McShea's Say: Armagh deserved their All-Ireland but it could've been Donegal

I have often noticed a strange dichotomy among GAA supporters which means that success by the traditional counties is admired and supported at all times, but equally the arrival of new county teams to sup at the banquet of championship success is also warmly welcomed.  

Over the years the pace of change in the GAA has been amazing. It does not seem that long since there was no sponsorship of teams, but commercial sponsorship took off at every level from U-14 to All-Ireland level.  

Inter-county players looked for and got improved “pay” in the form of increased mileage allowance, huge amounts of playing gear, and in many cases holidays abroad. These are conditions, to which I believe, players were more than entitled to.  

But as I sat in Jones’s Road on Sunday waiting for the start of the football final between Armagh and Galway, I marveled at the decision to replace the old Croke Park with one of the most modern stadiums in the world.  

Back then the sheer magnitude of the task for an amateur sporting organisation, and the incredible efficiency regarding financing and expediting the project showed the GAA in a whole new light to that large section of Irish society that had always regarded it as backward, insular, and rural based.  

But while the GAA has many facets and infiltrates every aspect of Irish life, it is the games themselves, and the big matches, which have been the backbone of the association’s progress in later years.  

After watching what was arguably the greatest hurling final ever nearly two weeks ago, when Clare and Cork produced a sporting classic, there was much anticipation about the meeting of Galway and Armagh in the football final.  

In hurling, it was the revival of Clare’s fortunes that enthralled the whole country. The football final saw Armagh prevail, and after numerous setbacks in recent years, their resilience and determination just had to be admired.  

Armagh manager Kieran McGeeney had assembled an athletic bunch of players who have been there or thereabouts for three or four years, and many observers believed they had the look of All-Ireland winners.  

They were perceived as much more than a coming force, while Galway who were beaten in a final two years ago were warm favourites to bring Sam Maguire back west.  

Indeed, in Saturday’s Irish Independent, before the final, nine so-called “experts” cast their vote in favour of Galway to win, not one of those who write about Gaelic Games believed that Armagh would win!  

While it will not worry Armagh one bit, this final could best be described as a grim game of football. The half-time score saw the team’s level at six points each, and it was clearly obvious that Armagh did not have to work as hard as Galway for their scores.  

The lateral football that Galway played in that first half was far from effective and quite surprising for a side that included forwards of such potential.  

While the Armagh defence played well, it did seem that both Shane Walsh and Damien Comer were far from match fit, and the second half seemed to confirm this observation. The decision to leave Shane Walsh as the place-kicker was also difficult to understand.  

Walsh was very much off form in this vital area, while Paul Conroy who kicked three wonderful points from distance would have seemed an ideal replacement for the off-colour Walsh with the dead ball.  

While Armagh had been the better team, their repeated failure to hold their nerve when the big prize is in touching distance was a flaw that seemed to be surfacing again as Galway made it a one-point game in the closing moments and kicked several simple efforts to equalise harmlessly wide.  

It has taken time for Kieran McGeeney and his players to reach the pinnacle of football. In his first eight seasons at the helm Armagh won only four out of 12 Ulster championship matches.  

It was a near crisis for the county, and while they have not always played uninhibited attacking football, they are very worthy All-Ireland champions and they do have a streak of quality running through their side.  

Aidan Forker, the team captain, led from the front all year, Barry McCambridge had his best season, Rian O Neill is a powerhouse in the forwards, Aaron McKay is a top-class defender, while Oisin Conaty and Conor Turbett both played major roles for their team in winning their second All-Ireland title.  

Stefan Campbell is simply a wonderful footballer who made a huge impact in every game this year, and the timing of his introduction was a tribute to the Armagh management’s awareness.  

Galway will have few positive memories of this final, but Paul Conroy, at 35, was superb and did not deserve to be on a losing team, while John Maher, Céin D’Arcy, and Cillian McDaid all made a significant contribution in their quest for victory.  

The Armagh colours are a very vivid shade of orange and the huge numbers that supported them were deservedly ecstatic with their victory, but I must confess that I was more than a little disappointed that it wasn’t our green and gold that was on show for this final.  

There is no such thing as an easy All-Ireland, but I will forever believe that we were good enough to go the whole way this year.