Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
We’ll have to Erne it: Hampsey
TYRONE captain Padraig Hampsey has warned that an Ulster Championship opener against Fermanagh is a potential banana skin for the All-ireland champs.
A team drawn in the preliminary round has gone on to win the title on just six occasions, although it has been done twice in the last four years – by Donegal in 2018 and Cavan in 2020.
“Preliminary round is not easy, and there’s plenty of games to go to get to an Ulster final,” said Hampsey.
“But we’ll not look any further than Fermanagh. We know how tough it is in Ulster football to get past the first game, and our full focus will be on that one.
“Whenever you’re playing away it’s always tough to get a win, and the team that Fermanagh have, and the forwards that they have, they’ll be a tough team to beat.”
Another historic obstacle facing Tyrone is the fact that the county has never retained the All-ireland.
“It would be nice to go and do that, but we know how hard it is even to get out of Ulster, never mind win another All-ireland,” said Hampsey. “We have some tough games to try and retain Ulster first.”
The Tyrone skipper also welcomed the return of the Dr Mckenna Cup.
“It was a tough one to just go straight into the League, especially with new management,” he said.
2022 PROVINCIAL CHAMPIONSHIP DRAWS
CONNACHT SFC - Quarter-finals: New York v Sligo, London v Leitrim, Mayo v Galway Semi-finals: Roscommon v Sligo/new York, London/leitrim v Mayo/galway
MUNSTER SFC - Quarter-finals: Tipperary v Waterford, Clare v Limerick Semi-finals: Kerry v Cork, Tipperary/waterford v Clare/ Limerick
ULSTER SFC - Preliminary round: Fermanagh v Tyrone
Quarter-finals: Donegal v Armagh, Antrim v Cavan, Monaghan v Down, Derry v Fermanagh/tyrone Semifinals: Don/arm v Ant/cav, Mon/ Dwn v Der/ferm/tyr
LEINSTER SFC - First round: Louth v Carlow, Laois v Wicklow, Offaly v Wexford Quarter-finals: Dublin v Off/wexf, Meath v Ls/wick, Kild v Lth/ Car, W’mth v Long