By Ciaran Woods

c.woods@gaeliclife.com

IT'S been a nervous wait, but championship fever comes roaring back into our lives this Sunday afternoon.

Well actually, it's more of a grumble, as this weekend is more a case of dipping a toe into the championship water, with the biggest games saved for the weeks to come. There is no football action in Ulster, only the hurling minnows battling it out in the early rounds, while the best that Leinster has to offer is Longford v Westmeath and Connacht is a degree worse as Leitrim travel to New York.

It's not exactly a list of fixtures that whets the appetite, but for those involved in the respective games there will be all the passion and frenzy which we love about summer championship action. The burger vans will be in place, the flag sellers out in force and the cheers of the supporters in full voice will echo around Pearse Park and thousands of miles away in Gaelic Park as the long road towards Croke Park, Sam Maguire and Liam McCarthy get underway.

So let's call this weekend a dry run, a walkthrough dress rehearsal for the action that is to folllow. It gives the commentators and everyone associated with the broadcasts an opportunity to get themselves up to speed. It also gives the Sunday Game folks an opportunity to test all of their exciting new gadgets, with new graphics and technology which is set to bring game analysis to a whole new level with a package which will give the speed of the ball on a shot, the distance to the posts for free-kicks, and a host of other features which will add a new aspect to watching championship games.

Of course no amount of fancy graphics will improve the quality of the action on the field, but with the provincial championships looking as level of a playing-field as they have been for quite some time, a dramatic few months are in store as the counties gear themselves up for their entry into the arena.