I think most people’s heads are still spinning from the overload of the last few weeks. The way in which hurling and football have cut across each other has not alone rushed the championship but really provided less than ideal promotional activity for both of our sports.
It’s a pity because this has been a really significant football championship and massive credit to Armagh. They persisted and survived longer than anyone else this year.
Both Armagh and Galway brought a freshness to this year’s All-Ireland and that was needed because too few counties have been featuring on the biggest day of the year. It has also probably given hope or optimism to lots of others because so much of the Armagh narrative has been about this group of players and their steely resolve.
They have always projected the line that they weren’t knocked out of the championship for the past two years by being beaten on the field.
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In the final they did what they do. They persist and survive. Galway will have all sorts of regrets but it’s what Armagh do. From the 46th to the 76th minutes – half an hour of football – they scored just two points but Galway only managed three.
They kicked wides, they dropped it short, got blocked but still only lost by a point. As poorly as they played, it wouldn’t have taken much more.
With the benefit of a very elevated view of the match, I was really shocked by Galway’s attacking set-up for the game – the number of players that they positioned outside the 45 was unbelievable. They ended up facing an orange wall.
If some of those Galway players took up positions closer to goal, they would have needed to be marked, which would have freed up more space around the top of the D and the 20m line for shots.
Instead, they kept the ball outside the 45 and were running into each other. It was something I thought they might sort out at half-time but they didn’t. They really relied on Paul Conroy’s expertise in long-range score-taking and also on fast counter-attacking off defensive turnovers.
But once Armagh got Galway into the sideways movement and long periods of lateral passing, their wall was there. I would have strongly associated greater nous with this Galway side but it just wasn’t there for some reason.
They played with two inside: Damien Comer and Rob Finnerty. When Finnerty had to go off they lost that second body and Matthew Tierney was designated to go inside. Every other player was outside running into both Armagh bodies and their own men.
They needed to unblock that area instead of adding to the problem. Finnerty was a terrible loss so early in the match. As well as a reliable scorer, he had 1-11 in assists this season. Galway relied on him, as the two other marquee forwards, Comer and Shane Walsh weren’t going well and neither was Tierney, whose form fell away drastically since the end of the league.
Comer couldn’t get going. Nobody was looking up for him. I know there is a reluctance to kick into a blanket but it’s risk-reward and there was still opportunity to probe and to execute shorter, more precise kick-passes.
In fact, overall the inside lines produced very little: Comer nothing, Walsh, a point from play, Finnerty, nothing from play in the few minutes he was on, Tierney nothing. Armagh got 1-6 from their back eight and nothing from Conor Turbitt, Andrew Murnin and Rory Grugan.
It’s a commentary on modern football, which is increasingly played in the middle third and revolves around the counter and breaking down attacks.
Even as a manager, Kieran McGeeney has developed the reputation of being a warrior with that Spartan fervour – a sort of extension of his playing persona – but he is a far more complex individual.
When it came to the intricacies of in-play tactics and management of group dynamics and injuries and personal bereavement, it has been a managerial masterclass.
He has provided proper football management both of people and tactics, which can get overlooked. Armagh had their own injury issues. Ciarán Mackin had been centre back and the entire defensive structure was built around him. Armagh lost him midseason.
Niall Grimley didn’t play any league or provincial championship and fits in immediately. Barry McCambridge is probably front-runner for FOTY and didn’t make an appearance until the Ulster final. Their defensive structure has been watertight. There wasn’t even a hint of a goal chance on Sunday.
For over a year, Ethan Rafferty was their go-to play as a sweeper keeper. Blaine Hughes walked from the panel as a result. To change that all around after Rafferty got injured and then persuade Hughes to come back was a major feat of man management.
They have struck a balance between getting forward and keeping a strong defence – and are also creative in attack in terms of that spine formation and mixing up kick-passing and hard running.
McGeeney’s lack of ego in bringing in high-quality coaches has been recognised. Aidan Forker spoke about Ciarán McKeever and the defensive side of things.
The bench impact again was important. Oisín O’Neill came in and kicked his point and also put the ball over the top for Niall Grimley’s score. Soupy Campbell was introduced and almost immediately set up the crucial goal. Jarly Óg Burns was the one who created O’Neill’s point.
McGeeney has also devised a new Rian O’Neill position this year and managed Oisín Conaty brilliantly in his first year,
Teams have learned that you cannot rely on one or a few players. The full forwards as mentioned got no score in the final, which would normally be enough to sink the whole enterprise.
I don’t know whether these collective configurations in which everyone gets an opportunity to contribute are as a result of slow attacks, which require everyone’s involvement. Everyone has a responsibility. Look at the scoring contributions of Tom O’Sullivan, Brian Ó Beaglaoich, Barry McCambridge, Peadar Mogan, Ryan McHugh, Aidan Forker, Dylan McHugh and Liam Silke. The list goes on.
Some of Sunday’s key turnovers came from Cillian McDaid, just as Damien Comer managed against Dublin.
Are managers of the view, with the intensity of fixture schedules and the resulting injury problems, that relying on a small number of players just isn’t wise?
