Cork goalkeeper Martina O'Brien has described Kerry as championship "dark horses" but given their recent pedigree, the Leesiders will be favourites to progress from their group". the Leesiders will be favourites to progress from their group. The stakes are high as just one team will emerge from each of the four qualifier groups to reach the semi-finals. Given the nature of the qualifier format, one slip could prove fatal and with Kerry boasting a 100 per cent record from their competitive outings in 2020, the team managed by Declan Quill and Darragh Long will quietly fancy their chances of springing a surprise. Cavan, on any given day, have the potential to cause any team problems and Group 1 will be one to keep a close eye on. 11- time winners Cork the favourites, then, to advance, but they'll get nothing easy.