Ulster’s big guns quiet ahead of duel

WITH the latest instalment of their evolving rivalry only days away, there was barely a whisper from the Armagh and Tyrone camps yesterday.

Cagey? Just a bit. Take Armagh. If they win on Sunday, they will have done so by beating four All-Ireland semi-finalists from the past two seasons, including the eventual 2003 champions.

Victory on Sunday will probably stand as one of the greatest achievements of Joe Kernan and his men. Except Big Joe ignored the bait.

"It will be a good achievement, yes, but it is just one part of what this team has achieved as a whole over the past seven years.

"It will be their fifth Ulster SFC title, which will be a great achievement and there have been other great achievements, like the All-Ireland in 2002 and their first national league title this year. So it will just be part of the overall history."

Of course, Joe. Mickey Harte didn't have his cards any further from his chest. A couple of weeks ago, Peter Canavan reminded the country of a genius that won't fade, smashing Down legend Paddy Doherty's all-time championship record.

Harte has grown weary about questions concerning the great one understandable as Canavan has been pretty much credited with ensuring Tyrone are in the Ulster final.

"I suppose a lot of people are surprised that he is performing at such a level just after coming back. But that's Peter Canavan.

"It was only a question of whether he had it in the legs and the lungs. His speed of thought, his speed of hands, the way his mind works, those were never going to disappear," Harte said.

"It's only natural that there is this hype about Peter since the Cavan game. He played a part in plenty of our scores, was the orchestrator of everything we did right in that game, but I thought he played really well in the drawn game, too.

"Figures don't lie and Peter is probably playing as well now as he has done since the mid-1990s."

Without Canavan, it's unlikely Tyrone would be in Croke Park Sunday. A lot more question marks hang over Harte's team than their Orchard counterparts, a point the manager is well aware of.

"Well, the big question is can we go back to performing at the level of 2003. We know we have prepared as well as we did then, but some aspects of our performances have been disappointing.

"If we find that consistency, we will be back up there among the best. That is what we are looking for.

"Drawing with Cavan helped this team. When a team draws a game they are supposed to win, it is as good as a defeat, because it makes everyone, players and management, look at the thing different, look at some areas more closely. We learned more from that draw with Cavan than from any other game this year."

There's an altered look to Tyrone this summer. The wanderlust of Kevin Hughes has necessitated a re-jigged midfield. Ger Cavlan's retirement robbed them of a possible partner for Sean Cavanagh, which has resulted in Conor Gormley being parachuted into the position.

The jury remains out on Gormley's suitability as Cavanagh's foil.

"Some of the critics were fairly harsh on Conor, especially in the drawn game, but he was effective in the things he did," Harte said.

"Necessity is the mother of invention and we have lost a few players, so we have had to try out different things.

"I would love to be in a position to say we have the 15 best players playing for Tyrone, but for a variety of reasons, I mightn't be able to say that. So I have to make do with the 15 best players available to me. You work with what you have.

"And players are much more adaptable now. I don't see my players as positions, I see them as footballers and they can adapt to any position they are put in. When you lose a player, you have to find a replacement and that is what we have done."

One of the surprising things about Armagh this summer has been their midfield. While Paul McGrane remains a class act in their last three games, they haven't had their usual iron-claw grip in the middle.

So, Kernan has made changes for Sunday. Tony McEntee and John Toal, both of whom gave their midfield more of an edge off the bench against Derry, start.

"It is a concern. We have struggled around the middle," Kernan says.

"In the past few years, that would have been one of our stronger positions. We have brought Tony and John in. It is great to be in a position to bring those quality players in."

Harte feels Sunday's titanic tussle will be simply about bragging rights, both will still be in the championship when the dust settles.

Maybe, but you feel for Armagh it is about more than that. It is about revenge for the 2003 final, it is about five Ulster titles in seven years and winning one by beating the other four best northern teams.

Joe Kernan can dress it down all he likes, but it will be an achievement to rank among his side's best.