Armagh men hoping to break Galway championship hoodoo

CARRICK-ON-SHANNON in County Leitrim is the venue for Sunday’s All-Ireland Group 2 final round robin game involving Armagh and Galway.

Both counties had submitted a request to the GAA’s CCCC to have the match moved to Croke Park, but their request was turned down and the contest will be staged in Leitrim as originally planned (4pm).

Both counties were concerned about capacity issues with the Carrick-on-Shannon venue able to facilitate just over 9,000 fans.

As one of the best supported counties in the country Armagh supporters could almost fill the ground on their own, so tickets will be an issue. Maybe not, as the game is a kind of a dead rubber with both counties possibly already through to the quarter-finals. Armagh, however, could be in trouble should they lose to Galway and Westmeath beat Tyrone by a sizeable margin.

The last time Armagh played in Carrick-on-Shannon was back in 2013 when they hammered Leitrim 8-13 to 0-10 in the second round of the qualifiers.

Armagh have yet to beat Galway in the championship. In 2001 Galway won by a point (0-13 to 0-12) in Round 3 of the Qualifiers in Croke Park, which ended the management tenure of Brian McAlinden and Brian Canavan. The next meeting was in 2013, also a Round 3 game, Galway victorious on a 1-11 to 0-9 scoreline in Salthill. Two years later the sides crossed swords again, this time in Round 2 of the Qualifiers, Galway winning 1-12 to 0-12. And the most recent success was last year’s penalty shoot-out in Croke Park.

Armagh have a chance of heading Group 2 and going straight through to quarter-finals, if they beat Galway. Should they lose and Westmeath are beaten by Tyrone, Armagh will finish third and could possible be facing an away trip to Kerry in the preliminary quarter-finals.

Few would dispute that this year’s beaten Ulster champions are not the most fortunate of counties. A change of luck would certainly be welcomed by their loyal supporters who have suffered many frustrating and agonising days out, watching their team lose games that should have been won.

Manager Kieran McGeeney would agree wholeheartedly and lays the blame on poor execution of scoring chances plus a failure of not going for the jugular with the winning post in sight.

This is the first year of the new group system which has already become under fire ,as has the boring style of possession football and the standard in general. Whilst there has been a levelling out, to some degree, on the domination front, it’s unlikely there will be any real surprises in the 2023 search for Sam. Kerry, Dublin, Mayo, Galway and Tyrone would still be the fancied lot to be in the mix-up, though Derry may not be too far away. It’s exactly 20 years since Armagh last contested the All-Ireland. As defending champions they lost out to neighbours Tyrone.

Whilst Galway were not overly impressive in their previous Round Robin games they are still serious contenders for this year’s All-Ireland. They beat Tyrone 0-16 to 0-13 in Salthill and Westmeath 0-20 to 0-12 in Mullingar. Tyrone had a player red-carded early in the game and were without their keeper Niall Morgan for ten minutes after picking up a back card. So there was a period when the Red Hands were down to 13. They were the more purposeful side in the second half and kept chipping away at the Galway lead. Westmeath matched Galway for 55 minutes but faded after going down to 14 men. In the end the Tribesmen were comfortable eight points victors.

Former Galway All-Ireland winner Padraic Joyce is now in charge, a tremendous motivator and clever tactician. His team has talent all over the pitch, some of the best forwards the game, a strong midfield and well structured in defence. They play a double sweeper, which makes life difficult for attacking teams. Perhaps the best way to crack the system is to shoot from distance. Have Armagh enough long shooters to go down that road?

Keeper Conor Gleenon can be suspect under the high ball which Armagh proved in the last year’s All-Ireland qualifier in Croke Park and no doubt they will target him again.

The Galway forwards led by Shane Walsh, Damien Comer and Rob Finnerty are going to very very hard to contain. Paul Conroy and Matthew Tierney form a strong midfield partnership, an area where Armagh haven’t all their sorrows to seek. And their

support play is also excellent, players in the calibre of Johnny Heaney, Peter Cooke, Cillian McDaid, Cathal Sweeney and Ian Burke,always full of running and creating space.

So a major task for Kieran McGeeney’s men facing the Connacht champions and last year’s All-Ireland beaten finalists. Armagh showed in the opening 20 minutes against Tyrone and in the final quarter, that they are capable of cutting through teams, carving out goal chances but they are not putting them away. They will have to attack Galway, not show them too much respect and hopefully they will bringing their shooting boots along. This will be the fifth championship meeting between the sides and as the saying goes ‘there is always a first time’, but this has yet to happen Armagh at this level of competition.

As well as the 2022 Croke Park championship triumph, Galway also got the better of the Armagh in the penultimate round of this year Division 1 NFL programme, played at the Box-It Athletic Grounds. These were two games Armagh should have won which may heighten morale. However, the Orchard’s mission will be all the more testing should their talisman and leading scorer Rian O’Neill not be available through suspension.But they did show in the second half against Tyrone, without O’Neill, they are far from a one-man band.

In the absence of O’ Neill the free taking duties will most likely be shared by Rory Grugan,Conor Turbitt and Ethan Rafferty.

Whilst a number of long-termed injured players have returned to the training ground including Oisin O’ Neill, they are unlikely to feature, having been out of action for so long. However,should Armagh’s championship trail be lengthened they could possibly sample some of the action.

It’s hard to envisage many sweeping changes for Sunday’s encounter,but there will be some. The decision to play Callum Cumiskey at centre half-back against Tyrone didn’t work out, so it will probably be Greg McCabe wearing the No 6 shirt. There is a doubt over the injured James Morgan, and if unavailable Barry McCambridge or Paddy Burns may be called upon.

Ben Crealey and Ciaran Mackin should line out at midfield whilst Stefan Campbell, Rory Grugan, Andrew Murnin, Conor Turbitt and Jason Duffy, should hold on to their forward positions.

Murnin, again in the absence of Rian O’Neill,will undertake an alternating role between full-forward and midfield. Joint-captain Aiden Nugent, Shane McPartlan, Martin McQuillan and Oisin Conaty will all be in the mix for a starting place in attack.

Irrespective of Armagh’s attacking game, should it be run at them or the long ball, probably a mixture of both, it’s imperative that they do attack and play less of possession football and back passing. Marauding keeper Ethan Rafferty has been the most colouring act in both the league and championship, He keeps energising the team, but there is still a tendency to slow it down. A good sensible kick pass can be more rewarding than a dozen or more static outfield hand-passes. Perhaps if a few leafs were taken out of the old game, modern day Gaelic football many be a lot easier on the eye.

Galway will be the strong favourites but Armagh may have gained enough confidence from their second half spirited performance (with 14 men) against Tyrone, to upset the odds.