Tyrone manager Mickey Harte today admitted that his team’s burning desire to land back-to- back All Ireland football titles may be viewed in a rather different light following the 2009 Championship draw.

The Red Hands have been paired with Armagh in the first round of the Ulster Championship and the winners will then meet either Derry or Monaghan in the semi-final.

With Armagh having won seven of the last ten Ulster crowns, Harte has acknowledged that his team face “a hard route” if they are to become provincial champions and thus avoid the Qualifier route.

“Armagh’s record in Ulster is well known. To be meeting them in the first round is a huge task and even if we were to win,

then having to play against either Monaghan or Derry would be another difficult assignment,” said Harte.

But the manager’s deep-seated desire to land back-to-back All Ireland titles is enthusiastically shared by his players.

Today Sean Cavanagh, man of the match in the All Ireland final, confirmed that retaining ‘Sam’ is a major goal, although the Ulster crown will also be a priority.

“We had a squad meeting last week and all the players were united in the belief that we want to win both Ulster and ‘Sam’ in 2009,” he said.