Oisín McConville: If you’re looking for feisty Ulster slugfest, tune in to Armagh and Cavan

When my four-year-old son Ryan came home from school last week to tell me he wasn’t as fast as two of his classmates, my immediate reaction was, do I need to get him in the back garden with the therabands, maybe some resistance running? Perhaps even a sleigh with some light weights on it?

That’s the warped thinking of the modern day, the thinking that in the last 20 years has infiltrated all our GAA minds. I was completely unaware my own thinking was changing, but changing my thinking is one thing — passing it on to others is another kettle of fish.

It’s very easy to see how we have been made believe there is a structured hierarchy when it comes to the most important values of a Gaelic footballer. When we watch our elite footballers, big physical and well conditioned athletes are what we are used to seeing. Players like Ryan McHugh, Gooch Cooper and Martin Reilly buck this trend but they are very much a break from the norm. When we think of our inter-county players, we think of their commitment, their dedication, their drive and the constant strive to be the best that they can be.