Maurice Brosnan: Where do Armagh go from here?

On Saturday Monaghan desperately wanted to win. Armagh needed to win.

TOUGH LOSS: Armagh Manager Kieran McGeeney dejected after the game. Pic Credit ©INPHO/Ben Brady

Trace the footsteps and the track record is apparent. Reach quarter-finals and fall short. Then. Now. It was the same way in 2008 during Kieran McGeeney’s debut campaign with Kildare.

They suffered a shock defeat against Wicklow but bounced back to reach the final eight. Last weekend was his ninth time making that stage as a manager or selector. The preferred route never generates silverware. It is a peculiar hankering for the long, hard road.