Kernan’s sharpshooters to refocus for Tyrone challenge

“LIKE a bloody morgue in there!” was Joe Kernan’s muttered description of the winning Armagh dressing-room to the assembled press.

Big Joe is an eloquent and open media-guy, but that little aside was probably more revealing than anything he said over the following ten minutes.

This time 12 months ago, Armagh had never won an All-Ireland SFC title, something which hung like a massive millstone round the neck of a truly powerful football county. Weighing even heavier, however, was the fear that on every visit to Croke Park, the boys from the Orchard County choked, froze, lost their bottle.