Éamonn Fitzmaurice: Hats off to the poster boys of persistence

It's all about McGeeney but Kieran Donaghy also has an unquantifiable X-Factor which has manifested itself throughout his career. He may consider his missionary work complete now and come home to add his star factor to Kerry.

TRIUMPHANT: Armagh manager Kieran McGeeney is lifted by his selectors Kieran Donaghy and Ciarán McKeever. Pic: Harry Murphy/Sportsfile

AS expected this year’s All-Ireland final proved a tense arm wrestle. Once more the bare minimum separated these modern rivals. Earlier in the week, Pádraic Joyce outlined he expected it to be so. He felt that if either team won by five or six points it would be down to a complete malfunction from the losers.

Neither side malfunctioned but neither cut loose either, hence the closeness of the encounter. In that beautiful tribute to John O’Mahony aired on the big screens in Croke Park before the semi-final when talking about winning or losing an All-Ireland he described it perfectly: “There is a very thin line between winning and losing. But the different experience on either side of that line is oceans and oceans apart. It is heavenly or devastating.”