A success story that begins in the gym

ARMAGH have been in the last two All-Ireland finals and based on yesterday’s performance at Croke Park, that trend is set to continue in September.

This campaign though may the most amazing of them all. All through the winter, obituaries were written. They had a woeful league and there seemed to be a lack of emerging talent to challenge the established stars.

The miles on the engines of McGeeney, McGrane, McConville and company was being used as an argument for their suspected demise.

Time to rip up that script. All is changed now.

Joe Kernan has a full deck of cards to deal from. Yesterday with the game in the bag he brought on big John Toal, John McEntee, Justin McNulty and Andrew McCann. All these collected Celtic Crosses in 2002 and the level of competition in the squad gives a huge physical and psychological advantage to Kernan over many other county managers who have threadbare panels.

It means that training is intense and of championship fervour. There is no better preparation for any team than competition for places. Armagh have that in abundance, a situation which is of crucial importance.

Donegal’s epitaph was written in the second quarter when Armagh blitzed them with 1-5, to a lone free from Colm McFadden. The Armagh men had raced four points clear after 12 minutes, underlining the focus and desire that was evident in every facet of their play throughout the day.

At the half time the body language of both teams told it’s own tale.

The Orchard county men raced to the sanctuary of their dressing room to digest their stats and receive their instructions, whereas McEniff’s men ambled off like a team on the road to nowhere.

This Armagh team is made up of driven men. At times yesterday their frantic tackling was awesome. Despite their success of 2002 they appear to have retained the manic savage hunger to bulldoze all in front of them again. Their physical strength on the ball and in the tackle is a testament to infinite sessions in the gym. They have tasted success and defeat. They know what they want more of.

Loughran, McGrane, McConville, McDonnell, Clarke and the McEntees are all over 6ft and 13 stone plus. To beat them teams will have to move the ball at a furious pace and avoid becoming embroiled in a draining physical battle. If they do, there will be only one winner.

The most impressive feature of Armagh’s display yesterday was their insatiable appetite for work. The amount of possession and scores they gained from turnovers was phenomenal. Admittedly Donegal looked lacklustre and lifeless in the first half but that does not detract from Armagh’s performance.

3-15 is terrific scoring. And the fact that all but two of the points were from play is their most satisfying statistic.

Armagh won pulling up. They have a plan and they stick rigidly to it.

Marsden pulls out and leaves space for Clarke and McDonnell to switch corners. The diagonal passes that are fed in are very difficult to defend against. Tony McEntee drops behind the midfield with the impressive McGeeney protects the full back line.

It isn’t always pretty, but it is damn effective.

Despite yesterday’s performance Armagh are still beatable. The team that beats them needs to move the ball at real pace and attack down the flanks. If an overlap is created Enda McNulty and Francie Bellew lack real speed.

The likes of Ross Munnelly, Colm Parkinson and Beano McDonald could do damage on that rear guard if they attacked in waves. Moving themselves individually, and the ball in rapid fluid movement is the way through as Christy Toye’s goal last year proved.

Only Laois in full flight have moved as well as them so far this season as Kerry’s performance yesterday in Limerick raises serious questions about their championship credentials.

A silver lining for the other challengers is the fact that there is still over two months to go before the fourth Sunday in September and the edge could have gone of Armagh’s game before that point in time.

Last year’s defeat is a major motivation factor for Kernan’s charges. Yesterday was their fourth Anglo Celt win since 1999 but it is another All-Ireland victory that they want more than anything.

“So Armagh are back?” some journalists asked of Paddy McKeever.

“No, We just never went away,” he replied with focus already on another day in Dublin.