Come the closing stages of the Championship, it is unlikely that we will have an Ulster team in contention at the top table. One thing we do provide, however, is the most competitive of all the provincial battles.
Donegal and Cavan kicked it all off on Sunday with a surprisingly open game of football, something I don’t expect to see in either of the games this weekend. Tyrone and Monaghan in Omagh on Sunday will grab most of the attention with many believing the winners of this game will eventually lift the Anglo Celt Cup on June 24. I believe Monaghan might just sneak this encounter and Malachy O’Rourke will continue with his successful record in first round games.
For Fermanagh, it’s a very different story from this time last year. Having suffered heavy defeats in Clones and the Athletic Grounds, things certainly didn’t seem right in the Fermanagh camp. The excuse was that we were missing so many players for one reason or another. A change was required and after the Pete McGrath saga, Fermanagh moved on, placing Rory Gallagher at the helm. A lot of water has passed under the bridge since then and the players have taken responsibility and stepped up to everything that has been asked of them.
They have bought into what Rory is requesting and put in huge effort to make themselves competitive in every game they play. For many of the players, their physical appearance has changed greatly and from the outside, they seem to be very fit. I know that Rory is big on stats and measurements and some of the boys have trimmed off a lot of body fat – in some cases, too much! Sometimes you need a bit of weight and power behind you when you’re trying to make a shoulder or hold off a tackle – well that’s what I tell myself anyway! We’re not known for having big men as it is so I wouldn’t like to go too far down the weight loss road.
As well as the physical element, Rory has also worked hard on strategy this year, especially in defence. Many are predicting a more attack-minded Ulster Championship but I suspect Fermanagh will not be going man-for-man on Saturday evening with the risk of exposing themselves at the back.
A balance between defence and attack is the hardest thing to get right and to make an impact on Saturday, Fermanagh will need to throw off the shackles and push up on Armagh. It wasn’t until the last 15 minutes of the League decider against Armagh, when they were chasing the game, that they opened up and actually started playing some football.
There is no question that Fermanagh carry significant talent in their forward line but looking at their games thus far this year, they seem to rely heavily on free kicks. Scoring from open play has been a struggle. Pushing players like Ryan Jones up the pitch will help give support and create space for the likes of Tomás Corrigan and the Quigley brothers.
The problem with this is that you’re leaving space at the back which, as I’ve said, is something Fermanagh will not do or they will risk being exploited by Andrew Murnin who has scored four goals in six games this year, including one against Fermanagh in the League Final. Even with numbers back, conceding goals has been a problem area. Only Sligo and Westmeath away and Armagh in Brewster Park failed to score goals against Fermanagh this year. It’s something that I’m sure the management have looked at and tried to rectify in some way.
I would like to see more protection for Pat Cadden in nets if possible, especially when Armagh start to pump in high balls. In the decider in Croke Park he was left exposed as our defence stood back and watched two Armagh men advance on a dropping ball to score a goal. Armagh have a few skilful and opportunistic forwards who will need to be marshalled very closely. The aforementioned Murnin is the player that will take the most watching and I expect Mickey Jones to be tasked with the role of curtailing their key man. Stopping Murnin will go a long way to winning the game. Ethan Rafferty (if fit) will also require attention and Niall Grimley will punish any misdemeanour from placed balls but the loss through injury of their hardworking captain, Rory Grugan, will be major a setback for Kieran McGeeney.
A key area will be the middle third and who comes out on top here will likely win this out. Armagh dominated in the League Final particularly on their own kick outs. Blaine Hughes’ kick outs need to be disturbed and we need to crowd around for break ball and prevent easy marks. Ryan Jones and Eoin Donnelly are big men and well able to win their own battles but crowding the middle will help stop Armagh gaining a foothold and help Fermanagh break in more numbers.
Fermanagh just lost out to Armagh in the League Final and I hope they are still smarting because there’s nothing better than getting a second bite at a team you’ve been narrowly beaten by. I’m predicting that Fermanagh will win this one by two.