Gilligan questions need to rush All-Ireland draw

Armagh selector Conleith Gilligan says he is "absolutely not surprised" the All-Ireland SFC group stage draw again took place before the four provincial finals but that he nevertheless didn't agree with the sequencing.

Speaking at a media day for the 10 May Ulster Final between Donegal and the All-Ireland champions, Gilligan said "anything that takes away focus isn't good for the teams that are there [in the provincial finals]".

Wednesday's All-Ireland SFC draw was four days in advance of Sunday's Connacht and Munster Finals, with the Leinster decider between Louth and Meath being played on 11 May.

"Maybe it looks like you have to be fair to the other teams who are preparing, so maybe the extra time is good for them and whether the draw being made on [the] Monday morning makes it more difficult for those teams - it probably does," said Gilligan.

"But 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, because even if it takes away one per cent of focus, it's still something extra to manage."

Reacting to Armagh's possible group opponents, Gilligan insisted that Sam Maguire Cup holders avoiding what's being dubbed the 'Group of Death' may not make their task any easier.

The losers of the Ulster final will be placed into the tough looking Group Four alongside the beaten Connacht finalists - either Galway or Mayo - as well as Dublin and Derry.

The Ulster Final winners will be in Group one alongside Tyrone, Cavan and the winners of this weekend's Connacht decider.

"Group One doesn't look any better, so it depends what way you want to get thrown off a cliff to a degree," added the Armagh selector.

However Gilligan insisted that the squad's total focus at the moment has to be the Ulster decider where they will attempt to win the county's first provincial title since 2008.

"Next Monday morning [after the Ulster final] it's going to be unbelievably important, because then you have to start preparing who have you got, are you home or away, what are the dates and times, do you have to travel… so come next Monday morning that'll be huge.

"But for now, the Ulster final and a packed house in Clones is kind of where it's at.

"At the start of the year, if you were offered it, that's what you'd take all day long. And 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."

In terms of Armagh's injury count, which contributed to them beginning Saturday's Ulster semi-final win over Tyrone with only six of last July's All-Ireland Final starters, Gilligan reported that Aidan Forker and Niall Grimley are fully fit again and should be in contention for the provincial final starting spots.

Skipper Forker, who has been bothered by a back injury this season, came on as a second-half substitute in the opening Ulster win over Antrim but while he was initially named in the starting line-up for the Tyrone game, he didn't feature against the Red Hands.

All-Ireland Final goalscorer Aaron McKay is continuing to recover from hip surgery and along with Joe McElroy won't feature in the Ulster Final but both should be ready for roles during the remainder of the championship.

There continues to be uncertainty around Ciaran Mackin's prospects of making a quick return after a recurrence of knee trouble ruled him out of the Antrim game when he had been initially named in the team.

Mackin sustained a cruciate ligament injury last June which caused him to miss the conclusion of the All-Ireland campaign and made his return to action during the closing stages of the Allianz Football League.

"Ciaran's still getting looked at; we're still not 100 per cent sure. He's back running and stuff, but any of the tests that have come back have been a wee bit more inconclusive," added the Armagh selector.