Orchard determined to bounce back

by RICHARD BULLICK

ARMAGH will be expected to bounce back from the devastating loss of their Ulster title by completing a hat-trick of victories over Laois this season in Saturday’s opening All Ireland Senior Championship match at O’Moore Park (2pm).

Orchard hopes of being crowned provincial champions for a fourth consecutive season were dashed by bitter rivals Donegal at Owenbeg but it is hoped that the hurt from that disappointing defeat will simply make Armagh more determined to hit fresh heights.

This looks like the most open All Ireland race for many years with all eight provincial finalists fancying their chances of claiming the top prize yet none of them looking like absolute bankers to reach the last four of the competition.

Back-to-back All Ireland champions Meath have lost their manager since failing to stop Dublin making it 10 Leinster titles in a row while last year’s runners-up and this season’s National League winners Kerry were beaten by Cork in the Munster showpiece.

Mayo’s reward for defeating Galway to become Connacht champions for the first time since 2016 is being top seeds in Group A and they will travel to face Armagh at the Athletic Grounds in a televised tie on Sunday week.

Before then, Shane McCormack’s side are strongly tipped to return to winning ways away to last season’s Intermediate title winners Laois, though the fact Armagh had just five points to spare against them twice in recent months should ensure no Orchard complacency.

With skipper Kelly Mallon and ace markswoman Aimee Mackin misfiring, it took a composed point from schoolgirl Maeve Lennon to help steady Armagh during a 0-10 to 0-5 victory when Laois came to the cathedral city for a National League game back in February.

It was the same margin when the teams met again in the NFL Division Two final at Croke Park in mid-April even though Armagh got off to a dream start that afternoon with an astonishing four goals in the opening nine minutes including an Aimee Mackin hat-trick.

Along with the title and trophy on offer, that first Armagh victory at headquarters for more than a decade secured a return to top flight football for Armagh after a six-year absence since suffering relegation from Division One back in 2017.

We’re well used to the mantra of championship being everything in gaelic games but there’s actually an argument that clinching overdue promotion was of greater strategic importance to Armagh this spring than bagging another Ulster title.

Of course, the Orchard crew wanted to do both things, and failing to retain the provincial crown is a real regret, but playing all the top teams in the country next spring will bring undoubted benefits for Armagh moving forward.

Relinquishing their status as Ulster champions has been tough to take, compounded by the fact there is no love lost between Armagh and Donegal, plus the anguish of knowing that they performed well below what this side is capable of.

However, there has been no negative repercussion in terms of the All Ireland draw as Armagh have arguably got a slightly easier group on paper than new Ulster champions Donegal, who have been bracketed with Meath and first division side Waterford.

Laois have improved markedly since Armagh hammered them 7-18 to 1-9 in last season’s Division Two semi-final and possess more than useful forwards in 2022 All Ireland Intermediate Player of the Year Mo Nerney and AFLW-bound Erone Fitzpatrick.

They will benefit from home advantage in Portlaoise this weekend and can take confidence from the character shown in recovering from that horror start in Croke Park to push table toppers Armagh much closer than anticipated.

Additionally, there must be considerable doubt about whether Armagh’s most prolific forward Aimee Mackin, who has scored 12-43 in county colours this season so far, will feature at O’Moore Park after being injured in the Ulster final at the end of last month.

The 26-year-old former All Ireland Player of the Year had to leave the field following a lengthy stoppage after taking a heavy fall, though younger sibling Blaithin Mackin gave a cautiously positive update on her at the following day’s All Ireland launch.

Whatever about the prospect of tougher games ahead, Armagh should have enough firepower to see off Laois even if the elder Mackin sits this one out, with Silverbridge’s Niamh Reel a relatively experienced player to call upon up front in
her place.

A bit unlucky not to be in the team anyway due to the quality of rivals, Reel could slot in alongside the formidable duo of Mallon and Aoife McCoy, who have hit 4-24 and 6-5 respectively this season, and are capable of shouldering extra responsibility if required.

Armagh have had two top-class left-footed free-takers for most of the past decade but could conceivably be without both Aimee Mackin and former Orchard captain Caroline O’Hanlon as they start their latest quest for All Ireland glory.

With Leeds Rhinos involved in Friday’s British Fast5 All Stars netball tournament, any return to the orange jersey for the legendary O’Hanlon would appear unlikely until at least the following weekend’s Mayo match.

Having picked up a significant shoulder injury playing for Rhinos a few days after scoring a match-changing 2-1 away to Tipperary, O’Hanlon’s only Armagh action since March was the last few minutes of the league final in Croke Park.

So Armagh are much less reliant on O’Hanlon now than when she scored 2-6 against Laois in the 2014 All Ireland quarter-final, though the Orchard could have done with her experienced, composed presence against Donegal last time out.

Against a packed defence, the orangewomen went 20 minutes without scoring in spite of having a strong breeze behind them in the first half, alternating between patient build-up play and taking poor percentage pot-shots.

Boosted by the surprise return of All Star forward Niamh Hegarty, underdogs Donegal got six points without reply in that period, which left Armagh with an uphill struggle facing into the wind after the break.

Their task was compounded by the unfortunate loss of Aimee Mackin and, although Armagh managed to get their noses in front again just afterwards, they were one down when Donegal put the match to bed with the game’s only goal just before the final whistle.

McCormack’s women went into the final on the back of 10 wins from 10 matches this season but not having been tested enough previously left them undercooked for facing a Donegal side smarting for revenge after losing the last two deciders to Armagh.

Blaithin Mackin had a very quiet final for a player of her class and Lauren McConville wasn’t able to make as many effective forays forward as usual, though her wing backs Emily Druse and Grace Ferguson carried a lot of ball down the flanks.

Strapping teenager Caitriona O’Hagan, who started against Laois in Croke Park, made an impact off the bench at Owenbeg, including kicking a confident equalising score from fairly long range.

The Carrickcruppen prospect could come into contention for a starting spot this Saturday, while experienced players like Shane O’Neills skipper Louise Kenny and the fit-again Tiarna Grimes offer options from the bench at least.

Crossmaglen fire-cracker Alex Clarke is out for the rest of the season after sustaining a nasty knee injury in training and her explosive pace and power were badly missed against Donegal, especially when Aimee Mackin was off the field.

Another useful forward Aoife Lennon left the panel for personal reasons during the league campaign but her young namesake Maeve has shown pleasing potential and Crossmaglen newcomer Aoibheann McConville is also waiting in the wings.

A visiting victory certainly can’t be taken for granted but this fixture feels like the perfect chance for Armagh to get back on track by picking up an away win which would set them up for the following Sunday’s showdown with Mayo at Orchard headquarters.

The first of four Senior Championship matches this Saturday sees Donegal host Waterford in Lifford (1pm) while two group games will be televised live by headline sponsors TG4, Dublin against Kerry at Parnell Park (5pm) and Galway against Cork in Pearse Stadium (7.30pm).

Those last four sides would all be expected to progress to the last eight but whoever wins will be favourites to top Group C and D respectively and thus secure home quarter-finals next month.

Meanwhile, Antrim continued their fantastic season with a brilliant away win against Westmeath in their opening All Ireland Intermediate Championship group game to add to the prize scalps of Monaghan and Tyrone already taken in the provincial competition.

Westmeath were relegated from the Senior Championship last summer while Antrim claimed the All Ireland Junior title by seeing off Fermanagh in a replay and have gone from strength to strength since.

Captain Cathy Carey has already lifted two pieces of silverware in the current campaign, with Antrim winning NFL Division Four and then securing their first Ulster Intermediate title with a convincing victory over Tyrone at Owenbeg.

They continued their rise with Sunday’s exciting 2-17 to 4-7 triumph over Westmeath in a cracking game in Mullingar where Orlaith Prenter top-scored with 1-7 and Maria O’Neill netted the second goal late on for the Saffrons.

Emma Kelly’s Antrim are now in pole position in Group D, which is completed by Longford, while elsewhere on the opening weekend of the second tier competition there were wins for Tyrone, Clare, Kildare and Wexford.