You've gone a few Sundays without seeing it now, but trust us, you soon will. We speak about the phenomenon that is the tactical rest.

Notice that when any opponent of theirs is building up momentum, Armagh's veterans are prone to minor, temporary injuries. Tyrone have; Peter Canavan spoke last Christmas of the lessons of Sligo 2002 and "that here could have been a time when someone needed to go down for a minute or two to allow everyone find their shape." But just in case you still doubt such gamesmanship exists, consider this story one well-known former intercounty manager tells.

He's driving through another county and picking up a local championship match on his radio. The team his friend is a selector with are seven points up entering the last 10 minutes when the opposition score a goal, followed by two points. The next thing, the selector's mobile is ringing. "Get a man to go down! Now!" Moments later the former inter-county manager can hear his friend telling a player, "Go down!

Now!" How does the story end? The player obliges, the game is stopped, so is the other team's momentum, and the selector's side hold on by two points. True.