'We'll be forever grateful' to adopted Armagh man, Donaghy, says Orchard legend McDonnell
Kieran Donaghy and Joe O’Connor on the sideline for Kerry. Pic: INPHO/James Lawlor
Kieran Donaghy will always be considered a part of Armagh football, says county great Stevie McDonnell.
Now ensconced with his native Kerry’s management set-up, the former Orchard County coach returns to the Box-It Athletic Grounds on Sunday for the first time since stepping down after five years as part of Kieran McGeeney’s group.
It was a memorable period for Donaghy as Armagh claimed the 2024 All-Ireland crown and McDonnell expects he will receive a warm reception from the home support this weekend.
“Anything that is said from the stands to Kieran will only be positive,” said McDonnell about his fellow footballer of the year winner and former International Rules team-mate. “Kieran Donaghy is seen as one of us now in Armagh. He really took to the Armagh fanbase and they took to him.
“You can see we have been missing him with some of the decisions in front of goals this year, but there’s enough quality for Armagh to get it right.
“Kieran Donaghy is an adopted Armagh man and he will forever be remembered as helping the current management team to get across the line for our second-ever All-Ireland.
“I know Geezer said at the weekend that he’s a Kerryman and an out-and-out winner and you’d expect nothing else of Kieran Donaghy’s ilk. He’s with his home county but he dedicated five years of his coaching career to Armagh and we’ll be forever grateful for that.”
McDonnell appreciates a league final-chasing Kerry coming to Armagh when they are hoping to avoid relegation just three weeks out from an Ulster SFC opener against Tyrone is not ideal.
“You never want to be a relegation battle but they will be competitive against Kerry. The fact it’s a home game and it’s Kerry, there will be a massive crowd and that will be a huge plus.
“Kerry will be difficult and Donaghy knows Armagh inside-out. They are the number one team in the country at the moment but Armagh can beat them.
“They were a couple of points ahead of them in last year’s quarter-final and then Kerry had an absolute purple patch. No team in the country could have lived with Kerry in those 15 minutes. Hopefully, Armagh can learn from what happened.”
The league table doesn’t lie and yet McDonnell feels Armagh are unfortunate to be on the precipice of the relegation zone. Other statistics belie their perilous position, he points out.
“It was a worrying trend that they had only scored one goal up to the Dublin game on Saturday but it would have been more concerning if they weren’t creating opportunities. They just weren’t as clinical as they should have been.
“For a team that haven’t been scoring a lot of goals, Armagh are the top scorers in Division 1 ahead of Kerry and if you’re doing that then you’re doing something right, even if you are in sixth place.
“Only for the first half against Dublin and the game against Roscommon could you say they haven’t been consistent. Overall, I’d be reasonably happy with how they have been performing.”
McDonnell accepts Stefan Campbell’s retirement was a blow and takes away from the bench impact. He hopes to see Rian O’Neill back in Armagh colours soon and it’s his understanding Rory Grugan will be back for championship.
With Aidan Forker, Paddy Burns and Barry McCambridge among the substitutes last weekend and Andrew Murnin recovering from injury after some fine form earlier in the league, McDonnell senses things are coming together for the Ulster finalists of the last three season. “Armagh have enough experience returning to be in the mix come championship.”
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