Michael Murphy column: Ending long Ulster wait was huge for Donegal. It can be for Armagh too

If last week's drab, one-sided and poorly attended Munster and Connacht finals were a symbol of the provincial system's declining relevance, Derry and Armagh's clash on Sunday is set to remind everyone that the Ulster final still hasn't lost its gravitas or sense of occasion.

It's going to be a packed house in Clones. The atmosphere will be crackling and it promises to be a blockbuster championship tussle between two high-quality teams.

In one corner, you have a Derry side looking to recapture their title and in the other is Armagh, who hope Sunday will mark the end of a 15-year wait.

Of the 10 Ulster finals I played in, nine were at Clones, and it's certainly a unique venue. Unlike a lot of the other provincial grounds, it's in a small town that simply comes alive on Ulster final day. Ask any senior inter-county player from Ulster and they'll rank it in their top two or three venues to play at.

The pitch is always immaculate. In the summer, it's like playing on a carpet. When the weather plays ball, which it usually does for the Ulster showpiece, the venue can feel like a sauna.

The Gerry Arthurs Stand holds real significance for Ulster footballers because as a child you always dreamed of climbing those steps to lift the Anglo-Celt Cup for your county.

The other three stands are tight, enclosed and help ramp up the atmosphere. When it's a full house, it becomes a real cauldron. There's no place to hide when it's like that - any frailties you have will be brutally exposed.

In Donegal, we generally would have travelled down the night before and stayed in Cavan. On matchday the police escort would pick us up and take us to the stadium. When you'd get to the bottom of the hill in Clones town, you'd be hit by a sea of colours with loads of fans gathering in square before going to the ground.

They'd either be cheering or jeering you, depending on what colour of jerseys they had on. When we got into the ground, we'd usually take in a bit of the minor game, maybe get a walk on the pitch and then it was time to head in and get ready.

I've played in some great atmospheres at St Tiernach's Park, but I always think about my first final against Derry in 2011. For me, it was a massive occasion. There was a sheer thirst for an Ulster title in Donegal because we hadn't won one since 1992. We beat Derry and it proved to be the start of a successful era for us.

That's similar to what Armagh are facing up to now. They haven't won an Ulster title since 2008. For that reason, I couldn't really understand some of the murmurings that came out of the Armagh camp after the league about them wanting to prioritise the Sam Maguire Super 16s this year.

Fair enough, it was maybe a tactic to guard against pressure but look, I'm sure that every single one of those Armagh players are desperate to get their hands on an Ulster medal.

Going back to 2011, winning that first Ulster title was much more than a burden being lifted off our shoulders in Donegal - it was a massive shot in the arm. It made us feel like we belonged at that level and that we could go on to achieve even greater things, which is what we did.

That's the mindset Armagh should adopt, especially with the way the All-Ireland draw has worked out. The winner of Sunday's final will be in a strong position to reach an All-Ireland quarter-final because they will go into a group with Monaghan, Donegal and Clare, whereas the losers will drop into a daunting group containing Galway, Tyrone and Westmeath.

That's a huge incentive for both teams and will definitely add another layer of intrigue to Sunday's game. For Derry, it's a chance to tick off another trophy in their quest for the ultimate prize, while for Armagh it's a huge opportunity to give their fans a day to remember after years of disappointment in Ulster.

BBC pundit Michael Murphy is no stranger to memorable days in Clones having won five Ulster titles during his decorated Donegal career

Armagh can match Derry physicality but must improve score tally

Derry's physicality hasn't been matched in this championship to date. As we all know, they're incredibly fit and quick, but I would back this well-conditioned Armagh team to stand up to them in that physicality department over the 70-plus minutes.

In the semi-final, Monaghan defended with 15 men behind the ball, but when they had to play Jack McCarron and Conor McManus in that 15-man defence, Derry exposed that.

Because Derry attack with 15 men, every single one of Armagh's outfield players must be willing to put in the hard yards further back, but I think the likes of Rian O'Neill, Andrew Murnin and Conor Turbitt will be able and hungry to do that.

It's the only way you can defend against Derry, who are so slick in possession and who can rely on the likes of their goalkeeper Odhran Lynch and defenders like Conor McCluskey and Padraig McGrogan to chip in with scores.

Armagh have the capacity to play a 15-man defence, but I'll be interested to see how they execute. I find them too overly aggressive and zealous in their tackling and they have tended to give away a large number of frees. Derry will try to expose that.

At the other end, Derry obviously have specialist man-marking defenders like McCluskey, Chrissy McKaigue and Eoin McEvoy, who will look to nullify Armagh's danger men in O'Neill, Turbitt and Murnin.

As a result, Armagh may need help from elsewhere for scores, but this is where I'm not fully convinced by them. I don't see enough scoring power throughout the squad. Their semi-final against Down was one-sided and they scored four goals, but they only managed 10 points, and one of their goals involved Shane McPartlan bursting through four or five Down players. They won't score a goal like that against this Derry team.

Yes, Armagh scored two goals from high balls into the square, which Derry have been vulnerable in trying to defend against recently, but I don't think a tactic like that will be enough to get Armagh over the line in an Ulster final.

Murphy says putting pressure on Derry keeper Odhran Lynch's kick-outs will be key to Armagh's chances on Sunday

Turbitt was held scoreless against Down, and while Murnin and O'Neill both scored goals, they only raised two white flags between them. If Derry's man-markers nullify Armagh's most accomplished scorers, the likes of Stefan Campbell and Jason Duffy must step up to keep that scoreboard ticking over.

Finally, Armagh have struggled with their long kick-outs recently and they simply can't afford to give Derry easy ball from their kick-outs. Derry are adept at carving out shooting chances any time they have they win possession of the ball, so it's something Armagh really need to avoid.

At the other end, Derry keeper Odhran Lynch hasn't been put under enough pressure with his kick-outs in the championship so far and winning that battle will be pivotal to Armagh's chances of disrupting Derry and denying them a second successive title.

A lot of people have backed Derry to edge this one. Whether they do or not, I'm sure this will be a memorable Ulster final and the perfect match to whet the appetite for the new-look All-Ireland series later in the month.

Michael Murphy was speaking to BBC Sport NI's Matt Gault

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