Kieran McGeeney: 'Sometimes your strongest steel is forged in fire, there is no doubt about that'

The Orchard County have shown real resilience to ultimately claim a famous championship win.

Armagh manager Kieran McGeeney celebrates after his side's victory. Pic: Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile

Your strongest steel is forged in the fire.

Armagh have had many fires over the past three seasons. Many self-inflicted fires. Leads not held. Extra-time leads not held. Penalty shoot-outs lost. The 2022 and '23 All-Ireland quarter-finals. The 2023 and '24 Ulster finals.

Setbacks that initially shattered them. Setbacks, in time, that came to shape and define them. Setbacks that, along with Galway misfiring, saw them show “belief” rather than “self-sabotage” at the finish.

“Sometimes your strongest steel is forged in fire, there is no doubt about that,” said McGeeney.

“It affects you in a way that is very hard to articulate to people. That when your personality is entwined in a victory or defeat, the impact that can have on you and what it can do.

“In those moments that we lost on penalties and those moments where we sat in there with our heads in our hands, did that have an impact on the last five minutes today? Definitely.

“When they refused to be beaten, even though we were trying our best to beat ourselves in the last five minutes. There was fellas like Ben Crealey, everybody, throwing their bodies on the line just to win and to refuse that [feeling of defeat] once more.” Armagh’s refusal to allow a three-point lead go up in flames meant no steel was forged yesterday. Instead, the fire was quenched. Quenched also was the noise and criticism of this group.

Instead of delirium, McGeeney revelled in the silence.

“You know, it feels quiet. It’s like wearing a pair of earmuffs for a change, quietens all the noise,” continued the now All-Ireland winning manager and captain.

“To be honest, I’m just delighted for these boys. Back when we were playing, we had a couple of knockbacks. But these fellas have got knockback after knockback after knockback, and they just keep coming.

“Penalty shootouts, everybody telling them they can’t win tight games, can’t beat teams above them. [They] gave them a perfect answer. All-Ireland champions 2024.

“I couldn’t be any happier for them now, a great bunch of fellas. To do what they’ve done over the last four or five years, to come back and win that one today is outstanding.” 

Such is the competitor in McGeeney, he was already challenging Tiernan Kelly and Oisín O’Neill, sat either side of him in the media auditorium, to not let another 22 years go by before the Orchard County get to three on the Sam roll of honour.

“It took us 120 years to win the first one. It is difficult. It is not that you don't have the players and it is not that you can't, but the structures in the past have definitely been weighted against us.

“It is not a level playing field by any stretch of the imagination. Even finances and all that stuff, you are trying to change things in the background and bring structures in, you are trying to get clubs behind you. But it takes so many moving wheels that some of the bigger counties probably don't understand that they even have a cultural thing in terms of winning. All of those things take time to implement.

“It is Armagh's responsibility now to see if they can do this because there are another four or five teams that would easily feel if they play Armagh tomorrow they'd beat them. It is up to these fellas to want to improve and stay at the top and go on and try and win another one.” 

The same as their semi-final, Armagh got a game-winning bounce off their bench. Stefan Campbell’s first involvement was to assist for the final’s sole green flag. Another replacement, Oisín O’Neill, kicked their final point to push them three ahead on 63 minutes.

McGeeney praised his bench for burying their ego and never listening to the “constant noise” in their ear about how they should be starting and how they should be doing this, that, and the other.

The aforementioned O’Neill provided an insight into how that burying of the collective bench ego came about.

“That’s one thing we were challenged on at the start of the year, the whole group, was showing more maturity and being willing to sacrifice yourself no matter who you are or what your reputation is. It’s what you can do for the team and the group. I really hope that we can keep this group together and keep that depth that we have.” And a touch of wit from O’Neill to close out the chat.

“The boys were giving me a lot of stick after the Kerry game that I missed two and we should not have had to do extra-time, so I just said to them I was saving it for the final and thankfully something took it over the bar today.

“Look, we probably did not manage the last six or seven minutes as we would have liked, but we are All-Ireland champions, so it doesn’t really matter, does it?” Indeed it does not.