Limerick and Longford meet for the first time in six seasons in Allianz Football League

THE Allianz Football League commences this weekend.

Limerick entertain Longford in the first of seven games in Division Three.

Billy Lee's side welcome the Leinster side to TUS Gaelic Grounds this Saturday January 29 for a 5pm fixture.

It will be the first league meeting of the teams since 2016 when Longford were 0-13 to 1-8 winners in Pearse Park in a season in which Limerick were relegated - Donal O'Sullivan, Sean O'Dea, Iain Corbett, Darragh Tracey, Cian Sheehan and Peter Nash were all in that starting team.

The last time Longford came to Limerick for a league tie was 2014 - the men in green were 2-11 to 0-11 winners in the Gaelic Grounds in a season in which Longford were relegated.

The last championship clash between the teams was 2013 - an All-Ireland SFC Qualifier defeat brought an end to Maurice Horan's tenure as Limerick manager.

Horan is now back as Shannonside coach - replacing Brian Begley in Billy Lee's backroom team for 2022.

Back in 2013, Iain Corbett and Donal O'Sullivan were part of Horan's panel and remain in the inter-county set-up and are joint-captains.

Limerick enter the Allianz League on the back of a McGrath Cup campaign that produced defeats to both Kerry and Tipperary.

Limerick are also facing into the 2022 season without eight of last year's panel for varying reasons - Brian Fanning, Tommie Childs, Danny Neville, Seamus O'Carroll, David Connolly, Padraig Scanlon, Gerard Stack and Cormac Roche.

Longford, under new manager Billy O'Loughlin, beat Louth and lost to Offaly and Dublin in the O'Byrne Cup.