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.

Taking everything into consideration, specifically the greater strength in depth in their squad, Tyrone have the greater capacity to win.

And I believe that they will for that reason, especially if Stephen O’Neill has sufficiently overcome his knee problem.

Realistically, Harte’s team has moved on from 2005, when they lost in the Ulster final replay (when O’Neill was put off in the wrong after having scored ten points in the draw) but proved their mettle by winning the All-Ireland in their 10th outing of the campaign. We have seen Justin McMahon graduate to the team to match the contribution of his brother Joe, the likes of Davy Harte mature into a wing-back of quality and players like Colm McCullagh make an impact.

In contrast, Francie Bellew, Paul McGrane and Paddy McKeever have followed the likes of Oisín McConville into retirement in Armagh and while they still have a hard core of experience, the fact remains that they don’t have the same potential.

On the other hand, reflecting on the history of upsets in this competition (remember only last year Tyrone were put out by a Down team which subsequently failed to make much progress) one would have to acknowledge that Armagh could spring a surprise if they can hurt Tyrone in defence and stymie the threat from Sean Cavanagh at the other end.

Easier said than done you would have to say!

* Verdict: Tyrone