Perched in the crow's nest in Croke Park last Sunday, there wasn't much to excite you about the provincial championships.
I'd expect the atmosphere will be a world away from that this weekend, where a sold out Celtic Park will witness the biggest game of the championship so far.
Derry, league champions and newly minted member of 2024's 'Big Three', against a rejuvenated Donegal in their first championship game in the second coming of Jim.
We've heard enough from Derry that they're intent on winning every trophy going. Brendan Rogers said as much before the league final and couldn't understand why everyone didn't think the same. Mickey Harte's hunger for silverware extends to the McKenna Cup every year. Derry are going for this.
Whether they should or not... that's another question entirely. You'd definitely wonder whether a team in their position and with their ambitions, needs another arduous run through an Ulster championship, when they've already done back-to-back in the province.
Add to that, they're on the rough side of the draw in Ulster yet again. They're looking at three competitive games in Ulster, three group games and then they're into the All-Ireland series. They're looking at eight games to get to an All-Ireland final, most of them probably against top tier opposition. Harte has added to their squad depth but they still wouldn't be on par with Dublin and Kerry in that regard.
The Ulster title still carries a massive aura for teams up there but, given their ultimate ambition this year, I'd be worried about the energy they're going to expend in the provincial run and whether that'll prove sustainable come the business end of the championship.
Watching Donegal's league performance last year, I half thought they could even be on course for another relegation this year.
McGuinness has re-injected energy into the whole scene and they came roaring back to Division 1. Better again, they did so playing a real high-press, high octane style.
They pipped Armagh in the Division 2 final but this is the most elite team they'll have faced this year. Their pressing game really suffocated teams in the league and they ran up some big scores, particularly against Cork, Fermanagh and Meath.
I can't imagine they'll be as gung-ho against a team of Derry's quality, though second-guessing McGuinness in these games is a risky business. He usually comes with some wildcard gambit. It's worth remembering he's only lost one Ulster championship game in four years of managing in it.
I'd be confident that they'll be ultra-competitive but Derry seem too far advanced at the minute. Provided they make good on their intention to target every competition, they should progress.
The other game in Ulster feels like a dangerous one for Tyrone, given their extreme inconsistency in 2024 - in fact, since they won the All-Ireland in '21, really.
It's very hard to get a handle on them. They dangle false hope in front of their supporters with a glimpse of their capability - watching Darragh Canavan and Darren McCurry in full swing in the first half against Monaghan or the second half against Mayo. Then they turn up against Dublin and implode spectacularly. Even in the second half against Monaghan - a really consequential game - they were so open and allowed them back into it.
It's a free hit for Cavan, who have booked their place in Sam and have a big championship under them to boot. Tyrone should win. You wouldn't be entirely shocked if they didn't.
'Fortress' Hyde
From HQ last week, I'll be on radio duty in the Hyde on Sunday.
Mayo were sickened by the 'Rossies' last year but good news (for our lads) this year - the game isn't in MacHale Park!
I never lost a game in Hyde Park throughout my career - although it might be a touch provocative for cross-border relations to describe it as 'our fortress'.
The pitch is great, it suits Mayo better in my view. There's great width to it.
The only thing that freaks me about that place - the graveyard behind the goal.
I wouldn't like to be a free-taker down there.
Pressure is on, you take a glance up at the posts and you catch sight of all these headstones in the corner of your eye. I'd be thinking, 'Oh God...'
Don't want to be clearing the netting behind and desecrating someone's grave.
Back in the land of the living, the question for Mayo is whether the supporting cast in the forward line can chip in with scores to help Ryan O'Donoghue.
He's on a hot streak, racked up 1-13 in the Big Apple, albeit the quality of the opposition is a factor. There again, their spread of scorers against NY wasn't especially encouraging.
Fergal Boland has had a good league but is he going to score five-six points? The guys around him need to be clipping over two-three points. In the modern game, your wing-forwards need to be scoring points. The support cast need to come into their own.
Roscommon live for taking down Mayo and Galway in Connacht but they don't look in rude health at the minute.
They seem to have regressed in the league and have bogged down in that slow, cumbersome possession game, which I think opposition teams have gotten cannier at counteracting.
Last year, Davy Burke sounded bullish and enthusiastic in all his interviews; this spring, we're hearing an awful lot of excuses. Especially around injuries, even though every team was impacted by them and some far more so than Roscommon.
On paper, their attack is still dangerous. Enda Smith is an All-Star but no more than R'OD, he needs help. Diarmuid Murtagh, a brilliant footballer, but can he chip in with four or five points? Is Ben O'Carroll back from injury? It's a big year for Daire Cregg off that back of his Sigerson performances.
They have the raw quality, I just don't think the form is there and they're not playing with enough confidence and fluidity.
The day before, Galway are in Markievicz. The combination of Sligo's continued improvement and Galway's injury woes leads me to think we won't see a tanking akin to last year's Connacht final. But nonetheless, it should be Galway's game - and we'll see how many of their A-list forwards are back in time for a provincial final.
The narrative on the provincial championships is downbeat but the Connacht title still carries some weight, and the Nestor Cup has been hard won over the past decade.
After we did the five-in-a-row in 2015, I played seven more years and only won two Connacht medals. These were the two Covid years, which might not be coincidental given our habit of playing our best when the safety net was whipped away.
I suspect Mayo might be more anxious than usual to get provincial silverware this year, on the back of Galway's two-in-a-row. Despite all the rhetoric, I think a provincial title is a priority for Mayo in 2024.
Cork won't roll over
There's precious little hype about the Kerry-Cork game.
No doubt people are assuming Kerry will steamroll them but I don't expect a complete mauling on the scale of the last time they met in Killarney.
Cork were flirting with Division 3 for a few frightening weeks but came strong down the back end of the league after a narrow escape in Fermanagh. They made big gains last summer, turning over Mayo and Roscommon.
They don't roll over as easily as in the recent past and have a hugely committed cohort there now. Another string they have is an ability to create plenty of goal chances. Taking them appears to be another matter. They hit 3-12 against Limerick but by all accounts could have had nine or ten.
Kerry were fairly flat during the league but still amassed 10 points, all the same. We haven't seen a five star or even a four star performance from them in 2024 but the truth is we don't need to have yet. Their biggest annoyance is the absence of Jason Foley, who was a real lynchpin of their defence when they won the All-Ireland. When will he be back?
I doubt Cork will be able to contain the Kerry attack but I'm expecting a more competitive affair between these two - more competitive than we had gotten used to in the last decade.
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