Éamonn Fitzmaurice: Kerry-Armagh will come down to Páidí's grain of rice
ORANGE WARNING: Armagh manager Kieran McGeeney with Armagh supporters. Pic: Ben McShane/Sportsfile
“I found that a really tricky hole to get out of. It kind of worried me. I’d say for six weeks after that game I didn’t sleep past 3am. Everything was down. It was a good test of my general fitness that I managed to get through it. I was up around the house at three in the morning, drinking tea, and that went on for weeks. I couldn’t get the game out of my head. The whole thing really.
“I started taking sleeping tablets after a few weeks. This one was particularly bad for whatever reason. 2011 took an awful toll as well, but for some reason this one seemed to go on longer. I think the fact I was on my own without the management I had soldiered with, was a big factor.”
JACK and Armagh. Armagh and Jack. The great days and the bad one. A selector with Páidí in 2000 for the All-Ireland semi-final replay triumph, seminal victories against them in the quarter-finals of 2006 and 2025 as the boss and that 2024 defeat and its aftermath, that he described so vividly after another All-Ireland win last summer. The longevity and sheer variety of his service to Kerry football illustrates Jack's obsession with it, but that deep dive into his mindset expounds that, laying bare the utter rawness of ultimate defeat, especially as the manager.
And here we are, back again. Kerry and Armagh. A clash of titans - the 2024 and 2025 All-Ireland champions - the result of which will have a defining impact on the shape of the championship, regardless of the victor.
“Events dear boy, events” as Harold MacMillan once famously said, have over the last two months guaranteed that two sets of star-studded squads out of Kerry, Armagh, Donegal and Dublin will be prematurely booking their summer holidays before June is done.
Post-league that trio (excluding Dublin) would have been in many people's top three as we moved towards championship, with their place in that pecking order open to challenge. Galway would also have formed part of my elite group at that stage. And still do. However, Down and Cork have beaten Donegal, Kerry lost at home to the Ulster men and Armagh were taken down by Louth last weekend. No team remains unbeaten in the championship. These largely unforeseen events have brought us to this point, with two possible Sam Maguire winners, not mere contenders, eliminated before the quarter-finals.
I have seen it mentioned in dispatches that Killarney has never staged a bigger game. For me the Tyrone qualifier in 2012 was on an equal footing, because of the previous history between the sides and Tyrone’s head-to- head superiority in the noughties. I was a selector with Jack that evening. There was no way we were going to be beaten and I feel there will be a similar steadfastness this time round. The orange opposition and the Killarney factor will bring a ferociously positive determination to bear for the All-Ireland champions.
Over the last couple of seasons the Kerry-Armagh rivalry has grown exponentially and has consistently delivered memorable matches, including the 2024 semi-final and last year's quarter-final. The league games haven’t been half bad either. There is a healthy respect between the teams, with the accompanying edge central to any genuine rivalry. Kieran Donaghy’s switch back to the fatherland adds a layer of intrigue to proceedings, considering his centrality to their recent success. The Ulster champions have evolved since his departure but aside from any new tactical nuances he knows the players and management intimately. What makes them tick. Their strengths, their weakness and importantly what annoys them. How to get at them. Páidí’s grain of rice and all of that.
When Kieran McGeeney sat down to plan this week I suspect two items will have been top of his agenda, one since last July and the other a consequence of last Sunday - kickouts and turnovers in the final third.
That 15-minute spell in the second half of the 2025 quarter-final when Kerry devoured the Armagh kickout, scoring 14 points without reply, has seen them evolve their kickout significantly this year. Blaine Hughes with his decision making, accuracy and variety has been central to that. This peaked against Down in the Ulster SFC semi-final when he lost one kickout all game. I was in Clones that day and witnessed his full array, mixing 12 shorts with 11 long. Yes, a fatigued Down facilitated this but his decision-making and execution was flawless. However, he was injured last weekend, and isn’t named in the 26 (for now).
Ethan Rafferty and his receivers did fine against Louth retaining 67%, but he is more inclined to go long, doing so 19 times and going short on eight occasions against Louth. He favours using the full width of the pitch and flirting with the sideline. He tried everything in his bag of tricks during that spell last summer in Croke Park but nothing worked, which wasn’t all on him. Killarney is tighter than Croke Park (88 metres v 82 metres) so there will be less room for error and more up for grabs. Kerry have an advantage here. Armagh are down their chief fetcher and spoiler, the injured Ben Creally. Andrew Murnin didn’t play against Louth, but surely will here and is named. Rian O’Neill and Niall Grimley are also absent.
On the flip side Kerry are blessed with big men across the middle. Diarmuid O’Connor was absent through injury last year but is back in the mix, and playing well. On the Armagh restarts Kerry will have a wall of four big bodies across the middle, O’Connor, Joe O’Connor, Mark O’Shea and Seán O’Brien. In the first half of the Donegal game Kerry were excellent on the Donegal restart. At times, at least momentarily, they had five pressed into the full forward line, who then retreated to help on breaks once Gavin Mulreany went long. I expect a similar approach this time round. They will try to set the tone by aggressively going after Armagh at kickout time. For the Ulster champions to win they will have to navigate a way around this. It is risk reward on both sides - if Armagh can get out they are market leaders in bombing up the pitch in numbers to get shots off. They will be attacking into space with Kerry scrambling back. They will view that as an opportunity.
Equally the home side’s big targets will serve them well on their own kickout. They also have some of their speedsters in Brian Ó Beaglaoich and Gavin White (named as a sub) back to get separation to get off shorts. Both of these are excellent on breaks as well, which will be vital on both sides of the kickout. Shane Murphy was at his best off the tee in Newbridge, even if he will face a very different picture this time around. Critically, he now has more targets than he has had at any stage previously this season. Noticeably, Jack singled him out for praise afterwards, cleverly man-managing his number one’s confidence. This is especially important with Shane Ryan now also back in the fold.
The other thing McGeeney will look to address was their untidy turnovers in the final third. It was a pattern throughout the game in Inniskeen. They had 13 in the top third of the pitch, leading to 1-7 of Louth’s total, including the winner. It seemed as if they wanted to go fast through the hands with strong running on most possessions as they did early for the Thomas McCormack goal. At times they needed to slow it down and be more careful in possession.
The game-defining moments illustrated this to perfection. When Rafferty got away a placed kickout to Aidan Forker after a late Craig Lennon wide I thought Louth’s chance was gone, with 67 minutes and 48 seconds on the clock. I assumed Armagh would retain possession and work a high percentage shot close to the hooter, to push their lead to three, as we have often seen from them before. Instead just over 30 seconds later Forker was blocked down brilliantly by Tommy Durnin allowing Louth to counter quickly in search of a two to equalise - or a goal to win. Armagh got out of jail when Ciarán Byrne and Kieran McArdle collided when a goal chance looked on, with Armagh once again getting their hands on the ball. The clock was now at 68.50. Again I expected them to keep the ball for a minute to finish off the job. Instead 15 seconds later as they accelerated up the field rather than slow to retain possession, Peter McGrane’s handpass to Gareth Murphy was turned over and less than a minute later it was in the back of the Armagh net. Instead of a week off to polish their game for Croke Park they were heading for the lion's den in Killarney. I expect them to be much more careful in possession as a result. Painfully so at times.
There are so many other aspects to watch out for in this match, Seánie O’Shea’s return to the squad for one. I am really looking forward to seeing Kerry continue with their kicking in the final third when in set 11 v 11 attacks, as Fitzgerald Stadium is a kicker's pitch. I mentioned it here last week, and we saw further evidence of it in Newbridge. Seán O’Brien got a lovely score having being picked out by a beautiful Tony Brosnan bullet 40 yard pass. Paul Geaney got a similar one in the first half, having been found by an accurate Joe O’Connor kick. Cleverly, these scores are often being taken while on an advantage for an advanced mark. That willingness to kick has really added an extra dimension to their offence. It asks fresh questions. Conveniently for the home side Armagh’s defensive shape will encourage it.
In Armagh for the league game, Tom O’Sullivan went after Oisín Conaty and was outstanding on both sides of the game. In his absence who gets that job? Who marks the Cliffords? Does McGeeney follow the Donegal model and face guard Paudie? How will that affect their defensive setup if Paudie withdraws and leaves a 10 v 10 inside the 45 metre line? All of this is only scratching the tactical surface of what the teams will have prepped and discussed this week and builds the anticipation beautifully for us all.
What a privilege for the players on both sides to be playing in a heaving Killarney against one of their biggest rivals in a winner takes all contest. These are the unique occasions and special wins that you remember long after you finish playing.
Losing doesn’t bear thinking about. Just ask Jack.
