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Paddy Cunningham back now too. Didn't see that coming.

*no I am not paddy Cunningham either

It seems it is up for debate despite evidence to the contrary lol. They have some good county players so you never know. Very open this year. Cross not as strong as they used to be so no standout contenders.

Watched cross a few times this year. Their scoring ability is excellent. Their defence not so much. Don't know anything about other teams

The two oneills look very dangerous. Clontibret have McManus who will take some watching. I would expect magherafelt still haven't sobered up. I think gweedore may not win replay in Donegal though if they do maybe hard to beat too. Hard to pick a favourite.

It seems it is up for debate despite evidence to the contrary lol. They have some good county players so you never know. Very open this year. Cross not as strong as they used to be so no standout contenders.

What is your point again?

Tyrone teams don't get hammered in the ulster club?

Tyrone teams will be competitive in the ulster club?

Tyrone have more depth than anyone else?

Tyrone teams are at a disadvantage because their championship is so competitive?

All of the above? Any of the above?

[Tyrone senior club winners can't compete too well in Ulster - fact. They're not good enough.]

To suggest Slaughtneil were strolling through Derry is just nonsense. They won because they were the best team but some of their Derry championship games were tougher than some of the Ulster club games.

Awk oakleaf wise up they strolled through it, yes it was because they were an exceptional team but they still walked through it

But in 2014 Slaughtneil won their first Derry title in 10 years and went on to win Ulster... how does this fit the narrative that you need to be regularly competing in Ulster to win it??

It certainly helps. The fact is Slaughtneil were coming back again and again after that, they pipped an Omagh side in the final who had just won their first Tyrone title in 26 years.

But the Derry championship is litter with one-off (or first-time) winners going on to in Ulster in the same season; why not Tyrone... maybe because they aren't good enough!!??

Bellaghy 1994
Dungiven 1997
Ballinderry 2001
Loup 2003

This person's a waffler - facts state that Tyrone senior club winners can't compete too well in Ulster - fact.  They're not good enough.

In the same way the Cavan championship is competitive but when in Ulster, they are poor enough.

No disrespect to Tyrone or Cavan.

Just look at the Roll of Honour.  Cross have been brill - 3 or 4 different teams, in transition, in a relatively uncompetitive Armagh championship, but keep producing the goods in Ulster and Ireland.

Why? - because over the years, they've been the best team.

Your just completely incorrect fella.

Oh that's right the best is some team in Tyrone who can't get out of Tyrone, are you reading the crap you post.

Well it seems its true, you cant teach stupid.
It seems im ahead of my time as very few can grasp the concept.
The bold - 9 times out of 10 that is true. one game, 60 minutes, one slip up or stroke of luck and anything can happen.

Topsoil - as a Tyrone man I am struggling to understand what you are saying.

Do you mean 9 times out of 10 it is the luckiest team that wins the Tyrone cship?

If they dont have one slip up and no bad luck in all of the rounds they win the cship - but they arent the best just the luckiest 

Not at all, didn't say that or even imply it.
The best team doesn't always win it, but the team that does win it is still good&worthy of it all the same.

The remedial class of gaaboard posters like Tmac just can't seem to grasp this point.

Whoever comes through in Tyrone will hold their own at this level, take Armagh for instance - whoever it is that comes through other than Cross will look a little out of place.

They are highly unlikely, based on past evidence, to win though as their team won't be of a high enough standard.

It's like none of the evidence counts lol.

The Derry championship was massively competitive for years and multiple teams won there too. Yes St Galls had it easy enough in antrim for years and cross but sure Slaughtneil would have won ulster two years ago and then Coleraine and now Glen beat them this year who didn't even go on to win it. I doubt Slaughtneil have dropped standardsl that much. It wasn't like Slaughtneil were preparing for Ulster and then they had the hurling too. Scotstown have had big challenges from Clontibret when they were good too.

You could argue what you say for Kilcoo having a pass but they haven't been able to win it and neither have Cavan Gaels who were dominant for years in Cavan so that doesn't stack up either. Basically what you say doesn't stack up. At all.

Cross have had great sides. They dominated Armagh but also Ulster and at all ireland stage. They didn't get a pass to the all irelands when they were playing in ulster.

I am not even sure what your point is any more lol. What is your point? Tyrone sides are as good as anywhere but they don't compete because their championship is too competitive - is that your point?

Tyrone clubs in Ulster in recent years.

2018 - Coalisland - lost to Cross by 2 pts
2017 - Omagh - lost to Slaughtneil by 2 pts (Eventual winners)
2016 - Killyclogher - beat Cargin by 5, lost to Slaughtneil by 6 (Eventual winners)
2015 - Trillick - beat Naomh Conaill by 1, lost to Scotstown by 2 (Runners up to Cross in extra time)
2014 - Omagh - beat Crossmaglen by 2, beat St Eunans by 3, lost to Slaughtneil by 1 (Eventual winners)
2013 - Clonoe - Lost to Ballinderry by 4 (Eventual winners)
2012 - Errigal - beat Ballindery by 1, lost to Cross by 6 (Eventual winners)
2011 - Dromore - Lost to Ballinderry by 2
2010 - Coalisland - Beat Roslea by 3, lost to Naomh Conaill by 1

I don't think that is too bad a record on the whole considering only 4 clubs have won Ulster in that time and Cross and Slaughtneil have shared 7 between them. It would be a different story if the same team was cruising through Tyrone every year and consistently falling short.

It's rubbish! To say you're club championship is the best in Ireland and to fail so miserably in an extra 3 games with the best club players is a very poor return, 1968 the competition started

Not really, Ulster club has been more or less dominated by 2 clubs in this decade.

Look at the fate of the Armagh champions when it's not Cross representing them. Maghery were whacked by Kilcoo when they came through Armagh and Armagh Harps lost to Cavan Gaels the other time and that was the first time a Cavan side had won a match in Ulster in nearly 10 years!

Scotstown and Kilcoo have consistently failed in Ulster though they have been there or thereabouts.

I'm also referring to the present and recent past. Many things change in 50 years. Some winners no longer exists or have experienced a severe fall from grace.

Pearse Og were the width of a post away from beating St Galls who then went on to win it.

Kilcoo should really have won it by now but I think that ship has sailed.

Cavan Gaels were a decent side for a few years there but have slid now.

Tomas McCann back for the county. That's good news.

Welcome to the discussion board young McCann

I wasn't quite as good a footballer sadly.

Tomas McCann back for the county. That's good news.

You are probably right J70. In general I really don't like it but seems to be the way it's done.

You won it twice in 34 years then you haven't won it in 17 years so obviously it's since the county team became successful.

Though by that maths you are due one as it's 17 years on from the last one!

Honestly this is a case of trying to rationalise anything. Tyrone football on the whole is stronger - we get that - but their best club teams are not as good as the best in other ulster counties. Simple as that.

Cracking player. Unmarkable on his day which he had quite a few of for a good few years even when Dublin were a good bit weaker than they are now.

Some of my fellow countymen (and a few others) it seems either keep falling into the trap that arguably the most competitive championship = the championship with the highest quality teams, or are suffering from delusion.

The Ulster intercounty SFC during the 80's was the most competitive in Ireland, but whoever won it struggled at the All-Ireland stage. Only facing the Connacht champions in the semi final gave the Ulster winners any real hope of making it to the final.

In terms of the roll of honour in Tyrone in the last decade & a half, there is a wide variety of teams that have won the O'Neill Cup (Tyrone SFC cup) but no team has been able to retain the trophy since Carrickmore did so in 2005. In this years' county SFC, prior to the first game there was around 6-8 teams that you could say had a reasonable chance of claiming honours in the end, Trillick being one of them. However, the last of these winners that came close to provincial success was Omagh when they were defeated by Slaughtneil in the final.

Is it an advantage to be a "big fish in a small pond" thus being regular participants in the Ulster club? I'd say usually it does - but it doesn't always be, Cavan Gaels were dominating Cavan not too long ago but struggled to translate their county dominance in Ulster.

The fact is that Tyrone's representatives in the Ulster Club SFC have in general not been good enough when it has come to the crunch, only Errigal Ciaran have proven themselves at that level. No amount of sugar coating, some threadbare excuses or ridiculous suggestions that winning the Tyrone SFC is harder than the Ulster Club SFC can argue with historical competition results.

Having said that, I do think Trillick have a half decent shot this year. Never a bunch to lack self-confidence, they'll look forward to playing Derrygonnelly. Given how many from Trillick work or be educated in Enniskillen, both sides will know quite a few players in opposition and Trillick will get a rare chance to play a Fermanagh club in a competitive match. Brewster Park should be buzzing on Sunday week.

Tyrone clubs generally compete fairly well regardless of who goes forward, they are very rarely given a big beating and usually pick up a few wins along the way. The fact is Tyrone have probably 5 or 6 clubs who can come out of the county championship and give a good account of themselves along the way, I don't think another county in Ulster can say the same. I think when you are regularly winning your county title, then you are looking beyond that and are tailoring your plans for a tilt at Ulster.

None of the above excuses Tyrone's poor record in the Ulster Club SFC. Giving "a good account of themselves" doesn't end up showing on the roll of honour for the competition over the past 50 years. Winning games is what matters.

Worth mentioning that Errigal Ciaran won their first Ulster club title (and any for a Tyrone club) in 1993 having won their first ever county title. Indeed when talking about no team retaining the county title since 2005, between 1993 and 2005, Errigal Ciaran and Carrickmore won 11 of the 13 county championships between them (Ardboe won in 98 and Killyclogher in 2003) and while Errigal picked up another provincial title in 2002, Carrickmore failed to capitalise much once they went outside the county.

The Tyrone SFC is indeed a very competitive competition, probably one of the most in Ulster if not all of Ireland. Let alone simply retaining the championship, the last time a three-in-a-row was achieved was 40 years ago and no club has done four-in-a-row or better. But you can have a very competitive Intermediate Reserve or Junior Reserve championship some years in Tyrone but that doesn't mean that the overall standard in those competitions is very high.

The records in the competition speaks for itself. There is no point in claiming that Tyrone teams and clubs are somehow naturally better, but when there is some evidence to the contrary, all sorts of contortions for excuses are made.

Exactly - on the whole Tyrone are the best in Ulster but their club teams don't reflect that.

Good luck to everyone running. Bearded one if you have done the training you will be fine.