On a few other threads I've noticed the questioned raised about the quality of Ulster Football at the minute, and I feel this topic probably deserves a thread of its own. These questions are fairly pertinent in the wake of what was a dismal weekend for Ulster teams in Croke Park, and it's not surprising that the overall quality of Ulster Football should be questioned after some of the poor performances we witnessed.
Tyrone (and I'm sure even our Tyrone posters will agree) were lucky enough to come out on top of a 50/50 game. Only for some (typical) Mayo implosion, we could have seen all 4 Ulster teams beat this weekend.
Monaghan put on a decent performance. Certainly they had Kerry rattled and had chances to push them closer. But a lack of overall quality cost Monaghan, and Kerry's win (like last year) came down to a stronger squad and a cutting edge.
Down were dismal. Fermanagh were horrible.
When you consider that Fermanagh disposed of Derry and Monaghan and Monaghan disposed of Derry and Donegal, you have to agree that Ulster football may have several teams competing at a decent level, but they are nowhere near the quality required to trouble the big boys. In fact, when you see that Armagh and Tyrone are (once again!) the only two Ulster teams remaining it tells you all you need to know about the standard in Ulster. I don't think either side are near the heights of recent years, yet they continue to fly the flag. (Although, at the minute I would hazard an opinion that Monaghan are possibly Ulster's best team.)
I would expect both Armagh and Tyrone to get beaten by Dublin in the coming weeks, but even if one wins I'm not sure they have what it takes to beat Kerry as well.
Overall, I think the standard in Ulster has dwindled. As more ingredients have been added to the pot, the flavour has decreased. People who claim that Ulster is the strongest province, surely can't do so with any conviction.
Tyrone (and I'm sure even our Tyrone posters will agree) were lucky enough to come out on top of a 50/50 game. Only for some (typical) Mayo implosion, we could have seen all 4 Ulster teams beat this weekend.
Monaghan put on a decent performance. Certainly they had Kerry rattled and had chances to push them closer. But a lack of overall quality cost Monaghan, and Kerry's win (like last year) came down to a stronger squad and a cutting edge.
Down were dismal. Fermanagh were horrible.
When you consider that Fermanagh disposed of Derry and Monaghan and Monaghan disposed of Derry and Donegal, you have to agree that Ulster football may have several teams competing at a decent level, but they are nowhere near the quality required to trouble the big boys. In fact, when you see that Armagh and Tyrone are (once again!) the only two Ulster teams remaining it tells you all you need to know about the standard in Ulster. I don't think either side are near the heights of recent years, yet they continue to fly the flag. (Although, at the minute I would hazard an opinion that Monaghan are possibly Ulster's best team.)
I would expect both Armagh and Tyrone to get beaten by Dublin in the coming weeks, but even if one wins I'm not sure they have what it takes to beat Kerry as well.
Overall, I think the standard in Ulster has dwindled. As more ingredients have been added to the pot, the flavour has decreased. People who claim that Ulster is the strongest province, surely can't do so with any conviction.
