Despite injury and suspensions Crossmaglen manager Donal Murtagh is upbeat about Sunday's Ulster club semi-final against Tyrone champions Dromore in Clones, as he believes his current panel to be stronger than the all-conquering squad which won three All-Ireland titles in four years at the turn of the decade.
"I played on that team," he says, "and I think it was a better team but Joe (Kernan, manager) was lucky with injuries and only used about 17 players in a season. At the moment we've 23 or 24 and I know that any of them can do a job for me and I'm not afraid to use the panel so we're better equipped to cope. We've been chopping and changing in the league all year."
The heated quarter-final against Clontibret cost Crossmaglen suspensions to two players, John Donaldson and Cathal Short, both of whom were red-carded and each received four-week suspensions.
Short was sent off at the very end of the match after coming on as a replacement but Donaldson got the line in the first half after thumping Dessie Mone. "Anyone sent off during a match can expect a suspension," says Murtagh. "John foolishly reacted and we forced to reshuffle. He's a big loss but at least we have options. Paul Kernan can play there and Tony McEntee has played there."
The All-Ireland champions are also missing players with injury. Francie Bellew is a long-term absentee with a cruciate injury and Stephen Kernan, who missed the Clontibret win is not expected to start at the weekend.
On the plus side Kernan's brother Aaron, whose mobility was greatly affected in the quarter-final after sustaining a bang on the hip, is recovered and has been taking a full part in training. Productive forward John Murtagh will also return, after suspension.
The club championships are among the hardest titles in Gaelic games to defend successfully. Only three clubs have retained the football: UCD (1974-75), St Finbarr's (1980-81) and Crossmaglen (1999-2000).
"It's a huge ask when you bear in mind that it takes 14 months to win an All-Ireland," according to Murtagh. "Teams start training in January and don't win it until March of the following year. But we're just two hours from retaining the Ulster title and that would be a start."
Sunday promises to be another tightly contested fixture with new Tyrone champions Dromore having cut their teeth in the championship with a replay victory over an experienced Mayobridge. Even in their previous heyday Cross rarely won matches by sizeable margins.
"Even against the so-called weaker counties," remembers Murtagh, "we never got through with any particular ease. Clubs like Cargin, Mullahoran and Enniskillen (before Fermanagh were strong at county level) all gave us very hard games. Partly it's down to fields being poor at this time of year but the number of games we've won down the years when up against it is substantial and we're expecting to be up against it on Sunday."
Unlike the previous team, which had a range of very big players at centrefield, including Anthony Cunningham and nominal corner forward Colm O'Neill, who used to line up as a third target in the area, both of whom were six and a half feet, Murtagh's side is smaller but faster.
"Any team plays to its strengths and we have pace. Aaron Kernan was injured the last day and we'll be hoping he gets back on song because he's one of best and fastest attacking wing backs in the game."
