Enda McGinley believes numerous question marks hovering over Tyrone will receive a definitive answer when they face off against Armagh in their Ulster Championship opener on Sunday.
Five years on from their most recent All-Ireland triumph, the Red Hand County will be looking to reinvigorate themselves at the BOX-IT Athletic Grounds in the preliminary round fixture live on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player.
Armagh and Malachy O'Rourke's team both finished with identical records of two wins, a draw and four defeats apiece, along with the same point difference, during their respective Allianz League campaigns.
But unlike their rivals Armagh who did so in Division 1, Tyrone's struggles at the start of the year came in the tier below.
Hence, why they go into Sunday as underdogs against Kieran McGeeney's side.
Speaking on the RTÉ GAA Podcast, Tyrone's three-time All-Ireland winner McGinley said the nature of the challenge in their provincial opener will answer many questions.
"I think this is an essential game with all due respect to something against Down or Antrim, Fermanagh, Monaghan, Cavan - teams that they would probably be able to play well and potentially scrape a win but say very little," he said.
"I don't think that's where Tyrone is at nor where the team is at at the minute.
"I think there's enough question marks over them, both inside and outside the county.
"But without a doubt, whenever the noise level reaches a certain level outside, there is a sense of it within the bubble.
"So all of the question marks that are hovering around are absolutely within that group at the minute.
"People are waiting for a definitive answer one way or the other."
The RTÉ GAA analyst added that the energy that Tyrone bring to the occasion will be crucial in giving them a chance of progression.
He said: "The team at the minute, are they hungry enough and keen enough to go after this in a really big way and bring that massive energy that the modern game demands and that we've seen throughout the league from teams like Armagh - even though the results have went against them; from Galway, Kerry, Donegal, all the top teams, Meath, Cork?
"Teams, whenever they're playing the modern game at the very top level, it's an amazing energy. It's a brilliant thing to see those top performance levels.
"(With) Tyrone, we have seen it in a phase against Offaly, in a phase against Cavan, and the first 15-20 minutes against Meath in Croke Park.
"They played with a real energy and when they do that, that's phenomenal. But two of those teams, Offaly and Cavan, are at the lower reaches of Division 2, and (against) Meath, they fell away in that game as well.
"So we've seen little evidence that Tyrone have really embraced that energy level that they need to bring.
"And is that a quality issue? Is it an energy issue? Is it a team atmosphere issue? All those question marks are there.
"They have the place as a group to give a hell of an answer in the Athletic Grounds, and that's with or without a result."
But McGinley feels that Tyrone are often at their best in backs-to-the-wall situations which could prove particularly relevant on Sunday.
"When we're at ourselves, there's a serious defence streak," he said.
"There's a defence, there's a chip on the shoulder, you call it what you will, but it brings out the best in us and the ingredients are there for that type.
"In fact, the need is there for that type of thing on Sunday and we'll see whether it's there. If it's not there, it'll almost feel as if it's confirmation to everybody.
"But within Tyrone we're hoping we can be surprised. We're hoping we can see something that we are beginning to doubt is there."
Watch Armagh v Tyrone in the Ulster Football Championship on Sunday from 4pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player. Follow our live blog on RTÉ.ie/sport and RTÉ News app and listen to Sunday Sport on RTÉ Radio 1
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