Armagh v Tyrone: The first surprise of this Bank of Ireland Ulster football final replay was the choice of venue. In the light of a slightly disappointing turnout the first day, 7,000 down on last year, and given the traffic mayhem on that Sunday, never mind today, it was always likely the crowd would be down.
It was a peculiar match two weeks ago in that both counties came away a little demoralised by the whole experience. Tyrone had done enough to win comfortably but still got caught for late, equalising scores, whereas Armagh had played really poorly, seemingly unable to keep track of their opponents' energy and drive.
Usually such a scenario benefits the comeback team but Tyrone have had nearly a fortnight to come to terms with their disappointment and, more practically, to allow Peter Canavan recuperate from the rib injury that badly inhibited him in the draw and ultimately forced his withdrawal at half-time.
Had he been fit to play, there is little doubt that the veteran would have made the difference in terms of turning superiority into scores, certainly if his form up until then meant anything.
It's the nature of such injuries that they're hard to certify healed until they've been match tested. And Armagh will oblige. It won't be until Canavan has survived his first dunt from Enda McNulty that we'll know his likely influence on the match.
Noises off haven't been much of a help to Tyrone, with the row over manager Mickey Harte's introduction of his son Mark raging in the local media, followed by revelations that centrefielder Seán Cavanagh is weighing up an offer to join AFL club Brisbane.
That might perhaps explain the sense of distraction in Cavanagh's play two weeks ago and his uncharacteristically wayward shooting.
Ironically, Tyrone did much the better at centrefield despite the low-wattage displays by Cavanagh and Conor Gormley because their half forwards, with massive assistance from Enda McGinley, took over around the middle.
The lack of response from Armagh must have been terrifying for Joe Kernan and it posed the chilling question: is the team now running on empty? Watching that travail and how easily Tyrone lost their hard-won initiative, it was easy to imagine the bookies shaving a few points off Kerry in the All-Ireland betting.
This afternoon will be decided by what team can better apply the lessons of the last day. On the face of it Armagh have more scope for improvement but that's because they have so little margin for getting much worse. Tyrone have Canavan back and if he opens a second front in attack to supplement the one-man weaponry of Stephen O'Neill, that will also be a major step forward.
There is speculation that the vacancy at wing forward for Armagh mightn't be for the anticipated judgment between Martin O'Rourke and Paddy McKeever but rather for a defender or Tony McEntee to come in and play a deep, covering role to address the problems created by all the space Tyrone engineered in attack and specifically to fulfil the function that McEntee had two years ago, as an auxiliary for Kieran McGeeney.
Armagh will have to get more out of centrefield. It's a question not just of dismantling the platform Tyrone so comfortably built the last day but also of ensuring a supply for their own forwards.
While Steven McDonnell had a bad day at the office in the drawn encounter and shot five wides, neither he nor Ronan Clarke got well-considered ball.
Too often there seemed to be easy reliance on carelessly hit high ball, as if Tyrone's failings in the air would just need to be invoked to create havoc.
Instead Chris Lawn coped happily and not until some variation was shown did the defence come under pressure.
Armagh did best out of official mix-ups: Aaron Kernan's goal that wasn't cancelled out McConville's that was, and Tyrone at the end were denied chances to win when Brian McGuigan and Mark Harte failed to get what looked legitimate awards.
That pendulum might swing today, as Michael Collins won't be as laissez-faire in his policing of fouls.
But amid the imponderables is one given: Armagh concede nothing easily. They dug a result out of a dire performance and will do enough with what improvement they can wring from the afternoon.
Armagh: P Hearty; A Mallon, F Bellew, E McNulty; A Kernan, K McGeeney, A O'Rourke; P Loughran, P McGrane; AN Other, J McEntee, O McConville; S McDonnell, R Clarke, B Mallon.
Tyrone: P McConnell; R McMenamin, C Lawn, S Sweeney; D Harte, G Devlin, P Jordan; C Gormley, S Cavanagh; B Dooher, B McGuigan, M Penrose; P Canavan, S O'Neill, E McGinley.
Referee: M Collins (Cork).
