It’s early days in the 2016 football championship, with things yet to really simmer. The meeting of Derry and Tyrone in the Ulster quarter-final on Sunday next is an encounter that could give us the spice to embellish the summer menu at this early stage.
Much talk in advance of the Celtic Park encounter (throw-in 2pm) has been about the threat that Tyrone pose, with Irish Independent journalist Colm Keyes recently telling RTÉ Sport that the Red Hand are next in line behind Dublin in the race for Sam Maguire.
First up, however, is the battle to regain the Anglo Celt cup for Mickey Harte’s side. It’s a trophy that the county last captured in 2010 and for RTÉ analyst Eamonn O'Hara, being provincial masters again is imperative for Tyrone if they are to be in the mix for All-Ireland glory.
"Tyrone need to win an Ulster title or two before they can be considered real All-Ireland contenders,” said the former Sligo star.
“Dublin are dominating Leinster and have won two of the last three All-Irelands. Mayo have have five Connacht titles on the trot and are well fancied to make it six. In that time they’ve reached two All-Ireland finals.
"Kerry are the top dog in Munster at the moment and went all the way two season ago, while Donegal had won back-to-back Ulsters before they won their All-Ireland.”
That said, O’Hara believes the pieces are in place for Tyrone to recapture the provincial crown.
“You sense from Mickey Harte that he has the optimism his side can deliver and the way he has blended in some of those from last year’s All-Ireland U-21 winning squad bodes well. He has re-energised the whole Tyrone situation.
"The system of play is very, very effective, not pretty to look at but effective nevertheless in terms of what his lads are capable of doing.
"Each player knows and understands what he has to do. Are they good enough to win Ulster?
"Absolutely. There is a freshness about them and they've become very, very difficult to beat. They definitely have the equipment to win Ulster.
"Tyrone can get to the final this year as there's a strong chance they'll avoid Dublin and Kerry. They'll be quietly confident of being around in September."
As to who’ll be their nearest challengers in the provincial quest, the 2002 All Star is going with the defending champions.
“A lot of people are writing Monaghan off. I think that is foolish. They are the champions and have the gameplan that can trouble Tyrone.”
O’Hara is not so optimistic on Donegal’s chances.
“I think Donegal are at the stage where they are running on empty,” he added.
“Even though they still have quality players like McBrearty, Murphy and Mac Niallais, their trend line, I think, is dipping rather than going up.”
Running the rule over Derry’s chances as they look to beat Tyrone in the championship for the first time since 2006, O’Hara bemoans their inconsistency.
"Derry are an anomaly, they have the potential but just can't seem to put it together. That's their biggest downfall. They have some fantastic footballers but it won't be good enough. It will be feisty affair on Sunday and Tyrone will have to be well tuned in."
"That's the thing about Ulster football, you have to be at your maximum to win each game."
Looking ahead to the other football games over the weekend, O’Hara feels there are still doubts Roscommon as they prepare to take on Leitrim in the Connacht quarter-final in Carrick-on-Shannon.
The Rossies used one of their get-out-of-jail cards against New York in the preliminary round, winning in the end by a point.
That near escape is systematic of an underlying problem in the current set, according to our analyst.
“Roscommon have to seriously look at their own attitude. As far I'm concerned they've got mental frailties.
"Last year they were beaten by Sligo in Connacht. There was a lot of talk beforehand about them winning Connacht and potentially doing well in the All-Ireland series. I think they believed the hype, listened to the bullshit and got caught.
“Over in New York, that mental frailty came to the surface again. They need to look at that. They have the talent and they performed well during the league.
"Maybe they have peaked too soon. I believe the management need to look at the mental rather than the playing potential, there is no denying they have the potential.
"I think they went to New York this year with a cockiness about them. They make look at Leitrim and say it's a handy one but Leitrim in Carrick can give many teams trouble on a given day. Roscommon will need to have their heads screwed on on Sunday.
Kildare take on Wexford on Saturday evening at Croke Park, with O’Hara not ruling out a surprise in the shape of a win for the Slaneysiders, but ultimately goes with Cian O’Neill’s side to prevail.
"I was disappointed with Kildare that they didn't go on and dominated Division 3 after starting well. I watched Sligo bully Kildare when they beat them in Newbridge, albeit Cian O'Neill did say they didn’t have their heads screwed on. In the league final they didn't push on to beat Clare.
"I think there is a chance for Wexford here to pull off one of the surprises in Leinster. Wexford will have nothing to lose. That said, you'd expect Kildare to come through. If the Leinster championship is going to improve, then the likes Kildare have to deliver and deliver well"
You can watch live coverage of Derry-Tyrone in the Ulster SFC quarter-final on RTÉ One and RTE Player from 1310 on Sunday and follow our live blog on RTÉ.ie. Highlights of all the weekend's action on RTÉ Two and the RTÉ Player from 2130.
