On Sunday, two of the top three teams in the country got out of their province without any complications, easily advancing to the All-Ireland quarter finals. Before Dublin routed Kildare, Tyrone had no trouble navigating their way past Down in Clones.
It was Mickey Harte's sixth time lifting the Anglo-Celt Cup as the manager of the Red Hand, though only one of those victories translated into an All Ireland title for Tyrone though - his first in 2003.
Now, 14 years later and many are saying that the men up North could be the only side standing in the way of Stephen Cluxton lifting Sam Maguire yet again in September.
Among those is former Donegal manager, and current Sinobo Guoan guru Jim McGuinness. In his always interesting Irish Times column this week, he talks about how he likes what he has seen from Tyrone so far this year, noting that they have a factor of old which needs to be stopped:
They have innate Tyrone cockiness. You can see that. And the team that beats them has to be able to knock that out of them.
Theye will have to look at each player in the eye and say: you are going to be sore walking out of this stadium. This is going to be a battle. That is how you face Tyrone down.
Tyrone are revving themselves up for something really big. If they meet Dublin, it could be the game of the summer. They have found themselves again in Ulster. Now, they have to find themselves all over again with each game in Croke Park. That’s new territory.
That's not the only worry about Harte's side for McGuinness though:
However, even if they can take Dublin, that doesn’t win them the All-Ireland. Can they go all the way without the marquee forward?
Teams that win All-Irelands almost always have both a strong collective and one or two outstanding players. Tyrone are attempting to break that parameter through the team collective. If they can do that, it would be Mickey Harte’s finest hour.
Tyrone are on the 'easier' half of the draw, meaning they'll face one of the two Round 4B winners (Down vs Monaghan & Kildare vs Armagh). Then comes the clash with the Dubs, and who knows, maybe a fourth All-Ireland for Harte.
