By Rory Gallagher

What a disappointment last Sunday's match between Tyrone and Derry at Casement Park proved to be.

To me the biggest story and the most disappointing thing to come from the game is the fact that Derry have not improved one bit whatsoever.

It might be harsh, but if you were Mickey Harte, how many of the Derry players would make your starting 15? It might be tough, but apart from Paddy Bradley I don't know if he would want any of them. That's the size of a gulf that was between them.

I've no doubt that they had a plan, and I've no doubt that they knew that Tyrone were going to take measures to stifle Paddy and Eoin Bradley, but there was simply no sign of it.

This group of Derry players have continually come up short, and they simply lack the quality across the field. Even if they had their injured players available, I don't see it having made that much difference.

It's not physical pace that they lack, it's more a speed of thought thing. They don't move the ball at the same pace Tyrone do, they lack incisiveness coming out with the ball. Kevin McGuckin and Sean Marty Lockhart are very good man-markers, but it's the old St Pat's Maghera school of defending where it's a case of if I stop my man then that's my job done. But it's not enough any more.

Compare that to the likes of Conor Gormley or Ryan McMenamin who push on and create the extra man on the attack. McMenamin was near enough at corner-forward when he set up Tommy McGuigan's goal chance, and the crucial score of the game from Brian Dooher to put Tyrone four up came from Conor Gormley bursting forward. They're so good at reading when the thing needs lifted, and when they need another player to come in support.

Tyrone's tactics worked brilliantly. Joe McMahon got back so well when he had to get back, but I cannot give Conor Gormley enough credit for his performance. He cut off the angles so quickly, and he prevented Derry from getting the ball in to Paddy Bradley.

I also thought it was a masterstroke on Mickey Harte's part the way he dealt with Derry's spare player. No disrespect to Chris McKaigue, but his inexperience showed a bit and he wasn't as comfortable on the ball as Barry or Sean Leo McGoldrick, who earned the plaudits for their performance against Monaghan. Tyrone could afford to leave McKaigue free, and it's decisions like that which Harte makes so well.

I thought it was very strange that Damian Cassidy came out and publicly said that his players didn't play to the system they were told to. They never once looked penetrative or dangerous.

With the exception of the Monaghan result, Derry under Cassidy have now lost to Tyrone twice, Kerry twice, and they only drew with Galway. They just don't have the quality. In hindsight, maybe they would have been better going even more negative with 12 or 13 men behind the ball, because they weren't capable of going toe to toe with Tyrone.

Maybe it's not Damian Cassidy's fault because he's got these Derry players at this age, whereas Mickey Harte has had the chance to mould his team from young. The Tyrone boys buy into the type of football Harte wants them to play, that sort of 'total football'.

Unfortunately for Derry and for their individual players, it's a real possibility that Paddy Bradley could go his entire career without an Ulster medal so long as Tyrone are around.

Back at the start of the year, I went with Tyrone for Ulster and that has proven right. The prize on offer last Sunday was so immense, because it's guaranteed football until the start of August and a place in the last eight of the All-Ireland. No disrespect to either Cavan or Antrim, but Tyrone will blow either of them away. As much as Harte or the Tyrone players won't say it, they know that they have the hard work done now until August.

They've come through two potentially tough encounters against Armagh and Derry relatively unscathed. Harte is bound to be over the moon with the way things have gone, his team has stepped up when needed, and he has managed to get his key men and his injured players back on the pitch and get them some minutes. If Stevie O'Neill and Joe McMahon are alright, then he'll be in a better position than he's ever been, because when they're fit, Tyrone have the best squad in Ireland.

This Saturday night's game between Cavan and Antrim has the prize of a morale-boosting Ulster final appearance. Morale-boosting particularly for Antrim supporters, because I think they could accept getting to the Ulster final and taking a hockeying. Cavan supporters might expect it, but they won't accept it because they're a different breed. They're a bit like Down, they have high opinions of themselves based on their history.

I would still say that Antrim are the serious underdogs. Expectations within the county are still relatively low, although the players will put pressure on themselves because they know they'll never have a better chance to play in an Ulster final. But in terms of support, the pressure will all be on Cavan to win it.

Although it's not exactly a half-way venue for them, I'm sure Antrim will be delighted to get a game at Clones. I honestly can't remember the last time they played there, and they'll see it as a big step. They'll enjoy the occasion.

I expect Antrim to win, because Antrim's feat of beating Donegal was greater than Cavan's in beating Fermanagh. Both teams were flawed, but you have to consider the opposition. Fermanagh had a poor league run, won one game and got relegated to division three, whereas Donegal beat Tyrone and Westmeath and drew with Mayo, which are very significant results.

There's more about Antrim. They didn't go out celebrating after the Donegal win, and they seem very focused. They have nine or ten players who have built up plenty of experience through their clubs and college football. I feel that they now have the ability to grind out a result.

It's a clash between two very young teams, that's something that's very noticeable. If they were to get a good result this Saturday, and put up a good showing in the Ulster final, then it could be a platform for a good few seasons to come. That's how big of a game this is, and I think Antrim can take it.

I think it's really unfortunate that the two teams in the qualifiers who have a real chance of making it to the last four of the All-Ireland are going to knock each other out in the first round, Armagh and Monaghan. It always seems to happen to Ulster, and in particular to Monaghan. I don't know what Banty McEnaney has done wrong, but he gets no luck with these draws at all.

That's the stand-out draw, it'll probably be at Clones and it'll draw a big crowd. Whoever wins it can soon forget their Ulster championship disappointment, they'll look at this as a whole new season about to start. From what I've seen of the two teams, I'd nearly expect Monaghan to come through it.

There were three or four teams in the draw that Fermanagh would have wanted to be drawn against, and Wicklow would have been one of them. The only setback is having to go to Aughrim. Donegal will be happy enough with their draw against Carlow, but I think that Down are unfortunate to have drawn London.

There'll be nothing to be learned from it. It's going to be a nothing game with no relevance to anything. They're on a hiding to nothing, they'll win it and win it comfortably. All they want to do is get it over and done with and move onto the next week without any more negativity.

Overall, I think all of the Ulster teams will be happy enough with the draws they got, and now the hard work starts for July 4.