Armagh will bounce back, says Kernan
Apart from the disappointment of losing to Galway by double scores (and managing only two points from play), the ears of the players were ringing after receiving ‘a few home truths’ from manager Joe Kernan.
Based on what he said to the waiting media, it’s fair to assume that Kernan didn’t spare his players. But, the essential message he conveyed was that Armagh had overcome difficult situations in the past and he was confident they would do so again.
And, he refused to use the absence of key players like Kieran McGeeney, Paul McGrane, Philip Loughran and John McEntee, as an excuse for their failure.
“This League is about giving men a chance to prove themselves and a lot of us did not prove ourselves in this game,’’ he commented.
“We were disappointed, but it’s how we come out of it that’s important. It happened before and we came back.’’
The dismissal of two players (both for second yellow card offences) also annoyed him. “I do not think we did ourselves justice. Normally we are a very hard and a very honest team. I was disappointed we let that slip!’’
While agreeing that a few players did well - newcomer John Paul
Donnelly at left half-back was one - the Armagh manager made it clear that he was only interested in how the team performed as a unit. And on this occasion, they did not.
“At the end of the day that is what we have to look at. Some of our boys will have to look at themselves and say ‘have I done things right since Christmas.’ They have worked hard, but we did not play as a team.
“We took the wrong options too many times. Some of them were schoolboy stuff, like soloing the ball instead of kicking it. Galway were quicker in mind and thought than we were. We were a pure shadow of ourselves.’’
Galway manager John O’Mahony was happy with the victory but stressed that it was far from being a perfect performance.
“I would have to give our fellows a lot of credit for learning the lessons from the last game. We had to re-adjust in the middle of the game after Michael Comer’s sending-off, but the lads re-adjusted well on the field to keep their structure and keep their shape.
“We were fairly stretched at times. But the bottom line is that we got points on the board. We would really have struggled if we had lost this game. The win counts for nothing more than that. In patches in the last game and again on Sunday we played some of our best League football for years.
“The important thing was that we minimised our mistakes. At the same time, however, we made a lot of mistakes, like giving the ball away. There were periods in the game when we could have done a lot better.’’
O’Mahony is expecting a much tougher game away to Sligo next Sunday, due to a growing injury list and he will be without the Caltra contingent due to their All-Ireland club semi-final the following weekend.
Centre-back Darren Mullahy had to be replaced after 15 minutes - when he aggravated a recurring knee ligament problem and two more defenders, Barry Dooney and Damien Burke had to come off near the end after picking up slight knocks.
“The fact that we are playing a Connacht team gives an added dimension to the game. That will be a factor. At the end of the day it’s about ‘a dig-out’ at this time of the year. That is what we did in the second half against Armagh. Next Sunday will be a huge game for us. But, if you have the right attitude you have a chance. It’s as simple as that.’’
Meanwhile, Michael Donnellan’s early season form has not surprised the Galway manager, as he explained: “everyone close to the scene knew that Mikey was coming right towards the end of last year and he has made further progress.
“He has worked so hard to get to this stage and like everyone else, he knows that a lot more work has to be done. But he is positive and working so hard.
“I’m delighted games are opening up for him. He has a huge part in our set-up.’’
