Remember this? Remember brutish Armagh against devilish Tyrone from the previous decade? Remember when nothing mattered, not the sport, not the limbs of the just, just manipulating victory at whatever cost.

A good blood feud, the GAA does them better than anyone and the men who take the field in Omagh do it better than anyone in the association. There will be cards. Black, yellow and red but there will also be football. Armagh and Tyrone have seen to that, with deep thinkers like Paul Grimley and Mickey Harte forcing the game to evolve.

Real shame

The real shame these past few weeks has been Grimley’s silence. When the Armagh chieftain speaks we listen. We want to know if Aaron Kernan is still dropped and why.

If you can’t get excited about this game you may pack up your gear and go watch one of the open-air concerts around the country.

Tyrone should be better, but Armagh dragged Cavan into the dirt, and Monaghan barely escaped intact.

Stephen O’Neill is dropped by Harte as Kyle Coney and Niall McKenna start with Shay McGuigan also benched. Justin McMahon replaces the wounded Peter Harte.

This all happens away from the spotlight as Monaghan and Donegal grapple for supremacy in Ulster. This pair are only contenders nowadays but do you remember when they were kings?

Tyrone have regenerated impressively, Kieran McGeeney is home again in Armagh, so they are also stirring. Either one of them could strike from the reeds this season, but Tyrone are better equipped.