Twelve months ago, Bertie Og Murphy started his brief inter-county managerial career with a league win over Limerick on a dank day on the Ennis road.

On Sunday 23rd his successor Donal O'Grady will be hoping for a similar outcome against the same opposition at Pairc Ui Chaoimh.

Given the composition of the group that the two find themselves in, O'Grady and his Limerick counterpart Dave Keane will view Sunday's collision as being particularly relevant.

Both counties should collect the points against Derry but after that it really is a group of death with Wexford, Offaly and Tipperary all under new management as well, equally determined to set down early markers.

O'Grady and Keane are both meticulous planners, students of the game who leave nothing to chance. Neither have thrown extreme caution to the wind for this league opener, opting instead to go with quite a few of the respective old guards.

Nonetheless, the inclusion of Cian O'Connor, Ronan Curan and Eoin Fitzgerald is significant from a Cork viewpoint and all three will be very much under the microscope.

Down the middle there will be particular emphasis on how Cork perform given the difficulties at centre-back, midfield and centre-forward.

Can Curran give us an early indication that he will be the one to finally follow in the illustrious footsteps of Brian Corcoran, will Mickey O'Connell and Derek Barrett solve the midfield ills, and can Timmy McCarthy deliver to the extent required at centre-forward?

From a Limerick perspective there will be particular emphasis on newcomer Eugene Mulcahy at full-back, Peter Lawlor and Steven Lucey at midfield and Mike O'Brien on the forty.

O'Brien was in and out of the side under the Cregan regime and he will be particularly anxious to make an early impression.

The inclusion of Pat Kirby in the right corner-forward slot is highly significant as well, still a student at St. Colman's this will be a bit of a baptism of fire for him and his duel with Cian O'Connor should be enlightening.

With no known form to rely on it's not an easy one to call. A good start might be half the battle for either and two early points on the board for O'Grady or Keane will be real fillip.

With home advantage and if the Cork half-forward trio of Niall McCarthy, Timmy McCarthy and Eoin Fitzgerald deliver, it could be a perfect start for O'Grady.