Big two under the cosh

The Championship buzz is in the air and BENNY TIERNEY sees this year’s contest as the most open for years, but one with a familiar ending......

BY BENNY TIERNEY
Well, the bee has finally hit the car window which, for gaelic enthusiasts signifies normally the much-awaited and yearned-for Ulster Championship.
For supporters, it can be an exciting, if not rewarding, experience, but for the players and managers, the start of May is always viewed in a positive, if not nervous, light.
A journey which started as far back as October is getting to the stage where every county player will put his reputation in the hands of thousands of unqualified critics who will lambast every mistake and question his parentage on numerous occasions. The player himself will love every minute of it.
Armagh training sessions last week were held on warm nights with the smell of freshly-cut grass. The wetgear, tracksuit bottoms and woolly hats have been cast aside for another year. Even I get the tingle that, as a player, you used to sense that judgement day would soon be upon us.
Every year, I say that this year’s Ulster Championship is an open affair, but deep down you really think there are only three teams capable of winning it. You don’t want to ridicule any of the other team’s chances, though, as the likelihood is they will use it as motivation to beat you.
Without sounding patronising, Armagh and Tyrone’s duopoly in the last decade will never get a better examination than this year. I fully believe that any one of five or six teams could lay claim to the Anglo-Celt trophy this year.
Derry have to be installed as slight favourites after their highly productive National League campaign, but they will be guarding against the debacle that befell Donegal after their League triumph last year.
Listening to the thoughts of the Derry players after their win over Kerry, you get the feeling, and justifiably so, that they believe that an extended run in this year’s Championship is a distinct reality rather than just wishful thinking.
John McCloskey’s inclusion in the backroom team seems to be reaping dividends as they look fitter. They will have embarked on a near professional training regime in the last seven or eight months and when you add the benefits of that to the undoubted quality that Paddy Crozier’s men possess, then they lead the challenge for Ulster glory.
Standing in their way, in probably the tie of the first round, will be Donegal, another team capable of success this year should they banish the blight of the inconsistency which seems to haunt them.
Brian McIver’s swift U-turn regarding managing the Tir Chonaill men indicates that he believes he has a panel which can cause problems for anyone and I have no doubt that, on their day, they are as good as any team in the country. They will provide the toughest of tests of their neighbours’ high-flying aspirations.
The joke around Monaghan a few years ago when their ladies’ football team was very successful was ‘What do you call a Monaghan man with an All-Ireland medal?’. The answer, quite simply, was ‘a transvestite.’
However, under Seamus McEnaney’s reign the jokes no longer exist and after last year’s near success against the eventual All-Ireland champions, anybody who takes the Farney challenge lightly will soon be put to the sword.
Losing out on League promotion was, I feel, the best thing that could have happened to Monaghan. They can now slide quietly into the Championship with a bit of the pressure and expectation lifted from their shoulders.
‘Banty’ has surrounded himself with proven winners in Martin McElkennon and Hugh Campbell, who was with Armagh in 2002. Like Derry and Donegal, Monaghan are capable of attaining silverware, but you get the feeling that it has to be this year.
And, of course, you have the two old warhorses rumoured to be on their last legs. Yet, what stupid punter would back against either of them dominating Ulster football as they have been doing?
Armagh are apparently in transition, while Tyrone have never replaced Canavan. If you were to believe the negativity emanating from both sets of supporters then they only possess an outside chance of winning an Ulster title, never mind the big one.
Not one for making bold predictions and always possessing a positive disposition, I still believe that this year’s provincial winners will come from these two battle-hardened veterans who have become accustomed to the art of winning.
Fermanagh, for me, possess the only real chance of an outsider springing a shock as Down and Antrim, who both started their campaigns brightly, faded towards the latter end of the League campaign.
Fermanagh’s opener against Monaghan at home will provide the litmus test for their development under my old varsity colleague Malachy O’Rourke, whose initial term in charge has rejuvenated their challenge.
Should Monaghan adopt any sign of a complacent attitude against their neighbours, they will be punished.
So the time for talking and mind games is nearly over, long-term injuries will miraculously heal on the week of Championship matches, managers will begin to talk up their opponents, Ross and DJ will have to buy walkie talkies, sunburn, burgers and cider beckons as Ulster prepares itself for one of the tightest Championship races in over a decade where hopefully the future will be bright and, with a bit of luck, ORANGE!