Cavanagh sees the back door benefits

It may, statistically at least, have tipped back in favour of convention last year with Dublin’s second title in three years but Sean Cavanagh has seen the benefits of the more scenic route to Croke Park in September.

In the 13 seasons since the introduction of the qualifier system in 2001, six All-Irelands have been won by teams who had been knocked out of their provincial championships. Four of those sides – Galway (2001), Tyrone (2005) and Kerry (2006 and 2009) – gained revenge later in the summer on their provincial conquerors.

Two of Tyrone’s three All-Ireland titles in six years in the last decade came via the back door so Cavanagh is ideally placed to assess both eventualities.