Croke Park, early August. Armagh are leading Donegal and are moments from an All-Ireland semi-final. This is 2014 though, not 2004. Michael Murphy grabs a ball in centre-field and plays a hand pass. Six seconds and thirty yards later he has it again and fires over the equalising point off his left. With a minute to go it’s worked patiently to Paddy McBrearty and he kicks the winner. Donegal escape, destroy Dublin three weeks later before falling to Kerry in Jim’s last hurrah.
Since then a lot of changed, which we’ll get to in a moment, but an awful lot remains the same too.
McGuinness might be gone, but his sidekick for three of those four years, Rory Gallagher is now in charge. His philosophy and input on the Donegal style has been there all along really. Against Tyrone he brought in just one player (Martin O’Reilly) who didn’t play in last year’s All-Ireland final.
It’s not like Gallagher has a lot of wiggle room, or much need to change a lot, Donegal have perfected a style over the past four years that suits their squad down to the ground.
In Armagh, Paul Grimley has stepped aside to allow Kieran McGeeney assume full control, we suspected all along it was his divine influence that dragged the Orchard on that brilliant summer run last year, can he do it again?
Armagh’s 2014 was one full of siege mentalities, media blackouts and pre-match brawls, but cast your eye past that veil of aggression and bravado and you had a team playing fantastic counter-attacking football with a swagger, who absolutely believed in their cause. They beat Tyrone, bullied Roscommon and ran Meath ragged. Armagh developed so much last summer and that has continued into 2015.
Donegal's Michael Murphy and Andy Mallon of Armagh ©INPHO/Cathal Noonan
Donegal’s 2015 so far
Donegal have had another spring in Division One. A shadow side lost a league semi-final to Cork, conceding four goals. Karl Lacey admitted afterwards that a league final appearance wouldn’t suit their Championship training schedule. They’ve come through a huge Ulster preliminary test against Tyrone. On a rotten day in Ballybofey, the football was a treat, the blankets were left at home, we got physicality with a bit of nastiness and some really slick scores in such terrible conditions.
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Rory Gallagher used just 28 players in Division 1 this year, with seven players playing every game; Durcan, Eamon McGee, Karl Lacey, Martin McElhinney, Marty O’Reilly, Patrick McBrearty, Ryan McHugh.
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Donegal had 13 different scorers in the league; with just three players reaching over 10 points; Michael Murphy 0-26 (18fs, 2 ‘45s’), Patrick McBrearty 1-21 (8fs), Marty O’Reilly 1-09 (3fs).
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Odhrán McNiallais was their top scorer from play with 1-06
Armagh’s 2015 so far
Armagh worked with what they had in Division Three, winning promotion, it was as good a spring as McGeeney would hope for, but he says he fears the bad habits they’ve picked up. Wexford, Fermanagh, Sligo, Louth, Clare, Tipperary and Limerick are far from top tier, but what can you do.
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Kieran McGeeney used 33 players in Armagh’s eight games in Division 3 this year, he did have a core group though.
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While just four players played a part in all their games; Charlie Vernon and Andy Mallon in defence, and Tony Kernan and Eugene McVerry up front.
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Seven played in seven games; Stephen Harold, Aidan Forker, Aaron Findon, Ethan Rafferty, Mark Shields, Míchael Murray and Míchael McKenna.
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Armagh had 19 different scorers during the league, with six players hitting double digits.
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Tony Kernan 2-14 (11fs), Ethan Rafferty 2-13 (9fs), Jamie Clarke 1-10 (2fs)
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Armagh were also joint highest goalscorers across all four divisions with 11 goals.
A New Dynamic to Armagh’s attack
Singled out by Aaron Kernan on Off The Ball last night; Andrew Murnin has finally got his chance for Armagh, the perfect foil to Jamie Clarke in the full-forward line. Tall, physically imposing with super hands, he’s also very unselfish and hard-working. Murnin is Armagh’s new number 14 and target man. It’s his first campaign with the senior side after a horrible few years with injury but back in 2009 he was man of the match in the All-Ireland minor final, a playmaker from centre-forward by all means on that day. His inclusion is a huge bonus in terms of the progression of Armagh’s attacking game. Last year Armagh played with Kyle Carragher and Jamie Clarke inside, both too small to play together. Armagh will hope Murnin and Clarke are a completely different dynamic.
We saw with Down last weekend, Conor Laverty, Mark Poland and Donal O’Hare were all just too light to win enough primary possession. If the ball wasn’t perfect, the likelihood was it was a defenders ball.
Without knowing the team, you’d expect Clarke and Murnin to play inside, Kevin Dyas and Tony Kernan to roam across the half-forward line with the other two half-forwards, be they McKenna, Forker, O’Hanlon or Caolan Rafferty dropping deep.
Armagh dominating midfield
Last year it was Stephen Harold and Aaron Findon who were heralded for pretty impressive midfield performances against Donegal. It’s expected that 20 year-old Ethan Rafferty will partner Findon this Sunday. Rafferty is big, talented and aggressive with a real eye for a score. He can double as a full-forward too as 2-13 in the league says it all. Donegal will likely go with Martin McElhinney and Neil Gallagher once more. While McElhinney scored 1-02 against Tyrone he flitted in and out of the game, with Gallagher largely left to contest the kickouts on his own. Of the contestable kickouts, Tyrone won that battle 15-12. Armagh will need to control the primary possession to maximise their chance.
These two may be more than a division apart in league football and at opposite ends of the spectrum in terms of team development. In the Athletic Grounds next Sunday though we’ll bear witness to a war on the field, clichés aside there’ll be absolutely nothing between them. I’m calling Armagh.
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