By Michael McMullan

WHILE Armagh are getting the majority of their players back in contention for a starting berth ahead of Saturday week’s Ulster final, there is still a cloud over Ciaran Mackin.

After missing the business end of last season with an ACL injury, he made a return against Kerry and Derry in the league campaign before picking up another knee injury on the mouth of their Ulster opener with Antrim.

Speaking at Thursday’s Ulster final launch on the Glenpark Estate, near Omagh, Armagh coach Conleith Gilligan spoke of the unknown nature of the Shane O’Neill’s man.

“Ciaran’s still getting looked at,” Gilligan said. “We’re still not 100 per cent sure. He’s back running, but any of the tests that have come back have been a wee bit more inconclusive. That’s where it’s at at the minute with him.”

Tiernan Kelly played part of the win over Antrim before being replaced when Ethan Rafferty got black-carded. Jason Duffy has missed the last four games.

Joe McElroy has played a combined 29 minutes, against Kerry and Derry, since last summer’s All-Ireland final.

Aaron McKay hasn’t played at all since the win over Galway and his vital goal on the way to lifting Sam. He recently went through an operation for a hip injury, with the All-Ireland series now a target for a return.

“Niall’s (Grimley) back training hard again, so Niall will be back available for selection,” Gilligan added.

“The likes of Joe and Aaron, it’ll still be too tight yet, but the rest of the boys are starting to come back at the right time, thankfully.”

While Armagh and Donegal shoot out for the Anglo Celt Cup on Saturday week, there is also a new focus on the horizon after Wednesday’s draw for the All-Ireland group stages.

For the losers in Clones, they face into Group Four with Dublin, Derry and the winners of this weekend’s Connacht final between Galway and Mayo.

The Ulster winners are into Group One with the loser of the Connacht decider, Ulster duo Cavan and Tyrone. For Gilligan, he wasn’t buying into Group Four’s “group of death” tag.

“Group One doesn’t look any better,” he said, “so it depends what way you want to get thrown off a cliff, to a degree.

“Ultimately, it doesn’t matter, in as far as now is concerned. Next Monday morning it’s going to be unbelievably important.”

That’s when the planning starts. Hotels. Journeys. Logistics. That’s what Monday week will bring.

“For now, the Ulster final and a packed house in Clones is kind of where it’s at,” he added. “At the start of the year, if you were offered it, that’s what you’d take all day long.

“While the importance of it differs from what it was maybe 20 years ago, for Ulster counties the Ulster Championship’s still huge and it’s still really important.”

Much of the narrative his week surrounded the need to have the All-Ireland draws before a provincial final ball has been kicked. There is always a call for change in that regard. Nothing has changed but Gilligan isn’t surprised.

“Look, anything that takes away focus isn’t good for the teams that are there,” he added. “I suppose there’s eight teams that it’s difficult for.

“Maybe it looks like you have to be fair to the other teams [not in the provincial finals] who are preparing, so maybe the extra time is good for them.

“Whether the draw being made on Monday morning makes it more difficult for those teams – it probably does.

“I still think that draw on a Monday, after the provincial finals, might have been probably easier for those teams in the final, for sure. Even if it takes away one per cent of focus, it’s still something extra to manage.”

Dessie Mone looks at the All-Ireland SFC draw in the latest Gaelic Lives podcast