Ulster Championship 2021

[Armagh18]

You can talk about 2nd tier competitions until you're blue in the face but until there is one that the players buy into it's a dead duck.
It is talked about in a "wouldn't it be great to give them another game" manner as if these players don't go on to a field for another year. Reality is that they return to their clubs to play in games and competitions that they actually care about. Some even go to America and play football for the summer. For as long as they value these options higher than the 2nd tier competition, they'll continue to do it.
County football is a huge commitment and these players make big sacrifices to play. For the time being, they are happy to make those sacrifices to play in the main event but the same appetite isn't there for a crappy competition that nobody hears about or cares about, regardless of whether you believe that's what they deserve or not.
I don't know how the GAA go about getting buy in but whatever they've tried so far has failed.

Surely, surely the potential is there and a competition that a county has a reasonable chance of winning would appeal to players? As others have said, junior and intermediate championships aren't valued any less in other codes or at club level!

[tbrick18]

I thought this was an Ulster Championship thread

Predictions for the weekend?

For me:
Tyrone vs Cavan - tyrone by 4. Cavan might have a championship game in them and Tyrone are not as good as people think AND they are transitioning their style of play. The only thing putting me off a shock win is how poor Cavan have been this year to date.

Donegal v Derry - depends on if Murphy is fit. If fit, Donegal with home advantage to win by 5/6.
Its a huge step up for Derry in terms of quality of teams they have played this year but Derry have improved massively from last year. We gave Armagh a good game last year so I think this will be closer than many think. On paper Donegal should win...but Derry being a bit of an unknown quantity at this level means it's not just as clear cut. If Murphy is not fit and Rogers is fit, Derry by a point

[JoG2]

I thought this was an Ulster Championship thread

Predictions for the weekend?

For me:
Tyrone vs Cavan - tyrone by 4. Cavan might have a championship game in them and Tyrone are not as good as people think AND they are transitioning their style of play. The only thing putting me off a shock win is how poor Cavan have been this year to date.

Donegal v Derry - depends on if Murphy is fit. If fit, Donegal with home advantage to win by 5/6.
Its a huge step up for Derry in terms of quality of teams they have played this year but Derry have improved massively from last year. We gave Armagh a good game last year so I think this will be closer than many think. On paper Donegal should win...but Derry being a bit of an unknown quantity at this level means it's not just as clear cut. If Murphy is not fit and Rogers is fit, Derry by a point

Good man! We're living in crazy times, anything could happen!

[tbrick18]

I thought this was an Ulster Championship thread

Predictions for the weekend?

For me:
Tyrone vs Cavan - tyrone by 4. Cavan might have a championship game in them and Tyrone are not as good as people think AND they are transitioning their style of play. The only thing putting me off a shock win is how poor Cavan have been this year to date.

Donegal v Derry - depends on if Murphy is fit. If fit, Donegal with home advantage to win by 5/6.
Its a huge step up for Derry in terms of quality of teams they have played this year but Derry have improved massively from last year. We gave Armagh a good game last year so I think this will be closer than many think. On paper Donegal should win...but Derry being a bit of an unknown quantity at this level means it's not just as clear cut. If Murphy is not fit and Rogers is fit, Derry by a point

Good man! We're living in crazy times, anything could happen!

The closer Derry get to championship matches the more I convince myself we are going to win.
I might learn one of these days, but sure if we didn't hope then there'd be no point.

[Captain Obvious]

I thought this was an Ulster Championship thread

Predictions for the weekend?

For me:
Tyrone vs Cavan - tyrone by 4. Cavan might have a championship game in them and Tyrone are not as good as people think AND they are transitioning their style of play. The only thing putting me off a shock win is how poor Cavan have been this year to date.

Donegal v Derry - depends on if Murphy is fit. If fit, Donegal with home advantage to win by 5/6.
Its a huge step up for Derry in terms of quality of teams they have played this year but Derry have improved massively from last year. We gave Armagh a good game last year so I think this will be closer than many think. On paper Donegal should win...but Derry being a bit of an unknown quantity at this level means it's not just as clear cut. If Murphy is not fit and Rogers is fit, Derry by a point

No win over Tyrone since 1983 should be another reason. Its the one draw that Cavan probably didn't want to start off the championship regardless of form.

[J70]

I thought this was an Ulster Championship thread

Predictions for the weekend?

For me:
Tyrone vs Cavan - tyrone by 4. Cavan might have a championship game in them and Tyrone are not as good as people think AND they are transitioning their style of play. The only thing putting me off a shock win is how poor Cavan have been this year to date.

Donegal v Derry - depends on if Murphy is fit. If fit, Donegal with home advantage to win by 5/6.
Its a huge step up for Derry in terms of quality of teams they have played this year but Derry have improved massively from last year. We gave Armagh a good game last year so I think this will be closer than many think. On paper Donegal should win...but Derry being a bit of an unknown quantity at this level means it's not just as clear cut. If Murphy is not fit and Rogers is fit, Derry by a point

Supposedly Murphy and MacNiallais are both fit, but Bonner always says men will be available, so we'll see on Sunday.

No idea what to expect to be honest. Regardless of whether they're fit, we know what Donegal will bring. Good kickout, strong around the middle, good running game and plenty of accurate shooters. At the other end, very vulnerable to speed and runners, with plenty of goal chances given up.

Derry - I've no clue about where they're at when it comes to stronger teams.

I do remember Conor Glass single-handedly beating underage teams of ours though!

[J70]

Think we've only lost one championship game to Derry since 1998 (2008 in Ballybofey).

Who would have thought that when they were lording it over us 93-98?

From what I remember, wins for Donegal in 2002, 2006, 2009 (qualifiers?), 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2018.

[APM]

Tyrone will hammer Cavan.  There will be points to prove after the Kerry game. 

There's an aul bully in Tyrone.  They usually annihilate weaker opposition, never content with a 10 point win.  Doesn't matter how bad they are going, they rarely get caught in a dogfight with weaker opposition. 

Long term though, I don't think it will matter.  That Kerry game will have sowed serious seeds of doubt in players' minds and it might just be the case that Harte's system papered over the cracks of a weaker bunch of players. You couldn't envy what Logan and Dooher are attempting to achieve with this team. 

When Micko left Kerry in 1989 after 14 years, they didn't win another all-Ireland till '97.  And they only had one team to beat to make an AI Semi. 
Sean Boylan left Meath after 23 years and they have been in the doldrums ever since, apart from an AI Semi in 2009 I think.  They are consistently underachieving.

They'll beat Cavan handy, but if Logan and Dooher manage to steer Tyrone to a win in Ulster and make a decent tilt at the all-Ireland, they will be really exceeding expectations, particularly with no midfield.   

[Armagh18]

Tyrone will hammer Cavan.  There will be points to prove after the Kerry game. 

There's an aul bully in Tyrone.  They usually annihilate weaker opposition, never content with a 10 point win.  Doesn't matter how bad they are going, they rarely get caught in a dogfight with weaker opposition. 

Long term though, I don't think it will matter.  That Kerry game will have sowed serious seeds of doubt in players' minds and it might just be the case that Harte's system papered over the cracks of a weaker bunch of players. You couldn't envy what Logan and Dooher are attempting to achieve with this team. 

When Micko left Kerry in 1989 after 14 years, they didn't win another all-Ireland till '97.  And they only had one team to beat to make an AI Semi. 
Sean Boylan left Meath after 23 years and they have been in the doldrums ever since, apart from an AI Semi in 2009 I think.  They are consistently underachieving.

They'll beat Cavan handy, but if Logan and Dooher manage to steer Tyrone to a win in Ulster and make a decent tilt at the all-Ireland, they will be really exceeding expectations, particularly with no midfield.

I'd expect Tyrone to hammer Cavan as well but I definitely wouldn't put any money at all on Cavan getting beat. We saw last year what they're capable of and they'll be determined their summer won't end with relegation to D4 and getting tanked in Ulster, they'll have as big a point to prove as Tyrone.

[APM]

Tyrone will hammer Cavan.  There will be points to prove after the Kerry game. 

There's an aul bully in Tyrone.  They usually annihilate weaker opposition, never content with a 10 point win.  Doesn't matter how bad they are going, they rarely get caught in a dogfight with weaker opposition. 

Long term though, I don't think it will matter.  That Kerry game will have sowed serious seeds of doubt in players' minds and it might just be the case that Harte's system papered over the cracks of a weaker bunch of players. You couldn't envy what Logan and Dooher are attempting to achieve with this team. 

When Micko left Kerry in 1989 after 14 years, they didn't win another all-Ireland till '97.  And they only had one team to beat to make an AI Semi. 
Sean Boylan left Meath after 23 years and they have been in the doldrums ever since, apart from an AI Semi in 2009 I think.  They are consistently underachieving.

They'll beat Cavan handy, but if Logan and Dooher manage to steer Tyrone to a win in Ulster and make a decent tilt at the all-Ireland, they will be really exceeding expectations, particularly with no midfield.

I'd expect Tyrone to hammer Cavan as well but I definitely wouldn't put any money at all on Cavan getting beat. We saw last year what they're capable of and they'll be determined their summer won't end with relegation to D4 and getting tanked in Ulster, they'll have as big a point to prove as Tyrone.

Would love it if Cavan proved me wrong, it was pure joy watching that win last year. But they got beaten by Wicklow last time they played.

[Cavan19]

Cavan will be well beat got lucky last year with injuries, its a different story this year and the panel isn't good enough to compensate.

As the poster above said got beat by Wicklow a few weeks ago, that should tell you enough about the situation.

[JoG2]

I thought this was an Ulster Championship thread

Predictions for the weekend?

For me:
Tyrone vs Cavan - tyrone by 4. Cavan might have a championship game in them and Tyrone are not as good as people think AND they are transitioning their style of play. The only thing putting me off a shock win is how poor Cavan have been this year to date.

Donegal v Derry - depends on if Murphy is fit. If fit, Donegal with home advantage to win by 5/6.
Its a huge step up for Derry in terms of quality of teams they have played this year but Derry have improved massively from last year. We gave Armagh a good game last year so I think this will be closer than many think. On paper Donegal should win...but Derry being a bit of an unknown quantity at this level means it's not just as clear cut. If Murphy is not fit and Rogers is fit, Derry by a point

Good man! We're living in crazy times, anything could happen!

The closer Derry get to championship matches the more I convince myself we are going to win.
I might learn one of these days, but sure if we didn't hope then there'd be no point.

Exact same, you square things off in your head that only a mad man would square off to create and justify hope. 

[Armagh18]

Tyrone will hammer Cavan.  There will be points to prove after the Kerry game. 

There's an aul bully in Tyrone.  They usually annihilate weaker opposition, never content with a 10 point win.  Doesn't matter how bad they are going, they rarely get caught in a dogfight with weaker opposition. 

Long term though, I don't think it will matter.  That Kerry game will have sowed serious seeds of doubt in players' minds and it might just be the case that Harte's system papered over the cracks of a weaker bunch of players. You couldn't envy what Logan and Dooher are attempting to achieve with this team. 

When Micko left Kerry in 1989 after 14 years, they didn't win another all-Ireland till '97.  And they only had one team to beat to make an AI Semi. 
Sean Boylan left Meath after 23 years and they have been in the doldrums ever since, apart from an AI Semi in 2009 I think.  They are consistently underachieving.

They'll beat Cavan handy, but if Logan and Dooher manage to steer Tyrone to a win in Ulster and make a decent tilt at the all-Ireland, they will be really exceeding expectations, particularly with no midfield.

I'd expect Tyrone to hammer Cavan as well but I definitely wouldn't put any money at all on Cavan getting beat. We saw last year what they're capable of and they'll be determined their summer won't end with relegation to D4 and getting tanked in Ulster, they'll have as big a point to prove as Tyrone.

Would love it if Cavan proved me wrong, it was pure joy watching that win last year. But they got beaten by Wicklow last time they played.

Me too. But dire and all as they were in the league they are a different animal come championship. Armagh made wee boys of them in the league last year and they bounced back to win Ulster. Will really take a miracle though.

[Armagh18]

Cavan will be well beat got lucky last year with injuries, its a different story this year and the panel isn't good enough to compensate.

As the poster above said got beat by Wicklow a few weeks ago, that should tell you enough about the situation.

Ah don't be at that owl cute hoorism now

[lenny]

Tyrone will hammer Cavan.  There will be points to prove after the Kerry game. 

There's an aul bully in Tyrone.  They usually annihilate weaker opposition, never content with a 10 point win.  Doesn't matter how bad they are going, they rarely get caught in a dogfight with weaker opposition. 

Long term though, I don't think it will matter.  That Kerry game will have sowed serious seeds of doubt in players' minds and it might just be the case that Harte's system papered over the cracks of a weaker bunch of players. You couldn't envy what Logan and Dooher are attempting to achieve with this team. 

When Micko left Kerry in 1989 after 14 years, they didn't win another all-Ireland till '97.  And they only had one team to beat to make an AI Semi. 
Sean Boylan left Meath after 23 years and they have been in the doldrums ever since, apart from an AI Semi in 2009 I think.  They are consistently underachieving.

They'll beat Cavan handy, but if Logan and Dooher manage to steer Tyrone to a win in Ulster and make a decent tilt at the all-Ireland, they will be really exceeding expectations, particularly with no midfield.

Tyrone by 15. Donegal by 7. Then Donegal to beat Tyrone by 4.