- Written by Matt Gault
- BBC Sports NI
In the end, the first two games of the Ulster Championship quarter-finals ended in misfires.
Cavan's dramatic victory over Monaghan in the preliminary round last week whetted the appetite for more enthusiastic championships, but the first two quarter-finals at Newry and Enniskillen failed to capture the imagination.
In Saturday's opening game between Down and Antrim, with a place in the last eight on the line, there was a bit of an incident on the sideline, and a yellow card was shown before the ball was even kicked, making it a collector's item, but on the pitch, the scene where Morne Man runs off… It became an almost forgettable sight. Winner 0-13 to 0-9.
Armagh scored three goals in the first half to end the game as a do-or-die affair before the interval, ensuring another Ulster clash that will not live long in the memory.
But even if the first two quarterfinals didn't have enough fireworks and suspense to keep viewers on their toes, expect things to play out differently this week.
On Sunday, Tyrone return to the Championship Arena for the first time since losing to Kerry in last year's All-Ireland quarter-final, taking on a resurgent Cavan at Breffni Park.
But before that, there's the small matter of Derry and Donegal at Celtic Park on Saturday night.
The match has been quietly gaining momentum since the draw was held in October.
By that stage, Mickey Harte had surprised the GAA world by taking over the Derry job and Jim McGuinness had become Donegal manager for the second time, so naturally all eyes were on the revival of the great managerial rivalry. was.
Six months later, the match finally arrived. Of course, they met in the McKenna Cup final in January, but this is the Ulster Championship, a contest that could be one of the highlights of the inter-county season.
Asked if he was excited for Derry v Donegal having just watched Armagh's win over Fermanagh, Michael Murphy replied with a smile: “Just a little bit.”
Murphy captained Donegal during McGuinness' first term and faced Hearts' Tyrone numerous times during his illustrious inter-county career, including in the 2016 Ulster final.
image source, Getty Images
“The excitement just grew.” [in Donegal] All year since Jim's appointment, the Division Two campaign has been full of wins that had not been won for 12 months.
“Winning the Division Two title was an added bonus so it was great to see it. Celtic Park will be buzzing next Saturday night. It'll be jumping up and down.”
“Derry have developed into not only the best team in Ulster, but All-Ireland contenders. I intend to continue to grow Derry and hopefully Donegal can spoil the party. ”
With both teams guaranteed a spot in the All-Ireland group stage and with constant debate over the value of local competitions in the current inter-county climate, Thomas Niblock will be playing in Saturday's quarter-finals. I asked Murphy if it really was that important.
“Oh, that's certainly important, Almighty God,” came Murphy's clear answer.
“We've been talking about this since the draw.”
When asked to elaborate on why that was important, Murphy replied: “It’s important for Derry because they are back-to-back Ulster champions and we are talking about them as All-Ireland candidates.
“They don't want to lose in the first round. That would be an important loss.
“From a Donegal perspective, it’s been seven months since we started the project and that’s a barometer of where we are.
“And we always talked about this when we were in the dressing room, it’s about setting a marker.
“You're going to be playing against these teams for three to five years, so you don't want to be marked as being soft or your opponents running away too much.
“Next Saturday is important. We've been talking about this since the draw. It's been on our lips.”
McGuinness and Hart last faced each other in the championship in May 2013. Many thought that two of the greatest business minds of recent years would never clash again. But here it is. After months of preparation and chatter, it's finally time for the long-awaited next chapter.
It's expected to be an absorbing few hours in Delhi on Saturday. And after the first few quarter-finals, the Ulster Championship needs it.
