2024 is in the past, a new year of life, football and everything else is already underway.

The on-field action starts soon as well, with Crossmolina taking on Kildare’s Carragh in the All-Ireland Intermediate club football semi-final on Saturday afternoon at Pearse Park in Longford. Later that evening back at Hastings Insurance MacHale Park there’ll be a first opportunity for fans to see what the county team make of the new rules as they play Monaghan in a charity match, which is in aid of Motor Neurone Mayo.

Before we know it, the National League will be underway once again and, of course, there’s no let-up from then until the conclusion of our inter-county season, in whatever forms this happens in 2025.

Ahead of that we can all keep our glasses as half-full or as half-empty as we want them to be. We’re still in the game and it is only a game. Happy New Year all.