With the National League concluded, the focus shifts to championship football as the Ulster Senior Football Championship begins this weekend.
A highly anticipated preliminary round match between Armagh and Tyrone at the Athletic Grounds [16:15 BST] headlines the opening slate, available to watch live on BBC platforms. The GAA Social podcast recently featured former players Philly McMahon and Conor McManus alongside hosts Thomas Niblock and Oisin McConville to preview the championship season.
"What we've seen over the past few years in the league is that teams who are going well, you can pick stuff out and go, 'they are nearly there'," said McConville, a former Armagh All-Ireland winner. "It's probably now a stretch for teams who haven't had fundamental form in the league to spring a massive surprise in the championship."
Armagh enters the derby with perceived momentum after a stronger league campaign, while Tyrone, despite recent All-Ireland U20 successes in 2024 and 2025, had a disappointing league season under manager Malachy O'Rourke.
"As much as Monaghan and Cavan is one of those one-off go and have a rattle, so is Armagh-Tyrone. I still think Armagh are a little bit ahead of Tyrone," noted McMahon, an eight-time All-Ireland winner with Dublin.
McManus, a former Monaghan star, cautioned against underestimating Tyrone but highlighted potential challenges.
"With the kick-outs, it's become a dog fight and the teams with the size have an advantage. Armagh have the size and while Tyrone have Conn Kilpatrick and Brian Kennedy, outside of that they are quite small which is going against them," McManus observed. He also referenced off-field distractions, mentioning, "Darragh Canavan was supposed to fly out to Australia for a month - those things aren't what you'd associate with Tyrone or a team trying to win an All-Ireland."
The winner of this match will face either Donegal or Cavan in the quarter-finals, presenting a significant opportunity on that side of the draw.