Almost a year to the day since they forced GAA officialdom into an embarrassing climbdown, Kildare welcome the previous year’s All-Ireland finalists to Newbridge once again.
There isn’t quite the same backdrop to this game with no obvious unifying cause for Kildare along the lines of ‘Newbridge or nowhere’ as they seek to do to Tyrone what they did to Mayo 12 months ago and dump them out of the Championship.
Given the alternatives in the draw, it’s certainly not the ideal pairing for Tyrone but their qualifier record is so solid that it’s difficult to back against them. Indeed, a challenge like this and winning on the road at a difficult venue could be just what they need to boost their confidence which must still be smarting from the loss to Donegal.
Going to Antrim and hitting 1-25 was a decent response from Kildare to their trimming from Dublin but they’ll need to produce something over and above what they’ve served up in the last year if they are to emulate what they did on the corresponding weekend last year.
The counties have met twice in the Championship before, both in the last decade when Kieran McGeeney was Kildare manager.
Tyrone won both, the first a memorable All-Ireland quarter-final in 2009 when Kildare were at or very near their peak under McGeeney.
When they came to St Conleth’s Park four years later they inflicted the first, and only, qualifier defeat on McGeeney during his time in Kildare in a game that proved to be his last in charge after county board delegates jettisoned him later that year.
It may not be so cut-throat this time round but, after four years in the hotseat, Cian O’Neill will do well to see a fifth season if Kildare fall this evening in Newbridge.
VERDICT: Tyrone
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