Similar to how international soccer and Rugby World Cup winners place a star above their crest, Cross’ do something similar, with six silver crosses dotted above their club crest.

Cunningham was an excellent player on the Cross team which ignited that odyssey when winning their first three All-Irelands in 1997, 1999 and 2000, captaining the 2000 side. Crossmaglen’s modern identity was framed in that period but consistently maintaining that standard was bound to set a merciless barometer.

“This is where we want to be,” said Cunningham to Frehill. “We probably let ourselves down last year at this stage so we just want to correct that.” 

How must they feel now? Scoring only 0-4 in an Ulster championship match is even harder to stomach considering Cross failed to score after the 26th minute. They only got off seven shots in the second half but failed to convert a single one. Their conversion rate over the 60 plus minutes was a paltry 27%. From play, it was just 18%.

Those are unbelievable numbers for Crossmaglen but their numbers are nothing like they used to be. In the 20 years prior to 2015, Cross played in the Ulster championship in 19 of those 20 seasons, winning it 11 times. They never once lost a final during that period. It was an unprecedented level of dominance for any club team. Although Nemo Rangers have more provincial titles than any other club, they still didn’t manage to stockpile as many as Cross did inside two decades.

Since that Ulster crusade finished though, Cross have been experiencing days they never thought they’d see, especially as they kept winning Armagh titles; since their last Ulster title, Cross have played just five games in four Ulster campaigns - and have won just one. They have lost their last two games in Ulster by an aggregate margin of 10 points. Their average score in those two games was just 0-8.

This was another serious reality check. Trillick mined their last five scores from three of their own kickouts, all of which came after Cross wides, along with two cheap turnovers. 

Trillick kicked some brilliant late points, especially from Ryan Gray, Lee Brennan and Richie Donnelly, but they were a much slicker, cohesive and well-drilled machine, especially in the second half. 

Similar to Ballybay last year - in comparison to Cross - Trillick also looked more athletic and better conditioned. Being ahead and in control late on does often skew the perception of a team in that position, compared to the side chasing - but Trillick seemed to have way more gas in their legs.

For Cross though, the chase in Ulster has been going on for a lot longer than just Saturday night.

Beggan proves his kicking greatness

In the 61th minute of yesterday’s Scotstown-Kilcoo Ulster SFC quarter-final, with Kilcoo ahead by one point, Rory Beggan found himself in possession just outside the Kilcoo 45-metre line. With nowhere to go, Beggan spotted Jason Carey about 33m from goal. There were four Kilcoo defenders within four metres of Carey but it didn’t matter - Beggan clipped a perfectly weighted pass into Carey, who won the mark, before slotting it to level the match.

After the sides traded scores again, with Kieran Hughes’ brilliant point from a mark again levelling the scores, Hughes was fouled again on the last play, which again came just after a short Kilcoo kickout. Hughes instantly beckoned to Beggan, who clinched the game with the last kick of the match from just outside the 45-metre line close to the sideline.

Beggan’s contribution was absolutely colossal. When Scotstown were trailing by two in the 59th minute, he nailed a difficult free on the 45-metre line. Then he got a flick on the subsequent Kilcoo kickout, which secured possession for Scotstown, kick-starting the phase of play which led to Carey’s equaliser.

The goalkeeper finished the match with 0-3, which included a monster score from play from just inside the Kilcoo 65-metre line early in the second half. His clutch kicking was all the more impressive again because it looked like Beggan’s radar was off in the first half when kicking three wides.

However, when the need was greatest, Beggan again proved his kicking greatness.

Third quarter masterclass from Kilcormac-Killoughey

No matter what time of the year of the year it is, the breeze blowing down the field in Wexford Park towards the coast always appears to be a weapon. Wexford teams, at all levels, are well used to playing with and against the elements but decommissioning that threat is often much harder than it appears for the opposition.

In 2020, Mark Fanning scored a point from play in a league game against Clare. Later that season, Fanning scored a point from a free just outside his own 13-metre line for Glynn-Barntown in a club match against St Anne’s. Thirty-seven minutes into yesterday’s Leinster club quarter-final, Kilcormac-Killoughey goalkeeper Conor Slevin played a quick one-two with full-back Oisin Mahon on a short puckout before launching the ball long and high. As it dropped outside the square, the sliotar glanced off the fingertips of James Gorman and deflected into the net past goalkeeper Jack Cushe.

Despite Naomh Éanna having done well against the breeze in the first half of the county final three months ago, and that they were still only three points down, the game already felt over. It was within seconds when Gorman caressed a long ball (it didn’t appear that it broke off him again) with his fingers into the path of Adam Screeney, who drove it past Cushe into the side netting.

The first goal was the trigger for KK to blow their opponents away in the third quarter, when scoring 2-5 (2-4 unanswered) from just seven shots. KK were just running riot by then, sourcing 2-1 of that total off puckouts, with the other 0-4 coming from Naomh Éanna turnovers.

Playing against that Wexford Park breeze saw KK cough up 0-6 from turnovers in the first half, but they were much slicker after that break. The Wexford champions were bound to struggle after coming off the back of a three-month lay-off and the comparative efficiency levels proved as much; KK only had three more shots but their conversion rate was 69% compared to Naomh Éanna’s 44%.

The Wexford side did manufacture seven decent good goalscoring chances but Slevin made four saves. Just as importantly, the KK players consistently put heat on the Naomh Éanna player in possession, with their hooking, blocking and tackling being just as impressive as their shooting.

Cillian Kiely led that charge but so did Screeney, one of the most exciting young forwards in the country. He ended the match with 1-2 from play, as well as an assist, but Screeney also made two tackles which led to turnovers and KK scores, one of which he slotted from a free.

These are exciting times for Kilcormac-Killoughey, not just because of how good they were yesterday, but of how good this team could yet become in Offaly and beyond; ten of the squad were part of the Offaly U20 panel which reached this year’s All-Ireland final, but only five featured amongst the 20 players used yesterday.

Seriously impressive.