By Alan Rodgers

A CLASSIC derby encounter against the reigning All-Ireland champions is providing Tyrone with every incentive as they bid to make their mark in what’s arguably the county’s most important clash since the glorious Sam Maguire victory four years ago.

The championship form of the Red Hands has been mixed since they last achieved the heights of 2021. An early exit against the Orchard county in 2022 was among the disappointing defeats which culminated in an early knock-out exit a year ago.

But now there’s renewed optimism among the Red Hand faithful and it’s Kieran McGeeney’s side who are now in pole position. Just how that translates onto the field remains in doubt, and the expectation is for yet another intriguing tussle at St Tiernach’s Park.

Both teams will know the need for improvement following opening round victories. While the Red Hands and Orchard county confidently disposed of Cavan and Antrim respectively, Malachy O’Rourke and Kieran McGeeney are well aware that favourites tags or any other pre-match forecasts will mean nothing when the action begins.

Peter Teague of Dromore has been settling nicely into the number three jersey most recently held by the now retired, Ronan McNamee, and former team captain, Padraig Hampsey.

The St Dympna’s clubman was delighted with the win over the Breffni men, and is understandably relishing the prospect of meeting the current Sam Maguire Cup holders.

“It was always going to be hard to know what to expect in the Cavan game, especially with them being in Division Two and us in Division One.

“But championship football is all about getting over the line,” he said.

“We were relegated and Niall Morgan was reminding us that we hadn’t won a match in seventy minutes of Ulster championship football since 2022. We wanted to rectify that and thankfully that was done.

“Armagh are a serious, serious outfit. They’re All-Ireland champions and you can see the quality that they have on the field and then obviously coming off the bench as well. They are a well-oiled machine at the moment and this is going to be a big task for us.”

No-one will need to be reminded of the intense rivalry which has always and continues to exist between the counties. Each generation enhances that special mix which has contributed to many notable meetings between the teams.

From the meetings of the 1980s to the high point of the 2000s, Tyrone against Armagh has always held a special attraction.

Hopes will, of course, be high that this latest one fulfils all the expectations, and a bumper attendance is being expected at Clones on Saturday evening.

“We’ll just knuckle down and give this match a go. There’s a big incentive for us to do that. We will be massive underdogs, we know what their qualities are, but we can only focus on ourselves and try our best,” added Teague.

“It’s about giving the best account of ourselves and seeing where that takes us.

“For me, playing full-back is now a easy task. But it’s about going out and giving your best in every match.

“The split season is making things very tight.The issue is if you pick up injuries, your season could be just gone like that.”

Check out this week’s podcast with Brendan Devenney and Steven McDonnell, looking ahead to this weekend’s Ulster SFC semi-finals.