OUR club held a lip sync recently. It was a terrific community event and an excellent fundraiser and it included everything from ‘Real Housewives’ on Zimmer frames to senior players getting the pulses of actual housewives racing with a bit of the oul ‘Hot Stuff’.
It’s all about taking part of course but I did think our act was in with a chance of winning until one of our competitors brought the packed hall to a frenzy by bringing out the Sam Maguire as the showpiece of their performance.
I must stress there are no sour grapes and they were very worthy winners regardless of the silverware but unless you’re Michael Flatley or Michael Jackson (and even then I doubt it) you can’t compete with the Sam Maguire
Once Sam came out, the game was up and it wasn’t even the real one – it was the ‘Sham Maguire’ that stole the show that night.
Real Sam was the guest of honour at another club’s function and it has spent the winter being gleefully passed around various clubs, schools, dinner dances, prizegivings, birthday parties etc, etc, etc.
This time last year you’d have got good odds on that being the case.
Armagh were contenders but they’d made a habit of losing tight games and expectations were low going into 2024.
But right from the start of last season there was a sense of purpose and confidence about Armagh that was a step up on anything they had previously produced under Kieran McGeeney.
There had been near-misses in the previous couple of year and, even though there were couple more near misses in the Division Two final and the Ulster final and injury setbacks, everything deservedly came together for the Orchardmen.
Despite their success against Kerry in the All-Ireland semi-final and Galway in the final, there are begrudgers out there and a Galway native told me over Christmas: “There never was a flukier All-Ireland won.”
He’s wrong of course but, as Tyrone found out after their 2021 success, repeating the prescription is very difficult and Armagh will be determined to prove they are no flash in the pan when the action gets going at the end of the month.
Here’s how I rank the Ulster counties before a ball is kicked:
Armagh
BACK in Division One, they begin with a trip to play Galway in Salthill and you’d expect Pearse Stadium to be packed. Season tickets for the Athletic Grounds have been selling like hotcakes but survival and stability should be good enough for the Orchardmen in the League. The Championship is the priority and it starts with winning that elusive Ulster title after losing the last two finals on penalties. The new rules will mean a revision of the counterattacking style that was so successful for them last year. No retirements announced and the successful backroom team has been kept together for the defence of the All-Ireland title.
Donegal
MICHAEL Murphy was part of Jim Gavin’s Football Rules Committee (FRC) and the new 3-v-3 rule has encouraged him back to the inter-county fray. I’m sure we all can’t wait for the first ball to be kicked long and high into him. Odhran McFadden-Ferry and Eoghan McHugh are also back in the fold so Jim McGuinness will have a full pack of quality players to choose from. Division Two and Ulster champions last year, the Tir Chonaill men were also All-Ireland semi-finalists. What magic will McGuinness conjure up to make the new rules work for his county?
Tyrone
THEIR club championship is an eye-opener. You don’t see the same abundance of talent in other counties and the pace of the games is on another level. The quality is there and now it’s up to new manager Malachy O’Rourke to get the best 15 on the field. O’Rourke was another FRC member and has a track record of success wherever he has gone.
Errigal Ciaran’s progress in the All-Ireland Club Championships may disrupt the early stages of the League but the Red Hand panel should be able to absorb their absence for a round or two. A wealth of talent from the All-Ireland U20-winning side is waiting to burst through to senior level and if O’Rourke gets the balance right then Tyrone will be contenders.
Derry
A WELL-OILED machine in 2023, Derry disintegrated into a disjointed gather-up in 2024 when they struggled to beat Westmeath in Newry. It didn’t work out for Mickey Harte and after rumours of this one and that one taking over did the rounds the experienced and astute Paddy Tally has been enticed from Kerry to take the reins.
The Galbally native won’t have the services of Chrissy McKaigue at the back but Derry remains a potent outfit who should be determined to make up for time wasted. Last year’s travails should be a lesson that only their best will do or they could miss the boat.
Cavan
THE loss of forward Paddy Lynch after he had scored a match-winning 1-9 against Monaghan and inspired a thrilling comeback against Tyrone in Ulster was a hammerblow. Without their spearhead, the Breffnimen lost form and confidence and finished bottom of their All-Ireland group. Third in Division Two last year, for some intangible reason they play to about 60 per cent of their potential far too often but the talent is there to push for promotion this year.
Monaghan
LOOKED a fading force last year. Vinny Corey shepherded his county to the All-Ireland semi-finals in 2023 but they were never realistic contenders in 2024. The loss of Karl Gallagher to Aussie Rules was a blow and injuries took their toll. After defeat against Galway in Salthill, the sight of a tearful Conor McManus walking up the tunnel would have brought tears out of a stone. It seemed like the end of an era but, whaddayaknow, McManus is back for 2025 under new manager Gabriel Bannigan and will play a key role in helping a young side find its feet.
Down
AN excellent 2024 included promotion to Division Two, the Tailteann Cup and with it the guarantee of Sam Maguire football. That means the bar has gone up for Conor Laverty’s men because they’re in with the big boys now.
He’ll love that of course and the first target will be Roscommon in Division Two and then cementing their place in the second tier. It’s donkey’s years since the Mournemen won an Ulster title but they came close to taking out All-Ireland winners Armagh last year.
Fermanagh
SURVIVAL was in their own hands before an uncharacteristic no-show in Louth saw them hammered and ultimately relegated to Division Three. Distant second to Armagh in Ulster Championship but Kieran Donnelly’s Ernemen bounced back impressively in the Tailteann group stage before bowing out against Antrim at the quarter-final stage. The loss of experienced players up front blunted their scoring options but news that Ultan Kelm isn’t going to Aussie Rules is a bonus.
Antrim
BOTTOM of the list but when you consider the success of Ulster football that’s no disgrace. A good start to Division Three kept them out of trouble and the Saffrons went on to reach the Tailteann semi-finals after beating Fermanagh. Losing skipper Peter Healy to injury was a setback and the series of heavy defeats suffered by the Antrim U20s last season doesn’t necessarily promise better things to come.
