These counties may possess all the silverware in the country but when they visit one another's backyard they scrap like pups. Yesterday in Omagh, the league champions defeated the All-Ireland champions and across the flatlands of Tyrone life suddenly looked a lot brighter.
Perhaps they met Armagh at the right time in the season. Undefeated since April 14th of last year, Joe Kernan's team had the heart for this neighbourly joust but lacked the familiar dash.
They all but hit the wall, and Tyrone ought to have made the match safe in the final quarter instead of taking their ever loyal crowd of 12,000 on the habitual three-minute closing terror ride.
"Well, I hope my job is still safe tonight," smiled Joe Kernan before heading back to his own parish. It would be wrong to say he was pleased that his charges were experiencing the sour taste of loss again, but he was happy to put the afternoon in perspective.
"I think the best team won, definitely. I am disappointed with the way we played and that's something we will have to work on. Sometimes a reality check does no harm. People were asking if we were going to go through the league undefeated. That's just nonsense. We had a long hard season and some of us will have to look at ourselves now. That's the reality."
It was a perfect day for a mid-Ulster derby - gale force winds and the occasional spitting shower, weather that stripped both the counties of recent grandeur and reduced the game to bare-knuckle essentials. On an afternoon when even Peter Canavan was outwitted by the treacherous wind, Tyrone's defence was the star turn.
With Colin Holmes and winter find Gavin Devlin resolute down the centre, the defensive six largely frustrated Armagh's attack, with Stevie McDonnell given absolutely nothing and John McEntee unable to make the charges that so often ignite his team.
Tyrone's 17th minute goal turned out to be critical in the bigger picture.
It originated from a fine clean midfield fetch by Ryan Mellon who transferred the ball to Devlin and onto Brian McGuigan. Francie Bellew and Peter Canavan sprinted out to the left flank for a 50-50 ball and to everyone's surprise - particularly the Cross man - the Tyrone forward sent his challenger bouncing to the ball and freed Eoin Mulligan with a handpass. Mulligan has been excellent all through this league and finished the move delightfully.
That score kept Tyrone just where they wanted to be despite the strong breeze. Up 1-4 to 0-6 at the turnaround, their first score after the re-start illustrated the difference between the sides, with Mellon finishing a sharp and flowing Tyrone move.
Substitutes Enda McGinley rewarded his manager with two beautiful scores and Peter Canavan banged over a spilled pass on 49 minutes to leave Tyrone four points up. It was enough.
"I'm still very conscious of the fact that one swallow doesn't make a summer," said Mickey Harte later.
"It's always nice to win and this was probably more important to us. If we lost this today, we were back in a relegation dogfight. And it was an important game, playing the All-Ireland champions. They had a team that was unbeaten in a long time and that run had to come to an end someday and why not us to be the team to do it?"
Indeed. But they made heavy weather of it. Canavan's point was Tyrone's final score as the legend himself and young Mark Harte misfired on frees in the last 10 minutes.
Armagh, meanwhile, played through tired limbs and ferocious defensive pressure with their now customary comportment of calm and determination. Paul McGrane, McConville, Aidan O'Rourke and young Andy Mallon led what could have been a famous steal. The Tyrone faithful were reduced to screaming in fear over the last five minutes as orange waves swept up field in search of a late goal. It was a familiar and scarifying vista. The champions came close and several times the action was transferred into anger.
"Well, we certainly didn't come here to lose the match," clarified Kernan. "And I think the boys showed that in the last five or six minutes when we tried to rally and made a few chances. But it wasn't to be our day and I don't think the whole year will be decided on what happened today."
Classic Kernan understatement, but for Tyrone this was a significant spring hour of football. Further good news arrived in the athletic form of Cormac McAnallen, back after a spell of injury. It points to Harte's growing options.
Veteran Brian Dooher ran with both the style and tenacity of a Kenyan middle distance athlete all afternoon, bounding through the gaps Armagh left with his elastic strides and setting up a feast of opportunities, half of which were spurned.
That the All-Ireland champions did not register a second-half wide spoke volumes for the flow of the game during that period.
And so Armagh's great march has been halted. In the long term, it will be a relief. The way the league is shaping up, though, these teams could meet again in the final of this competition. That may not be to either county's fancy. Better to greet each other just once a season and then regard each other with mutual suspicion until the football really matters.
TYRONE: P McConnell; R McMenamin, C Holmes, M McGee; C Gormley, G Devlin, P Jordan; R Mellon (0-1), S Cavanagh (0-1); S Mulgrew, B McGuigan, B Dooher; F McGuigan (0-1), P Canavan (0-3, 2 frees), E Mulligan (1-1). Subs: E McGinley (0-2) for F McGuigan (43 mins), M Harte for Mulligan (52 mins), C McAnallen for Cavanagh (59 mins), G Cavlan for Dooher (62 mins), P Loughran for McGuigan (71 mins).
ARMAGH: P Hearty; A Mallon, E McNulty, F Bellew; K Hughes, A O'Rourke, P McCormack; P McGrane, P Loughran; P McKeever (0-2, 1 free), J McEntee (0-1), O McConville (0-6, 4 frees); S McDonnell, B O'Hagan (0-1), T McEntee. Subs: M O'Rourke for Loughran (40 mins), A McCann for McNulty (52 mins), K McElvanna for Hughes (60 mins), P Duffy for McDonnell (62 mins).
Referee: P McEnaney (Monaghan).
