Aaron Kernan is expecting a more competitive Ulster SFC this summer as more teams from the province are going on the front foot.

Ulster football has become synonmous with dour, defensive football in recent years but Kernan has noticed a shift in outlook during the league, with more expansive approaches being adopted:

"I see a change in approach from them all, which is great," the former Armagh defender comments in The Irish News. "The calibre of football to express themselves within Ulster isn't in doubt. I think the problem within Ulster is everybody is afraid of being that team that leaves themselves exposed at the back. We're nearly all too cagey.

"What sort of happened in Ulster was that teams were saying 'but they're going to play defensive, we can't go all-out attack here and push up on them'. That's what Ulster developed into.

"So the fact we saw Tyrone, Monaghan, Donegal pushing out in Division One, having the confidence to have a go, was great. It's no coincidence that Cavan got promoted doing the same thing, Armagh got promoted doing the same thing. It builds a bit more confidence within the players if they're allowed to go and express themselves, and trust themselves a wee bit more."

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