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Danny Hughes: Donegal and Monaghan best placed to challenge Tyrone for Ulster title

Tyrone pipped Monaghan to last year's Ulster title and the Farneymen look to be their closest challengers again this season<br />Picture: Philip Walsh&nbsp;
Tyrone pipped Monaghan to last year's Ulster title and the Farneymen look to be their closest challengers again this season
Picture: Philip Walsh 
Tyrone pipped Monaghan to last year's Ulster title and the Farneymen look to be their closest challengers again this season
Picture: Philip Walsh 

It’S hard to believe that Easter isn’t even here yet, but the Championship will be starting before the chocolate egg hunts gets underway.

Tyrone and Fermanagh face off in the preliminary round this weekend in Brewster Park and, despite a mixed League for the


All-Ireland champions, it’s hard to see anything other than a Tyrone win.

They were able to go to Kerry and dig out a win – something I thought unlikely given the Kingdom would have wanted to send them a message indirectly before a ball is kicked in the Championship.

Kerry proved totally dominant against Mayo in the Division One final so Tyrone’s achievement in Killarney is a sign that they are perhaps coming good at the right time once again.

You have to fancy the Red Hands to defend their Ulster title for a few reasons – but it won’t be easy won.

Dare I say it, for Feargal Logan and Brian Dooher, given the nature of the Championship last year, winning the Ulster title was probably the most realistic target when they initially took up the reins from Mickey Harte.

Tyrone beat Cavan, Donegal and Monaghan and won it the hard way.

The ‘but’ is the fact that they have lost a significant number of players in the closed season; lads who have decided to walk away with a shiny All-Ireland winners medal in the back pocket.

They will be very hard to replace, while Tyrone have historically struggled in the season after an All-Ireland final win, anyway.

They still have a superb and well-drilled team. They may just not have the depth for a season or two, with a certain surprise factor no longer relevant to the outside.

Their key men will be targeted by opposition teams. 

Messrs McGeary, McCurry and Meyler will be ghosted by assigned man-markers.

However, Tyrone are no longer reliant on any one individual and the emergence of Darragh Canavan will add significantly to the diversity up front.

Cathal McShane needs to work his way into better form by going back to basics – staying close to goal and taking his points when they are on.

Niall Morgan again remains fundamental. He is the best goalkeeper in Ireland so a lot will depend on his form.

With a pathway that looks like Fermanagh, Derry, Monaghan and either Donegal or Armagh, the 2022 Ulster Championship already looks significantly tougher than last year’s for the champions.

What is it they say about All-Irelands – there are no easy ones?

THE CONTENDERS

Who are the other contenders?

Well in my mind I would have to order it as follows:

1. Monaghan

Look at the League. Look at last year’s Ulster final. Give me the Farneymen’s spirit and workrate over the most talented of squads.


However, it’s just not spirit. Monaghan players have talent also.

At times, Conor McManus has not featured in games and, in many ways, the Farneymen have adapted and still recorded wins.

‘Banty’ has done a sterling job in keeping that bandwagon going. Their first round tie against Down is unlikely to be a test and, as they are on the more difficult side of the draw, they will have to meet Tyrone early in the competition.

I predict that whoever emerges from this particular duel will win Ulster.

2. Donegal

The Tir Chonaill men only narrowly pip Armagh in the order because of the suspensions resultant from the fracas in Ballybofey a few weeks ago.

The absence of the Orchard’s Ciaran Mackin, Stefan Campbell and Aidan Nugent are huge blows.

Donegal are less affected by the outcome of the disciplinary probe. Their hopes to a large extent still rely on Michael Murphy.

Injury-free, he will win a game for you, even an Ulster and All-Ireland title. However age is not on his side.

Paddy McBrearty and Ryan McHugh remain the constants, but they need more from key players like Ciaran Thompson, Michael Langan and Peadar Mogan.

3. Armagh

They needed to win Rian O’Neill’s appeal and they did. However, the failure to have remaining players cleared will weaken Kieran McGeeney’s options.

Their first round match against Donegal will swing on the finest of margins.

Armagh have played brilliantly at times in the League, especially in the early stages. The defeats to Kerry and Donegal will have checked expectations, but I still think they have a great chance of winning silverware this season.

Opening Championship games don’t get much harder than Donegal in Ballybofey. Win that you could well be looking towards an Ulster final – a place ‘Geezer’ has been building towards for some time.

4. Derry

I honestly believed that the Oak Leafs would have been promoted into Division One. Given how well they started the League and how well they were playing, Gallagher’s men had been in pole position to return to the top flight.

Perhaps, though, it’s no bad thing that it didn’t materialise.

A proud footballing county, they will welcome the opportunity to play Tyrone (should they beat Fermanagh) and are further down the road now than they were a few seasons ago when they put the Red Hands to the pin of their collar. They have nothing to lose and everything to win.

5. Cavan, Antrim, Down and Fermanagh

They all have tough assignments, but it’s either Cavan or Antrim who have a greater opportunity to progress to an Ulster semi-final.

All these counties occupy a similar space. It is almost like a return to the past for these players as a first round defeat brings with it the dreaded Tailteann Cup football.

Putting myself into the players’ position, relegation to a secondary competition was never where anyone wanted to play and I am just glad that I played in a time when we had a Qualifier route. So, for some, it’s essentially ‘win or bust’.

All these counties have been rocked by players either opting out or deciding to head to the States for the summer.

For as long as a secondary competition exists, counties who find themselves in the third and fourth tiers of the National League will experience a significant amount of player turnover over an average League and Championship.

For Antrim, Cavan, Fermanagh and Down, it is more likely than not that a run in the Tailteann Cup will be the highlight of the year.

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I ALWAYS enjoyed training camps when I played with Down. For many years, we enjoyed A-star rated accommodation and the weekend allowed the team to train, put together structured sessions and plan for a Championship season ahead.

Most were done between four to six weeks ahead of an opening Championship match.

We also had a night out and, in many cases, this bonded a group more than any training session – it never got out of hand and the next morning we returned to the training field to work hard.

I am aware of the rumours and uncertainty surrounding the current Mourne management team’s tenure. Perhaps given that the match against Monaghan is so near, perhaps a night out could be viewed as unwise. What I would say is that players nowadays are very fit and very committed in the most part and, even with professional teams, a sensible approach to a night out is always encouraged.

Gaelic football has become so serious that indiscretions are not tolerated. That’s any management team’s prerogative.

At the end of the day, they answer to fans and county boards. It’s a high pressure environment for all concerned with no right or wrong answer to such situations.

I trust any situation in Down has been put to bed and reconciled and that James McCartan and the players can now regain full focus for what is a huge Championship game.