Our game hasn’t been pretty but it works, says Marsden

THREE years in a row, Armagh footballers watched from a distance as the three teams which knocked them out of the championship race advanced to take the All-Ireland title.

However, according to Diarmuid Marsden, the players never lost heart. They never gave up hoping. And for him, personally, qualifying for Sunday’s All-Ireland final marks “the culmination of 10 years of hard work”.

“I suppose it’s what we have been thinking about all our lives. It’s what you would always have dreamt about,’’ he said. “At the same time, we know it’s going to be a formidable task. Down through the years Kerry have always produced good footballers and this year it’s no different. There’s quality all over the field. We’ll have to be at our best to counteract that.