Division 1A will be fiercely competitive as the county looks forward to the first full year of league fixtures since 2019.
Four teams competing in the top tier have new management teams in place for the upcoming season.
Armagh Harps
Benny O’Kane is back in charge for another year. They had a disappointing championship campaign in 2021, losing to Maghery in round one.
With no county representees, the Harps should have a full contingent of players. Tom O’Kane will once again be the sides go-to attacker.
Declan McKenna is the leader in defence while they can also call upon the likes of Joe McElroy and Charlie Vernon.
Veteran goalkeeper Paddy Morrison retired after last year’s championship exit. He’s stepped into his father’s coaching shoes and takes charge of Clonmore this season.
Clann Eireann
Ruairi Lavery takes over County champions Clann Eireann, following their terrific 2021 season.
Tommy Coleman stepped aside after leading his team to the promised land. The Lurgan men also secured promotion to Division 1A last season.
With Conor Turbitt and Tiernan Kelly key members of Kieran McGeeney’s Armagh team, it’s unlikely the duo will see much action during the early rounds.
Conor Bell and Declan Leathem have both hung up the boots, but the Lurgan men have retained the services of stalwart Ryan Henderson.
Crossmaglen
Crossmaglen are under the same management as last season with Stephen Kernan in the bainisteoir bib.
The Rangers are coming off the back of two successive championship final losses but remain one of the teams to beat.
With their county contingent gone, Kernan’s men could be under some pressure at the start of the campaign.
Caolan Finnegan, Ronan Fitzpatrick, Thomas Og Duffy, Dara O’Callaghan, Odhran Carragher and Orin McKeown are also part of the Armagh u20 squad.
Dromintee
John Kennedy will once again oversee Dromintee, after leading them to their second ever league success last season.
The St Patrick’s men open their account at home to Killeavy and will be missing Aaron McKay for the opening rounds.
Veterans Shane McCoy and Peadar O’Hare have retired while Peter Campbell and Darren McKenna are coming back from injury.
Niall Courtney tore his ACL during preseason while Ryan Hughes is also out for a large part of the season.
Granemore
Neil McAleenan is the new manager of Granemore for the upcoming season. The Warrenpoint man takes over from Eamon Kavanagh.
The St Mary’s club face the difficult task of meeting Crossmaglen away in the opening round.
Kieran Doyle had an impressive season last year, earning a county call up, but injury has limited his involvement.
Ross Finn remains on the county panel while Jim Short is also a key member of the Armagh hurling team.
Killeavy
Former Louth boss Wayne Kierans takes over the reins at Killeavy this year and they are a team to watch.
Crossmaglen have ended their championship runs in the last two years, but there is a bundle of talent available.
Ciaron O’Hanlon, Conor O’Neill and Shea Magill are all part of Kieran McGeeney’s panel.
They also have several players on the under 20 squad while Lee Rice will miss the league having broke his leg during under 20 training.
Madden
Madden appear to be one of the up-and-coming teams in the county and they’ll compete in the topflight after winning Division 1B.
Mickey Grimley remains in charge of the Raparees as they hope to continue their growing rise.
They have three county members, but Joe Sheridan and Niall Smith should be available for the club league.
Niall Grimley will be out of action for the foreseeable future, but Madden will still have enough to contest in Division 1A.
Maghery
2020 county champions Maghery are under new management, with Ardboe native Gavin Wylie replacing the outgoing Finnian Moriarty.
Moriarty won a league (2019) and a championship (2020) during his three-year term and has since moved on to Carryduff.
The Lough Shore men can once again call upon the services and experience of Stefan Cusack and James Lavery.
Aidan Forker, Ben Crealey and Ciaran Higgins are all on the county panel so will miss part of the league.
