Cavanagh can guide Tyrone to victory as Armagh lack leaders

THERE are so many questions about this game in Clones tomorrow, relating to the comparative strengths of a Tyrone team hoping to retain the All-Ireland football title at the third attempt and the short-term prospects for an Armagh outfit which has been weakened by a gradual drain of the best of their championship-winning side of 2002.

Most of all though, not just for the Ulster Council but for the image of Gaelic football in general, nobody wants another repeat of what happened in last Sunday’s Derry v Monaghan opener in Celtic Park.

Clearly, respective managers Mickey Harte and Peter McDonnell have a role to play in setting out an agenda for the way they want their players to perform. The game will be tough, with plenty of hits going in and no loss of face to be tolerated on either side. But ultimately it’s all about not overstepping the boundary of what counts for an ‘acceptable’ level of aggression. And this is where ref Pat McEnaney can play the biggest role of all in laying down the law and (with the necessary support of his umpiring team) enforcing the rules rigidly.