Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
QUARTER MASTERS
Ulster’s big two on collision course & Mcconville fancies Farney men to spring surprise & take title
OISIN MCCONVILLE has backed Monaghan to see off Tyrone and go on to reclaim the Ulster title.
The pair have won four of the last five Ulster titles between them.
They go toe-to-toe again at Healy Park on Sunday in a heavyweight clash the former Armagh star places on a par with last Sunday’s Mayo-galway tie.
Mcconville said: “The last three years in Ulster has been a huge disappointment. The quality of football, people have turned off in their droves. Hopefully, that can improve.
“Tyrone v Monaghan is a massive game, akin to Mayo and Galway, that’s how big it is. Whoever comes out of it will be Ulster champions. They have a nice pathway to the latter stages of the Championship.
“But whoever loses that has got a dogfight on their hands. I fancy Monaghan.
“Tyrone are probably now as one-dimensional as they have ever been. They still
ULSTER DRAW QUARTER-FINALS SEMI-FINALS FINAL
have super players, they still can tear teams apart as they did when walking through Ulster last year.
“They have no real outlet now, no physicality up front because
Sean Cavanagh is gone. But Monaghan and Tyrone is the toss of a coin,
I have a sneaking suspicion Monaghan can turn them over.”
Mcconville’s native county are also in action with the winners of their meeting with Fermanagh on Saturday going on to play Tyrone or Monaghan.
Armagh reached the All-ireland quarter-final last year – suffering a heavy loss to Tyrone – and Mcconville is hopeful they can reach the revamped last eight stage again. He said: “The Super 8’s would be a success for Armagh. “I would fear for teams like Armagh who don’t have the squads of others because that is really going to stretch them.
“It’s important Kieran Mcgeeney gets over the line against Fermanagh. “Winning that game and gaining promotion would be a success.”
The 2002 All-ireland winner hopes the ‘Super 8’ system leads to an overhaul of the provincial structure in the Championship.
He said: “If the Super 8s is the catalyst for further change I’d welcome that because as much as people say Kerry can waltz into a Super 8, it’s bound to hurt them in the long run too.”