Gaelic Games

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Kerry boss Jack O'Connor hit back at his team's detractors after the Kingdom surged into the All-Ireland semi-finals in spectacular style with a 0-32 to 1-21 win over Armagh at Croke Park.

The Munster champions breathed new life into their bid for a 39th Sam Maguire Cup by knocking out the holders with a performance that extinguished the hurt of their shock group stage defeat by Meath.

While O'Connor praised his side's performance, he took aim at a Sunday Independent column written by former Derry footballer Joe Brolly that clearly irked him in the lead-up to the quarter-final.

"One of the great motivators in life is trying to prove people wrong. We were being portrayed as a one-man team," said O'Connor.

"I saw somebody writing this morning that said the only Kerry player worthy of being called a Kerry player was David Clifford.

"Now, David is a great player but David will tell you that there was a fair supporting cast there today.

"We think we have a lot of good footballers but I think sometimes we're being judged on different criteria to other teams."

O'Connor, who has led Kerry to four All-Ireland titles across three spells in charge, added he "didn't see any ex-Dublin players coming out slating the team" after their shock Leinster semi-final loss to Meath.

Following Kerry's 1-22 to 0-16 loss to Meath in Tullamore, the Kingdom's six-time All-Ireland winner Darragh O Se was critical of O'Connor's team in the Irish Times, writing they didn't take the game "seriously enough".

"Unfortunately a few pundits down our way let themselves down in that regard," added the Kerry boss.

"I'm not giving out about it from my own point of view. What's to be gained by slating people? It's the easiest thing in the world. I'm in the business of building people up. I'm not in the business of knocking people."

O'Connor outlined that he has "spent all my life coaching underage school kids, minors, Under-21s, seniors, at every level".

"I'd ask people who are knocking that group and knocking people involved with the group to look in the mirror and say, 'What have you contributed?

"What have you contributed to Kerry football off the field?

"Go away and coach a team. Go away and coach a development squad. Go away and coach a minor team. That's how you help Kerry football, not knocking people."

Matt Gault
BBC Sport NI senior journalist at Croke Park

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Armagh boss Kieran McGeeney was coy about his future after his side's All-Ireland reign was ended in devastating fashion by Kerry in Sunday's quarter-final.

The Orchardmen beat Kerry in last year's semi-final, but were no match for the Kingdom this time around as Jack O'Connor's side struck 14 unanswered points in an inspired second-half display to win 0-32 to 1-21.

McGeeney, who was appointed Armagh boss in 2014, said his future is "hard to know" in the immediate aftermath of his team's championship exit.

"I sit down every year [to reflect], and my thing is always about players," said McGeeney.

"It's all about the players first and foremost and what they want and how much they want to push on.

"My appetite for football has always been the same. I love it, I enjoy it despite the abuse, it's just one of those things - maybe it's an addiction. I haven't even thought about that [the future], to be honest."

Having masterminded Armagh's 2024 triumph, McGeeney is in rarefied air as someone who has captained and managed his native county to the Sam Maguire Cup.

Despite his success, however, the 53-year-old says he is not immune to criticism, which he feels is primarily aimed at managers in the GAA world.

"Whether it's the GAA themselves or the supporters, the GAA manager is the person who gets blamed for everything," added McGeeney.

"I always find it amusing from the outside looking in at people doing their jobs and how they're graded and nobody ever looks in the mirror too much."

While admitting he has made his fair share of "mistakes", McGeeney added: "It's amazing how everybody else tends to have a mirror that goes out the ways rather than looking back at themselves."

Armagh led Sunday's quarter-final by a point at the break and extended their advantage to five before Kerry took over in unstoppable fashion.

The Kingdom's 14-point salvo was delivered in a 13-minute spell when the Munster men destroyed Armagh in the middle of the field and scored everything they looked at.

"We had 11 out of our 13 kick-outs we lost," observed McGeeney.

"It's one of those days. Seanie, no matter what he hit, was putting them over and everybody else was joining.

"It's 15 minutes you'd like to forget, but it happens in sport. We've done it to other teams, so you have to take it on the chin and move on."

Matt Gault
BBC Sport NI senior journalist at Croke Park

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Meath progressed to the last four of the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship for the first time since 2009 with a 2-16 to 2-15 win over Galway in a slow-burn thriller at Croke Park on Sunday.

After a forgettable first 35 minutes that ended with Galway leading 0-7 to 0-6, this weekend's third quarter-final burst into life in the second half with all four goals scored in a breathless 12-minute spell.

Conor Gray and the brilliant Jordan Morris scored Meath's goals, and while Cillian McDaid and Liam Silke found the net for Galway, the beaten Leinster finalists finished strongly to join Donegal and Tyrone in the last four.

While Meath can look forward to another trip to Croke Park in a fortnight, defeat represents a bitter end to 2025 for last year's beaten All-Ireland finalists Galway.

Galway, pushed all the way by Down in last week's preliminary quarter-final, led by a point at the break despite trailing for much of the first half in the counties' first Croke Park meeting since the 2001 final.

Their midway lead would have been greater, too, had it not been for Meath keeper Billy Hogan, who did enough to put off Galway wing-back Dylan McHugh and force his shot wide.

In a madcap second half, it was Meath who struck first. After Morris (two) and Matthew Costello (three) combined for five points, substitute Gray poked home the game's first goal to put Robbie Brennan's side 1-11 to 0-9 ahead.

Morris quickly added to Meath's tally, but after Shane Walsh nailed a much-needed two-point free for Galway, the Tribesmen roared into a three-point lead with a couple of finely worked goals.

First, Matthew Tierney teed up McDaid to fire high into Hogan's net, before Maher drove at the Meath defence and set up Silke, who rolled a low shot into the corner to put Galway three up.

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While understandably shellshocked, Meath refused to give in, and after captain Eoghan Frayne sent over a much-needed score, Morris fisted home Meath's second goal after Galway coughed up possession in a dangerous position.

With Damien Comer introduced during the second half, Galway looked to their big guns for a rescue act.

Comer did indeed chip in with a fine score from play, but it was not enough to save the Connacht kingpins as Meath backed up their second green flag through Cathal Hickey and another two from Morris - who finished with 1-6 - to add Galway to their Dublin and Kerry scalps from earlier in the championship.

For Galway - whose last Sam Maguire triumph came in 2001 - it is another difficult period of soul-searching ahead, but this was unquestionably Meath's day as Brennan's side ensured Leinster representation in the semi-finals after Dublin's exit.

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Tyrone boss Malachy O'Rourke praised the attitude of his players in their 0-23 to 0-16 All-Ireland quarter-final win against Dublin.

In a tight and tense affair, the Red Hands' substitutes made the difference with the likes of Ruairi Canavan and Eoin McElholm scoring late to help them pull away from the Dubs.

And O'Rourke was pleased that his side kept going until the end as they booked their place in a first All-Ireland semi-final since 2021 and secured a first championship win over Dublin since 2008.

"Delighted for them all to get over the line and get through. It wasn't a brilliant game to watch, but you have to acknowledge you're up against a quality opposition and you're not going to have it all your own way," he told BBC Sport NI.

"I'm delighted with the way the boys dug, defended really well and scored some good scores."

O'Rourke said the conditions made the game even harder but that he was happy with the contributions of the whole squad, particularly in the second half.

"In the first half we were a bit disappointed with how we played and the two- pointers kept us in it and we went in a point ahead.

"We felt there was more in us, we gave the ball away cheaply with unforced errors and Dublin putting us under pressure. We wanted to turn the table second half and play with more urgency and more pressure on them, and we achieved that fairly well, "he added.

"It was tit for tat, we made a few wrong choices, and our execution shots weren't as good as what they could have been, but the boys kept going as we knew they would, they were hungry to win the game and we finished really strongly."

Dublin manager Dessie Farrell has stepped down from his role after the county's All-Ireland quarter-final defeat against Tyrone.

Farrell spent six years at the helm, guiding the Dubs to two All-Ireland titles as well as five Leinster Senior Football titles.

An All-Ireland winner in his playing days, Farrell leaves his role after a second successive last eight exit in the Sam Maguire for Dublin after they lost 0-23 to 0-16 against the Red Hands on Saturday.

"I would have informed the county board at the start of the season that this was my last one, I let the players know there now as well, it was always going to come to an end," he told BBC Sport NI.

"It was a privilege to work with so many great people, players, coaches and backroom team over the years, tremendous servants to Dublin football and I am very grateful for all they have given in service to the county, some special relationships and memories along the way."

Farrell succeeded Jim Gavin as Dublin manager in 2020 and led the county to a sixth successive Sam Maguire win in his first season.

They then beat Kerry in the 2023 final for their second All-Ireland success under his stewardship.

Farrell admitted that the seven-point defeat by Tyrone was a tough way for him to bow out.

"We're very disappointed with the level of performance, you put a lot into this and you hope on the big days it goes well, we were out of sync, created some good shooting opportunities but our actual shooting efficiency was well below par and won't be good enough on days like this."

Donegal boss Jim McGuinness has said that he "didn't agree" with Monday's statement issued by his county board criticising his side's six-day turnaround before their All-Ireland quarter-final against Monaghan at Croke Park on Saturday.

In their statement earlier this week, Donegal's county board said that it was "most regrettable" and "very disappointing" that their request to play their All-Ireland quarter-final against their Ulster rivals on Sunday was denied.

McGuinness' side ended up beating Monaghan 1-26 to 1-20 in Saturday's last-eight tie after a superb second half performance, but the manager said he was not consulted before the statement went out on Monday.

"I was unaware of the statement the county board was putting out, the first I saw of it was on my phone," he told BBC Sport NI.

"We knew where we were and what we had to do. The golden rule of coaching is you don't complain or gripe about something before the match, if we lost in the game in Roscommon there wouldn't have been a word about that situation.

"I don't agree the statement should have gone out, there was a lot of focus on it. The county board have their job to do and I have my job. We were really busy trying to prepare for the game the county board were under a lot of pressure, there was a lot of people and clubs not happy with the turnaround and the welfare of the players," he continued.

"We didn't want to be in any way disrespectful to Monaghan of making excuses before a game had happened."

After a slow start in Croke Park against their Ulster rivals, Donegal fought back and took control in the second half to book their place in the last four of the All-Ireland series.

McGuinness was pleased with their response in the second half after an honest half-time team talk.

"Nothing changed in the game plan, we had to find a different gear and dig deep. We met the challenge head on which I'm delighted with," he added.

"We're the first team there and we can go watch the other games over the course of the weekend, it's what we wanted to do."

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Both Meath and Galway have named unchanged teams for Sunday's All-Ireland Senior Football Championship quarter-final at Croke Park (13:45 BST).

Following their stirring win over Kerry in Tullamore that sealed top position in Group Two and a straight passage into the last eight, Meath manager Robbie Brennan has found no reason to make tweaks.

Ruairi Kinsella landed a couple of two-pointers against the Kingdom and he spearheads the attack, while Eoghan Freyne and Conor Duke, who also both finished with five points in that win, retain their places.

Galway manager Padraic Joyce has also kept faith with the team that sealed their place in the last eight with victory over Down on Sunday.

That means Conor Flaherty retains his place in goal for the third-straight game as Connor Gleeson again will take up a watching brief from the bench, while Damien Comer is again names amongst the subs as his return to fitness continues.

Shane Walsh picked up a knock in Newry last week, but is fit to resume his place on the edge of the square where he plundered 1-7 last week and he is flanked by Rob Finnerty and Matthew Thompson who chipped in with 11 points between them against the Mournemen.

Meath: Billy Hogan; Seamus Lavin, Sean Rafferty, Ronan Ryan; Donal Keogan, Sean Coffey, Ciaran Caulfield; Bryan Menton, Adam O'Neill; Conor Duke, Ruairi Kinsella, Cathal Hickey; Jordan Morris, Keith Curtis, Eoghan Freyne.

Subs: Sean Brennan, Brian O'Halloran, Eoin Harkin, James McEntee, Cian McBride, Conor Gray, Aaron Lynch, Daithi McGowan, Shane Walsh, Diarmuid Moriarty, Mathew Costello.

Galway: Conor Flaherty; Johnny McGrath, Sean Fitzgerald, Liam Silke; Dylan McHugh, Sean Kelly, Cian Hernon; Paul Conroy, John Maher; Cein Darcy, Matthew Tierney, Cillian McDaid; Rob Finnerty, Shane Walsh, Matthew Thompson.

Subs: Connor Gleeson, Jack Glynn, Kieran Molloy, Sean O Maoilchiarain, Daniel O'Flaherty, John Daly, Peter Cooke, Sam O'Neill, Tomo Culhane, Johnny Heaney, Damien Comer.

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Donegal and Monaghan have named their teams for Saturday's All-Ireland quarter-final Ulster derby at Croke Park (16:00 BST).

Jim McGuinness has named Daire O Baoill to start at right wing-forward. O Baoill was also named to start in the 10 jersey for last week's preliminary quarter-final win over Louth, but was replaced by Caolan McColgan prior to throw-in.

Jason McGee is named to start in midfield alongside Michael Langan. McGee, who has had an injury-hit campaign, started against Louth but was replaced by Hugh McFadden at half-time.

Monaghan manager Gabriel Bannigan has made two changes from the team that beat Down two weeks ago to seal top spot in Group Three and a direct path into Saturday's quarter-final.

Gavin McPhillips has not featured since the Ulster quarter-final loss to Donegal but is named at midfield with Killian Lavelle amongst the subs. However, this was the case ahead of the Down game only for their roles to be reversed late in the day.

Another change for the Farneymen comes in attack with Jack McCarron, who scored 1-3 off the bench a fortnight ago, coming in for Stephen Mooney.

There is also a boost as Gary Mohan is named amongst the subs as he recovers from an injury picked up in their second group game against Clare.

Donegal have beaten Monaghan in the past three championship meetings, including the aforementioned 0-23 to 0-21 victory in this year's Ulster quarter-final in Clones.

Earlier this week, Donegal expressed their dissatisfaction after their request for a Sunday fixture was turned down. The Monaghan game will be Donegal's ninth in the past 12 weeks.

Monaghan: Rory Beggan; Ryan Wylie, Kieran Duffy, Dylan Byrne; Ryan O'Toole, Dessie Ward, Conor McCarthy; Micheal McCarville, Gavin McPhillips; Aaron Carey, Micheal Bannigan, Ryan McAnespie; Jack McCarron, Andrew Woods, Stephen O'Hanlon.

Subs: Kian Mulligan, Ronan Boyle, Louis Kelly, Darren Hughes, Gary Mohan, Ciaran McNulty, Jason Irwin, Killian Lavelle, Stephen Mooney, David Garland, Karl O'Connell.

Donegal: Shaun Patton; Finnbarr Roarty, Brendan McCole, Peadar Mogan; Ryan McHugh, Eoghan Ban Gallagher, Ciaran Moore; Jason McGee, Michael Langan; Daire O Baoill, Ciaran Thompson, Shane O'Donnell; Conor O'Donnell, Michael Murphy, Oisin Gallen.

Subs: Gavin Mulreaney, Stephen McMenamin, Odhran McFadden Ferry, Eoin McHugh, Odhran Doherty, Aaron Doherty, Patrick McBrearty, Jamie Brennan, Niall O'Donnell, Caolan McColgan, Hugh McFadden.

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Michael McKernan has not been not included in Tyrone's matchday panel for Saturday's All-Ireland quarter-final against Dublin.

The 2021 All-Ireland winner - one of the county's standout players this year - was forced off early in the Red Hands' preliminary quarter-final win over Cavan with a shoulder injury.

As a result, Peter Teague moves from the full-back line to cover McKernan at right wing-back, with Padraig Hampsey taking the number three shirt.

Mark Bradley is named at full-forward after not featuring against Cavan, while Malachy O'Rourke's bench includes Peter Harte, Conor Meyler, Ruairi Canavan and Eoin McElholm.

For Dublin, captain Con O'Callaghan is named among the subs having missed out on last week's preliminary quarter-final win over Cork.

Lorcan O'Dell was a late replacement for the Cuala club-man and he keeps his place in the Dublin attack, as does Eoin Murchan who was a late switch for Theo Clancy who is also named to start on the bench.

Whether manager Dessie Farrell opts to make late switches remains to be seen, but as it stands, the Dubs will start with the same XV that got them here.

Tyrone: Niall Morgan; Cormac Quinn, Padraig Hampsey, Niall Devlin; Peter Teague, Rory Brennan, Kieran McGeary; Brian Kennedy, Conn Kilpatrick; Seanie O'Donnell, Mattie Donnelly, Ciaran Daly; Darren McCurry, Mark Bradley, Darragh Canavan.

Subs: Oisin O'Kane, Aidan Clarke, Michael Rafferty, Frank Burns, Shea O'Hare, Ben McDonnell, Michael O'Neill, Peter Harte, Conor Meyler, Ruairi Canavan, Eoin McElholm.

Dublin: Stephen Cluxton; Eoin Murchan, David Byrne, Sean MacMahon; Brian Howard, John Small, Lee Gannon; Peadar O Cofaigh-Byrne, Killian McGinnis; Sean Bugler, Ciaran Kilkenny, Niall Scully; Paddy Small, Cormac Costello, Lorcan O'Dell.

Subs: Evan Comerford, Luke Breathnach, Theo Clancy, Nathan Doran, Ethan Dunne, Alex Gavin, Tom Lahiff, Greg McEneaney, Ross McGarry, Cian Murphy, Con O'Callaghan, Niall O'Callaghan, Brian O'Leary.

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Stefan Campbell will miss Armagh's All-Ireland quarter-final with Kerry on Sunday because of injury.

The forward's impact from the bench has been a key part of the success enjoyed by Kieran McGeeney's All-Ireland champions in recent seasons, but he will miss the Croke Park contest (16:00 BST) because of a hand problem.

The Orchard County will make three changes to their starting side from their defeat by Galway in their concluding round-robin fixture, a loss which came when they had already booked their place in the last eight.

Ben Crealey replaces Jason Duffy in midfield with Rory Grugan coming into the half-forward line.

Rian O'Neill will more to corner-forward with Conor Turbitt dropping to the bench, while Oisin Conaty is selected ahead of Cian McConville.

For Kerry, Dylan Casey and Micheal Burns will start instead of Mike Breen and Diarmuid O'Connor.

Breen suffered a hamstring issue prior to the Kingdom's preliminary quarter-final win over Cavan, while O'Connor was replaced in the game with a shoulder injury.

Armagh: Ethan Rafferty; Paddy Burns, Barry McCambridge, Peter McGrane; Ross McQuillan, Tiernan Kelly, Jarlath Og Burns; Niall Grimley, Ben Crealey; Darragh McMullan, Rory Grugan, Joe McElroy; Oisin Conaty, Andrew Murnin, Rian O'Neill.

Subs: Blaine Hughes, Greg McCabe, Aaron McKay, Aidan Forker, Connaire Mackin, Shane McPartlan, Conor Turbitt, Cian McConville, Jason Duffy, Tomas McCormack, Callum O'Neill.

Kerry: Shane Ryan; Paul Murphy, Jason Foley, Dylan Casey; Brian O Beaglaoich, Gavin White, Tom O'Sullivan; Sean O'Brien, Joe O'Connor; Michael Burns, Dean O'Shea, Graham O'Sullivan; David Clifford, Conor Geaney, Dylan Geaney.

Subs: Shane Murphy, Paudie Clifford, Evan Looney, Killian Spillane, Tom Leo O'Sullivan, Armin Heinrich, Mark O'Shea, Tomas Kennedy, Darragh Lyne, Paul Geaney, Dara Moynihan.

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Dublin's Chris Crummey looks certain to miss next Saturday's All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship semi-final against Cork at Croke Park.

The team captain was sent off in the 15th minute of his team's shock victory against Limerick during last Saturday's quarter-final for a high challenge on Gearoid Hegarty and was handed a one-game ban.

"Striking with elbow, with minimal force" is deemed a red card offence and carries with it a suspension for the next game under Rule 7.2 (b).

On Thursday it was confirmed the Lucan man was unsuccessful in an appeal to the Central Hearings Committee on Wednesday evening, but he does have the option to take the matter to the Appeals Committee if he wishes to pursue the matter.

Crummey's red card came when Limerick led by two, but the Dubs produced a stirring display thereafter, aided by second-half goals by John Hetherton and Cian O'Sullivan, to turn the championship on its head.

Dublin will head into next weekend's semi-final against Munster champions and All-Ireland favourites Cork with confidence, but now almost certainly without their captain following his unsuccessful appeal.

David Mohan
BBC Sport NI journalist

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Following Andy McEntee's departure after three years at the helm with Antrim's senior footballers, the search for a new manager begins.

Next year, the Saffrons will ly their trade in Division Four of the National League and the objective for the Meath man's successor is to navigate a return to the third tier.

With the club leagues drawing to a conclusion in Antrim and the county championship just a matter of weeks away, the ideal scenario would be to have a new manager appointed sooner rather than later.

Dermot McAleese, captain in 2025, is the only confirmed retirement from this season's panel, although there may be others mulling over their future, while the new manager will of course have their own ideas in terms of personnel.

There is no obvious candidate to succeed McEntee at present, but speculation will now begin as to whom that may be.

Current Cargin manager Ronan Devlin has been with the Toome club since the start of the 2018 season, initially as a coach under Damien Cassidy when they delivered a three-in-a-row in Antrim from 2018-2020.

Following Cassidy's departure after the 2021 campaign, the Ballinderry native took the reins and has delivered another hat-trick of county titles, but would he be tempted by the inter-county scene?

Former Antrim player Kevin Madden is another who will be linked. The Portglenone man has been a coach under Damien Cassidy in Derry and also under Mickey Harte in Tyrone, while helping deliver a Derry county title for Glenullin.

Madden has also managerial experience with Creggan in Antrim, Swatragh in Derry and currently with Clonoe in Tyrone, but may feel the time is right to answer his county's call.

Another Portglenone man and current manager of his home club, John McKeever, will also be linked due to his track record of success at school and club level, most notably with Fr Rock's, Cookstown, whom he led to an All-Ireland Intermediate title and last year, brought his native Casement's to the Antrim county final for the first time in 15 years.

But Antrim may look outside the county once again with current Aghagallon boss Pete McGrath, who brought the Sam Maguire to his native Down in 1991 and '94, or Tony McEntee, who stepped down as Sligo manager after five years following defeat to Fermanagh in the Tailteann Cup, may also be tempted.

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Tyrone All-Ireland winning defender Gavin Devlin believes kick-outs will be important in the Red Hands' All-Ireland quarter-final against Dublin.

Malachy O'Rourke's side have had the benefit of a week off after topping their group, whilst Dublin had to overcome Cork in their preliminary quarter-final.

Devlin, who worked with Micky Harte at Tyrone, Derry and Louth, acknowledges the last eight tie is a tough one to call, but he backs the Red Hands to edge past the Dubs - if they can get the kick-out right.

"It's the mouthwatering game that stood out from the off and it's two teams who will think they have a chance," he told BBC Sport NI.

"Kick-outs now are monumental and it's a platform to build from. A lot on Saturday will come down to kick-outs, it's who can control their own kick-out and get their hands on the ball and who can get after the other kick-out and steal possession.

"Whoever does that will win the game."

Devlin, who won the Sam Maguire in 2003 and 2005, thinks that Dublin will be a much bigger threat if captain Con O'Callaghan is fit to feature after he missed the win over Cork.

"There's a lot made about Con last week and if he was available or not, we are not privy to the inside, maybe Con just was not available but if he was available and Dessie [O'Farrell] just decided not to put him in it was a gamble that paid off now he has the benefit of an extra week," he added.

"Everyone knows how important he is and Dublin still have those household names and characters that can turn the game. They're not the giants they once were but they still have transitional moments where they break forward and every pass is forward, and they have the know-how.

"Tyrone will be under no illusions of what they have to do to shut it down."

Devlin, who now manages Derry club Magherafelt, also praised Tyrone's steady improvement under O'Rourke and hopes they are starting to peak at the right time.

"I've been really impressed by Tyrone although they got relegated in the National League, they left a lot of points behind but against Armagh they showed serious resilience and to top the group the way they did, with that win in Ballybofey against Donegal, it shows serious belief is with Tyrone."