End in sight to Ulster malaise?

Ulster SFC Quarter-Final

It was a question that could have served equally well for either of the other two Ulster football ties played thus far and the portents for tomorrow’s clash between Monaghan and Armagh hardly set the pulse racing either.

Last year, the pair served up a ghastly All-Ireland qualifier in Clones and, while Monaghan pulled through after extra-time, that is only one reason why Armagh folk look back on the day with some distaste.

One report put it that Ronan Clarke and Steven McDonell had endured some “questionable defending” throughout the evening and the latter’s patience finally snapped with four minutes to go.

Sent off for lashing out at Dessie Mone, McDonnell flirted openly with the thought of retirement before the appointment of Paddy O’Rourke and a U2 concert in Croke Park during the off-season persuaded him otherwise.

“It was disappointing for Armagh as a whole,” McDonnell told Orchard TV this week. “I wasn’t the only one that was disappointed. The rest of the boys involved in last year’s squad were hugely disappointed as well and they will want to put the record straight this week.

“Certainly Monaghan would feel that they didn’t perform to the best of their ability that day as well so I would expect both teams to go out on the field and try to play maybe a more attractive game of football.”

Really? Ulster’s three games thus far have been dominated by the use of a sweeper and widespread blanket defences which have done precious little for the entertainment quotient.

Armagh’s preliminary round win away to Derry was merely a pointer for things to come. Even McDonnell, who was dangerous all day, had to wait 35 minutes to trouble the scoreboard.

“Casement Park is a lot bigger than Celtic Park was up in Derry,” he points out. “There is a lot more space there and that will probably suit the forwards more this weekend than it did a few weeks ago.

“Certainly, when you are playing any first round game in the championship it is all about winning, regardless of how you play and that was what we went up to Derry to get.”

An increase of just eight points in seven games may not suggest any great departure from what they did under Peter McDonnell but Armagh have made a concerted attempt to play a more attacking game under O’Rourke this term.

With Ronan Clarke injured in recent months – he starts on the bench again tomorrow – much of the responsibility has landed on McDonnell. Not a problem, according to O’Rourke.

“Stevie is marked well every day he goes out,” says the Down man.

“It is something he is well used to but it does give others players anopportunity maybe to contribute more and I am very confident that the other players can do that.”

It’s almost impossible to call. No-one was overly surprised when it took 20 extra minutes to separate the pair last year as their previous championship head-to-head necessitated two meetings in Clones before Armagh proceeded on their merry way to another Ulster title back in 2006.

This is Seamus McEnaney’s sixth year in charge of Monaghan and, though they have ruffled feathers in the championship in recent years, that spell will be deemed a failure if it ends without a provincial crown.

“They are an experienced team that has been knocking on the door for a while,” says O’Rourke.

“They have good forwards and good players but I don’t believe that they have better players than we have.

“It will be a step up from the Derry game, there is no doubt about that, but we are looking forward to the challenge and the game.

“Monaghan will be a great test and they will let us know just where this team is.”