So the teams in the next round of the qualifiers are
Mayo
Tyrone
Monaghan
Kildare
Cavan
Armagh
Leitrim
Offaly/Clare
Tyrone can’t draw Monaghan as they have met already so really it’s all about avoiding Mayo. Kildare could also be a potential banana skin, think we should be beating the other sides fairly comfortably.
Comfortable win today, hopefully Bradley and Brennan are not far off returning to action now. Richie Donnelly hit 1-2 today and I thought he did quite well against Meath at FF, he definitely offers us something different there.
Same 15 named as against Carlow. Tiernan McCann returns to the bench and Ruairi Sludden drops out. Still no sign of Lee Brennan and Mark Bradley back yet. David Mulgrew also remains sidelined.
1 N Morgan
2 P Hamspey
3 R McNamee
4 M McKernan
5 T McCann
6 F Burns
7 P Harte
8 C Cavanagh
9 D McClure
10 M Donnelly
11 N Sludden
12 C Meyler
13 C McShane
14 R Donnelly
15 C McAliskey
16 M O’Neill
17 M Bradley
18 R Brennan
19 H Loughran
20 C McCann
21 C McCarron
22 A McCrory
23 HP McGeary
24 K McGeary
25 P McNulty
26 R O’Neill
Good to have Bradley back. A badly needed option in attack.
Hopefully Lee Brennan can get back for this weekend as it would be a nice option to have on the bench.
I presume McCarron will be out, I don’t think it will be too much of a loss as he’s struggled this and last year and his legs look to have gone. My preference would be for Hampsey to drop back and possibly McClure come into the midfield.
From last year’s game against Dublin, I felt it was Mannion and McCaffrey that did the most damage to us. I’d put Hampsey on Mannion and Meyler on McCaffrey and hope they can negate them somewhat.
This game will ultimately tell us how much Tyrone have learned from last year and how effective the tweaks have been. I think our defending has been sloppy this year and it will need to improve markedly for this game. We’ve quite a few changes in personnel this year compared to last - McShane, Richie Donnelly, McKernan, McAliskey, Meyler and Frank Burns have all cemented regular spots this year where they weren’t starting last year.
It’s not a decisive game as either side have their SF destiny in their own hands after a win and Dublin are effectively already there after beating Donegal as they will hockey Roscommon if they need to.
A bit of hype coming back into Tyrone after some morale boosting hammerings but Roscommon and Cork could not have been more tactically naive and mentally weak than they were.
I can’t really see any side running Dublin as close as Mayo have done in the past few years, maybe as this game is not decisive they will take the foot off the gas but I don’t see it. Tyrone have a very poor record at Omagh but it promises to be a smashing atmosphere and perhaps Tyrone are the best side outside of Dublin at the minute so who knows.
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They haven’t played anyone of consequence this year so far. I’d rate them, at best, joint fourth with Kerry - behind Dublin (1) Galway (2) and Donegal (3).
I’d say they might get within five points of Dublin but more so because Dublin have shown that they’re not going to take any chances letting defensive teams hit them on the counter attack. If Tyrone let Dublin stretch their lead to more than four points at any stage their goose is cooked in Omagh.
If they’re to win they need the hit Dublin with a couple of goals in the first half and hope that Dublin don’t pressurize Morgan in the same way that they did Shaun Patton last weekend.
Why would you rate them behind Donegal? Who have Donegal beaten in the past two years?
Donegal are Ulster champions, are you suggesting they could win this tournament without beating anyone?
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Current form and Donegal’s performance against Dublin.
Donegal haven’t beaten any of the upper echelon pf teams in the past couple of years but neither have Tyrone.
Galway and Kerry have and you have them behind Tyrone.
What current form?
Tyrone are off the back of 16 and 18 point wins.
I don’t think there’s anything that suggests Donegal are a better side at the minute. I don’t believe there’s much between the sides but Tyrone are a much more proven side.
Galway hadn’t won a Championship game in Croke Park in the past 16 years before Sunday.
Dublin are way in front of the rest. The rest of the 6 are all more than capable of beating each other. Roscommon are there to unbuckle their trousers, bend over and take it.
There’s no real solid basis for saying Donegal are a better team than Tyrone at present. They could beat them but Tyrone are a much more proven side.
Were you not saying something similar before Tyrone trounced Donegal last year?
I’m saying the Ulster Championship is prone to shocks as on a given day most of the teams are capable of beating each other.
A lot of the staters beginning to fret that tyrone will win the all ireland
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I overestimated Donegal last year and I’m the first to admit that and accept that I was wrong.
Against Carlow and a Roscommon. Hardly enough to rank them second ahead of a Galway team that have beaten Kerry and Mayo, an improved Ulster-winning Donegal side,
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And Cork.
But there’s not really an awful lot to say Donegal are better team than last year. They beat teams well that you’d expect them to beat and lost to Dublin.
I think you’re overestimating them again this year, Tyrone are still the best team in Ulster at present.
Based on the fact Tyrone are the only Ulster side to make All Ireland semi finals since 2014. They’re the top team in Ulster until someone else proves otherwise. Given their path to the Ulster title this year, Donegal would have been expected to win Ulster but they haven’t really proved anything yet.
I think you’re overestimating them again.
You’re as entitled to your opinion as I’m entitled to mine. I’d rate Tyrone 3rd in Ulster behind Donegal and Monaghan currently.
My opinion is grounded in logic. Yours is grounded in the same subjectivity that saw you get it badly wrong on the state of play in Ulster.
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Tyrone have beaten nobody of note outside of ulster since 2014. Not one team.