DON’T READ TOO MUCH INTO WHAT YOU’VE SEEN IN ULSTER SO FAR

THERE has been plenty of talk about the quality of the Ulster Championship this year, but I for one wouldn’t read too much into it. Sometimes the provincial Championship in Ulster takes a bit longer to get going.

At the moment, the four teams you would be looking at as contenders are Monaghan, Tyrone, Cavan and Donegal.

We’ll get our first real look at Donegal today, and it’ll be interesting to see how they react after bowing out of the League to Dublin in the semi-final.

But make no mistake, Fermanagh are a very decent side and they will have absolutely no fear going into the game on the back of some good results in the League, keeping their Division 2 status by beating Meath and Laois while drawing with Tyrone and Galway, before seeing off Antrim in their Ulster Championship preliminary tie.

Today should be a good battle and we will learn something about both sides after it is finished.

Monaghan have shown us all what they are capable of, too. On the back of their Ulster Under 21 title back in April – the Farney’s first in 17 years – if they can bring a few of those young guys through then maybe they can help ease the pressure on some of their senior players and the team can push on. I think Terry Hyland’s men are in a good place.

Cavan were comfortable enough against Armagh but it will be a big task to go again and perform and deliver against Tyrone.

To be honest, if you’re looking at the bigger picture – and this will sound strange coming from an Armagh man – but I think Tyrone are the only ones from Ulster who can really put up a challenge to Dublin and go for the Sam Maguire Cup this year.

Manager Mickey Harte has managed to build a side with a nice balance to it with their mixture of youth and experience, and they seem to have real strength and quality all over the pitch.

If later on in the summer they were to come up against Jim Gavin and his Dublin team, who look as strong as ever and don’t seem to be showing any ill-effects from the loss of Rory O’Carroll, then I think they can potentially cause an upset.

In a one-on-one anything can happen and I think that of all the teams in Ulster, they’re the one who seem to really have what it takes to topple the Dubs.

Mickey Harte has built a side with nice balance to it