Carr: Ulster title still a big deal

Down manager Ross Carr insists the Ulster football championship hasn’t been devalued by Tyrone’s All-Ireland triumph via the backdoor route.

Carr, whose Down side consigned the Red Hands to the All-Ireland qualifiers following their Ulster first round win in June, believes that the Sam Maguire Cup holders will be going all out to win both provincial and All-Ireland honours in 2009.

He said: "If you told the Tyrone players they would win next year’s All-Ireland by the backdoor route once more, they would probably take it.

"But the Tyrone players have this fierce hunger to win. They will be going all out to win the Ulster as well as the All-Ireland.

"We had to go to a replay, and to extra-time in the second game, to get the better of Tyrone by just a point. Tyrone, of course, did not take the decision to win it via the backdoor - that was just the way things panned out."