Ulster Senior Football Championship preliminary round
Sunday, 12 May
Derry v Tyrone, Omagh, 4pm
Online
Live blogs on RTÉ.ie and the RTÉ News Now app from 2.45pm on Sunday.
Radio
Live updates on Sunday Sport on RTÉ Radio 1
TV
Highlights of all the weekend’s action on The Sunday Game on RTÉ2 Television and the RTÉ Player from 9.30pm.
Weather
Sunny and dry with occasional cloudy spells, moderate breezes from the southeast and maximum temperature of 13 degrees.
Ulster is regarded by many as the fiercest remaining provincial football championship, and if familiarity breeds contempt, then Derry and Tyrone on Sunday afternoon is likely to be another no-holds-barred encounter. Whether it is competitive is an entirely different matter.
It is the third time in four years the sides lock horns, though it might be a stretch to call the recent history as something of a rivalry.
In both 2016 and 2017, Mickey Harte’s side won by 11 points. The last time they met before that, in 2009, the then All-Ireland champions coasted to an eight-point success.
Sunday's opponents were operating at either end of the League spectrum in the spring, the Red Hand in Division 1 and Derry in the bottom tier, though the Oak Leaf County did secure promotion out of the bottom tier by virtue of winning all eight games.
It is however a stark reminder of the gulf between the teams at present.
Derry’s last lifted the Anglo-Celt Cup in 1998 and few expect them to make serious inroads on that this term, having not won a game in Ulster in four years.
Damian McErlain (above) will draw heavily from the Slaughtneil contingent, but question marks remain about the lack of pace in the team.
So what of Tyrone? Can last year’s All-Ireland finalists seriously threaten Dublin?
The jury remains out, though the conclusion of their league campaign would suggest they aren’t a million miles away when the like of Mattie Donnelly, Peter Harte and Cathal McShane are on song.
After a lethargic start, winless after their opening three games, they reeled off four wins on the trot. Wins over Monaghan, Cavan, Dublin and Galway came with an average winning margin of six points. The lowering of Dublin colours in Croke Park was no harm for team morale ahead of bigger days to come.
Michael Cassidy, Ben McDonnell and Brian Kennedy are all named to start at Healy Park having shone in the League, and how they mesh with the more established players could set the tone for their summer.
Tyrone: Niall Morgan; Padraig Hampsey, Ronan McNamee, Michael McKernan; Michael Cassidy, Ben McDonnell, Tiernan McCann; Richard Donnelly, Brian Kennedy; Matthew Donnelly, Niall Sludden, Frank Burns; Cathal McShane, Peter Harte, Conor Meyler.
Derry: To Come
Referee: Paddy Neilan (Roscommon)
Follow all the football action this weekend via our live blogs on RTÉ.ie/sport and the News Now app, listen to updates and commentary on RTÉ Radio 1 and watch highlights on The Sunday Game on RTÉ2 and the RTÉ Player.
