Clones and Thurles are now the only iconic grounds left that provide the ultimate in provincial championship final atmosphere. It’s as much about the town, the hill and the patrons as it is about the ground.

Armagh boss Kieran McGeeney has questioned if his team are getting enough frees and admitted it could require a change in tactics to address the issue.

Connor McAliskey scored a goal on his first game for Tyrone in exactly a year as the Red Hands beat Antrim 4-20 to 2-11 in the Athletic Grounds.

Jamie Clarke was in sublime form as Armagh marched into next Saturday’s All-Ireland quarter-final against Dublin or Tyrone.

A Jamie Clarke goal in the 70th minute propelled Armagh into the fourth round of the qualifiers, writes Eoghan Cormican

He would have been entitled to feel smug or wag a finger in the general direction of his detractors after a torrid 18 months, but Eamonn Burns instead used his winning platform to heap praise on his unfancied Down team after they pulled off the county’s first Ulster championship win over Armagh in 25 years.

Down scored a first Championship win over Armagh in 25 years, but they won’t be making any bold forecasts of a major breakthrough following this unconvincing success against a misfiring opponent.

Kieran McGeeney hopes the returning Jamie Clarke “gives himself the best chance” to prove his class with Armagh in 2017.

When my four-year-old son Ryan came home from school last week to tell me he wasn’t as fast as two of his classmates, my immediate reaction was, do I need to get him in the back garden with the therabands, maybe some resistance running? Perhaps even a sleigh with some light weights on it?

John Fogarty considers the promotion prospects of the sides hoping to join the top tier.

Armagh 2-17 Wicklow 2-7: Shooting practice will be taking centre stage at Armagh training sessions over the next two weeks, with Kieran McGeeney labelling some of their misses in the Athletic Grounds on Saturday as "criminal".

Armagh 0-16 Fermanagh 0-11: It may ‘only’ have been the Division Three Allianz league final, but Armagh showed enough in Croke Park on Saturday night to suggest they have the tools to become a team worth fearing again.

Sligo 1-19 Armagh 1-08: Sharpshooter Adrian Marren scored eight points as an improving Sligo retained their Division 3 status with an 11-point defeat of a lethargic Armagh at Markievicz Park.

Claire 1-11, Armagh 3-11:

Limerick 1-6 Armagh 2-16

IT was a match where they were strongly challenged, but during the critical closing phase Armagh produced the goods to swing yesterday’s ESB All-Ireland MFC final at Croke Park in their direction.

COLLIDING with a strong and forceful Armagh outfit proved fatal to Kerry’s 2009 minor football ambitions in yesterday’s All-Ireland MFC semi-final at Croke Park.