Ulster's hopefuls set for the road to Clones

Identifying the start of summer can be rather arbitrary - does it begin when the clocks change? Is it 1 June? Or is it when the GAA Championships begin? If you maintain it's the latter, then dust off the sunglasses as we have arrived.

Across the four provinces, the football championships throw-in and in Ulster, it all begins with a bang as Armagh host Tyrone in a mouth-watering preliminary round tie at the Athletic Grounds on Sunday [16:15 BST] - a game you can watch live on the BBC.

Already this year, we've had some thrilling action in the league, but it's time to step it up a notch as the race for the Anglo Celt Cup begins.

There is so much to ponder as to what the next five weeks will bring, so let's take a look at the runners and riders.

The lowest ranked of the nine coming into the championship, Antrim missed out on promotion from Division Four in the league.

Much of that was to do with a horrendous start, losing their opening three games against Carlow, Tipperary and Longford, but a corner was turned by winning their remaining four games - how they must rue that slow start now.

Mark Doran is in his first season in charge of the Saffrons and felt the league came just a few weeks too soon for his squad which took a while to settle, while Patrick McBride stepped away after the defeat by Tipperary.

His influence and leadership will be missed on top of the two-point ability he displayed in last year's Ulster SFC defeat by Armagh when the Saffrons led at the break against the then All-Ireland champions, and now it's up to Adam Loughran, Ryan McQuillan, Dominic McEnhill, Niall Burns and Pat Shivers to lead the charge.

This year, they travel to Celtic Park on 18 April [17:00] to face a Derry side which seems to have rediscovered its mojo, but if Antrim need the inside track on the Oak Leafers, their manager ought to have that in spades having managed Slaughtneil last year.

They will go into that game as rank outsiders to end their wait for a first win in the Ulster SFC since 2014 but carry winning and will arrive in Derry with the pressure off their shoulders.

The 2024 All-Ireland champions come into this campaign with no shortage of motivation.

Of course, their Sam Maguire success two years ago was the realisation of the ultimate dream for this generation of Orchard stars, but there is still the matter of making up for recent provincial final heartbreaks.

It's almost incredible to think the last time an Armagh captain raised the Anglo Celt Cup was in 2008, and in the previous three finals it's be a case of close but no cigar.

Penalty defeats in the finals of 2023 and 2024 against Derry and Donegal respectively stung, but so too did last year's extra-time reverse to Donegal.

Tyrone lie in wait in Sunday's preliminary round and should they overcome their neighbours, it's Fermanagh next on 25 April and then it would be either Donegal or Down in a 3 May semi-final.

Kieran McGeeney's side is in a mini transition with key figures such as Stefan Campbell, Rian O'Neill and Niall Grimley no longer part of the panel, but they still have plenty of firepower with Oisin Conaty, Oisin O'Neill, Cian McConville and Conor Turbitt prominent in a fairly positive league campaign, remaining in Division One, so are far from outsiders going into the championship.

Dermot McCabe's side head into the championship after surviving relegation from Division Two in the league, winning just two from seven.

However, in the defeats by Cork and Meath - who were promoted - the Breffni men were only pipped late on and will feel they have more to offer than meets the eye.

Paddy Lynch, Gearoid McKiernan and Dara McVeety were impressive throughout, but they will feel they left a bit behind them in the league.

That is now gone and if ever there was a reason to refocus, then an Ulster quarter-final at home to neighbours and rivals Monaghan is it.

They meet on Sunday, 19 April with the winner moving into a last four clash against Derry or Antrim.

They beat their neighbours in a preliminary clash in 2024 but went on to lose to Tyrone whom they fell to at the first hurdle last year.

While not one of the favourites for Ulster, Cavan are certainly capable of beating most teams on their day and will have no fear of any of the teams on their side of the draw.

When Ciaran Meenagh's side lost their league opener to Meath in Croke Park at the beginning of the year, it was an extension of a losing run in league and championship that stretched by to 2024.

However, one spark is all it took and victory over Tyrone the next day has seen the Oak Leafers find form as they put together some fine performances and wins in the league.

It wasn't enough to gain promotion in Division Two as a defeat by Louth proved fatal to those hopes - a reminder that Derry are not the finished article yet, but they will come into this year's championship with renewed confidence.

A home quarter-final against Antrim on 18 April is a game they will enter as the hottest of favourites and should all go to script, it will be Monaghan or Cavan next.

Derry were Ulster champions as recently as 2023 and still have many of the players which saw them claim league honours the following year in Shane McGuigan, Conor Glass and Brendan Rogers, while Lachlan Murray has cemented his place in the attack.

An place in the Ulster final place should be their minimum target to continue their recent revival.

Donegal are bidding for their first three-peat, having won the title in 2024 and 2025 and should Jim McGuinness' men do that, they will be the first three-in-a-row winner in Ulster since Armagh 20 years ago.

McGuinness has been winning matches again this year with the league title in the bag and should he deliver another provincial honour, it will see him join Mickey Harte as the most decorated manager in the competition with six titles.

Their defeat in last year's All-Ireland final stung, but Donegal have adopted a 'win or learn' approach, and while the loss of talisman Patrick McBrearty who retired due to injury left big shoes to fill, they have unearthed some fresh talent with Shea Malone in goal-scoring form throughout the league, while Max Campbell stepped up to impress in the league final.

'One game at a time' may be the Donegal party line, but they will certainly be keen on remaining on top of the pile in Ulster this year which has the added benefit of a home game in the first round of the All-Ireland Championship.

Letterkenny is where they begin their defence of the Ulster title on 26 April against Down and should they get through that, then it's either Armagh, Tyrone or Fermanagh in the last four on 3 May.

Focusing on yourself is one of sport's great cliches, but Down will have an eye on the other provinces which could determine whether they are playing in the All-Ireland SFC this summer.

They can remove all doubt should they reached the Ulster final on 17 May, but to do so they have quite a task ahead.

Conor Laverty's men have been given the toughest assignment with an quarter-final against Donegal in Lettrekenny on 26 April but head into that game with form, having won the Division Three title.

Last year, they put in a creditable performance against Donegal in the provincial semi-final before showing they were worthy of their place in the race for Sam Maguire by emerging from the group phase and the Mournemen's dial certainly appears to be moving in the right direction.

Few outside their own county border will tip them to move on to face either Armagh, Tyrone or Fermanagh in an Ulster semi-final, but Down have players who can cause headaches in Odhran Murdock, Pat Havern, Daniel Guinness, John McGeough and Ceilum Doherty.

Whether they have enough to topple the defending Ulster champions remains to be seen but they will relish the test in front of them.

It's not been a great start to life on the Fermanagh sideline for Declan Bonner as the Ernesiders finished bottom of the pile in Division Three and go into the championship with plenty of questions.

One of those is outwith their control as they await the winner of Armagh v Tyrone for their quarter-final on 25 April, but they will got into that game as underdogs either way.

Still, Fermanagh proved last year they have the ability to put in a performance in Ulster and last year, seemed on course to defeat Down at the quarter-final stage for their first win on the provincial stage since 2018, only to be hit by two late goals.

Although their fate was sealed in Division Three this year despite and encouraging win over Laois in the penultimate round, they were caught late again on the final day by Limerick despite good performances from Darragh McGurn, Conor Love and Garvan Jones.

Seeing out a game is one area Fermanagh must address, but whether they find themselves in that position later this month is another matter.

Like Antrim, it seems the Tailteann Cup is where it's at for the Ernesiders, but they can also go into their Ulster quarter-final with no pressure.

Clontibet's run to the All-Ireland club semi-final is further proof in any were needed that quality is not in short supply in Monaghan, but the absence of the An Bhoth contingent in the league contributed to some difficult days in Division One as Gabriel Bannigan's side failed to pick up a point in the top tier.

Monaghan ended the league in a better position personnel-wise than they began, but are still awaiting confirmation whether several players including Ryan McAnespie, Conor McCarthy, Killian Lavelle, Dylan Byrne and Louis Kelly will be available for their Ulster quarter-final against Cavan at Breffni Park on 19 April.

Micheal Bannigan was in good scoring form in the league, while Rory Beggan, Micheal McCarville, Dessie Ward and Jack McCarron continue to provide leadership and a know-how when it comes to the provincial championship terrain.

They fell to a two-point defeat by Donegal at the same stage last year and gave Jim McGuinness' side real problems when they met against at the All-Ireland quarter-final stage two months later.

A rematch in an Ulster final this year can't be ruled out.

It's hard to know just where Tyrone are at present as there is no doubting the talent they possess, but it just hasn't happened in 2026 - yet.

Malachy O'Rourke's first year with the Red Hands saw them relegated from Division One, but rather unfortunately having amassed seven points.

They were edged out by Armagh in an Ulster semi-final classic last year and then went all the way to an All-Ireland semi-final, coming up six points short against Kerry.

Therefore, it seemed set they would kick on in this year's league, but managed just two wins and a draw in Division Two as they failed to join the promotion race.

One bright spark has been the performances of Ethan Jordan who produced some fine displays, but Tyrone have struggled to put it together.

Still, they have more than enough in their locker to turn things around and although they go to the Athletic Grounds this week as outsiders, it wouldn't be the shock of the century of they were to beat their great rivals.

While Derry's victory over the Red Hands saw them turn a corner, could the same be true if Tyrone get over the line on Sunday?