It used to be that thoughts of the Ulster Championship had us longing for the beginning of the summer. Feelings of optimism, hope and anticipation would come sharply into focus around about the start of May. But the overriding emotion was that of excitement. Just cast your minds back to the halcyon days of the early 90's, when Derry were preparing for do-or-die battles with the likes of Tyrone and Down in the first round. The hype was massive and tickets scarce as the excitement in the county reached fever pitch. The start of the Championship was one of the high points of the year.
Despite all that, we Derry folk cannot afford to just dismiss the Ulster Championship as a secondary competition, regardless of our recent abysmal record in it (which, by the way, has a direct correlation with the introduction of the qualifier format). We'd jump at the chance to lift the Anglo Celt Cup in July - players and supporters alike - but how can this season be the exception to the 13-year rule?
One thing we have going in our favour is that our opposition doesn't really know what kind of shape we are in, so they will struggle to prepare effectively for the challenge we throw at them. The only problem with that, is that we are none the wiser ourselves. Such was the level of injuries sustained at the start of the year and the paucity of performance throughout the NFL, John Brennan's team selection on June 16 will be a best-guess. Not ideal preparation for a Championship campaign, but we've tried virtually everything else in recent years, so what's the worst that can happen?
Another issue facing us, although it might actually turn out to be an advantage, is that we don't yet know who we will be playing. The good thing about this is that we won't have spent the past six months preparing for just one team. In 2008 and 2009 we were guilty of placing all our focus on the Donegal and Monaghan first round games. Fair enough, we won both matches, but when it came to the semi-finals we were clueless. Couldn't adapt to a different challenge in a short space of time.
Of course probability and logic suggests we will be playing Donegal come June 16th, but no guarantee. This could well be a very difficult summer for Jim McGuinness' side and it is highly unlikely that they will retain their Ulster crown. Not only do they have the preliminary round obstacle to overcome for another year, but they must deal with the potential onset of second-season syndrome. Last year the Donegal players and especially management received a high level of unwarranted abuse for not playing the game the way in which the so-called experts wanted them to. It wouldn't have been an issue had they been knocked out in the early stages, but they won Ulster and made a pretty good stab at the All-Ireland. The ultra-defensive system that yielded so much success was built on hard-work, high energy levels and ferocious concentration. When they went three and four points behind in games, the players were willing to spill every last ounce in order to take their team to victory. If they find themselves in a similar position in this year's Championship, will the same desire be there? Will they continue down the same self-sacrificial path that exudes full belief in their manager's system? Probably not. With Kevin Cassidy gone and Michael Murphy a fitness doubt, the Tír Chonaill men will struggle in Ulster, although they should get past Cavan and have enough about them to at least make the All-Ireland quarter-final stage.
All of which should be good news for Derry. If we can get our key men on the pitch by June, we should be the fresher outfit, and playing in Ballybofey won't be too much of a concern as we have plenty of recent experience there. Perhaps the biggest thing in our favour though is our first-round record in the Ulster Championship. In the last 25 years, we have reached 20 semi-finals. That's pretty formidable form. So don't be writing off our chances in the first round just yet.
And if we end up playing Cavan in Celtic Park, then so much the better. The Breffni-men may be re-energised following the arrival of Terry Hyland as manager on the back of underage success, but beating both Donegal and Derry is too tall an order for them.
The other side of the draw is altogether more straight-forward. Despite the absence of Benny Coulter, Marty Clarke and Dan Gordon, Down should ease their way to the Ulster Final (at 11/2 they probably represent best value to win Ulster). James McCartan's side have been playing at a high level now for a few years and are too well developed as a squad to be troubled by Fermanagh, Antrim or Monaghan (three Division 3 teams in 2013). In fact, the loss of some of their key players should help focus them and guard against complacency. If Derry were to go on a run and reach the Final, the Mourne-men certainly wouldn't be the worst opposition for us. They play an open brand of football that would test our defence, but would also allow for plenty of scoring opportunities at the other end. And at this stage, the Oak Leafers look like they have a better set of forwards.
As always however, the problem with Derry lies in actually reaching the Final. 2011 made a refreshing change, but one year on, the path to repeating that feat looks much more treacherous. How much of it we negotiate depends on the fitness of the squad and the opposition that lands before us. Form suggests that we could be underdogs in every game, but the Ulster Championship has a habit of throwing up a surprise result. Hopefully we will be on the right side of it for once.
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