NO hats, scarves, or head bands outside the grounds and no spine-tingling buzz for fans when Amhran na bhFiann echoes in the empty stands. No second chance for the losers and no celebrating for the winners.
But that’s enough of what we don’t have… What we do have is a Championship to savour and you'll need to be busier than wee Darragh O'Neill (the Tyrone lad who loves strimmin' hedges and diggin' out drains) to take it all in.
The counties are at, or close to, full strength and they’ll pour everything they have into entertaining and distracting us from Coronavirus concerns and the worries of a year no-one could have predicted or will ever want to repeat.
They say the Ulster Championship is the most competitive of them all. It is, and Armagh’s promotion to Division One, meaning that half of next year’s top flight will be from the northern province, underlines the quality that is often overlooked.
Cavan (finalists last year) and Monaghan get the ball rolling in today’s opener. Dublin’s Bernard Brogan said that the Farneymen are well suited for ‘winter football’ and Conor McManus and co. are expected to have too much for their relegated neighbours.
But there’s never much more than a kick of the ball between these arch-rivals, so don’t rule out an upset for starters.
Heavyweights Donegal and Tyrone meet in Ballybofey in the first of tomorrow's double-header. Donegal, the defending champions, will look to Murphy, McBrearty, Brennan, McHugh and many more but Mickey Harte can now unleash Conor McKenna (back with a bang from Aussie Rules) to spearhead a tried and tested Red Hands side. And they’ll be hell bent on avenging their loss to Declan Bonner’s men last year.
After that it’s dark horses (Armagh) versus slightly darker horses (Derry). Both counties have been starved of Ulster Championship success.
After clinching their spot in Division One last weekend, will Kieran McGeeney’s men feel it’s ‘job done’ for this year or can they refocus for a battle in the Bogside? Only the best of Campbell, Grimley, Grugan and the O’Neill brothers will do against a Derry team that emerged hungry from lockdown.
Conor Glass (another AFL returnee) is competing for a spot in midfield in a side that includes the undoubted quality and class of experienced contingents from Slaughtneil and Maghera.
Championship battles will rage the length and breadth of the country. The Cats of Kilkenny meet Dublin and Galway take on Wexford in the Leinster hurling semi-finals, Cork and Waterford and Tipperary and Limerick do battle in Munster.
Out west, Leitrim and Mayo begin the Connacht Championship and there are three clashes in the Leinster football Championship.
It’s been a long time coming and many of us thought it might not happen at all but the Championship is here. Sit back and savour it…
