Armagh manager Kieran McGeeney insists his team can perform even better and has urged his players to “go one more step” after their stunning All-Ireland semi-final victory over Kerry after extra time.
Playing in their first semi-final in 19 years, Armagh came from five points down in normal time to force extra time before winning 1-18 to 1-16 to reach the All-Ireland final for the first time since 2003.
As the enormity of the achievement began to sink in, McGeeney praised his players for their resilience in shrugging off past disappointments and performing at such a high level.
“I think there is more in them,” he claimed,
“A lot of our players didn’t play as well as they are capable of and I hope to see that (in the final)”.
“I hope they push on and realise that today is a semi-final.
“I want them to enjoy it because they haven’t won one before – but hopefully they can push on and go one more step.”
Armagh will play either Galway or Donegal, who play each other in the second semi-final on Sunday, in the All-Ireland final showpiece on 28 July.
Armagh relieved to avoid penalties
Although Armagh ran Kerry ragged in extra time, the Kingdom hung on in there and McGeeney revealed he was fearing it might go all the way to penalties.
And after losing two All-Ireland quarter-finals on penalties in 2022 and 2023, as well as two Ulster final shootout defeats, no-one could blame McGeeney for wanting to avoid the dreaded spot kicks yet again,
“As we was getting closer to the end of extra time we were all going, ‘Is it going to penalties again?’
“But the boys really went after it. Ross (McQuillan), Turbo (Conor Turbitt) really went to win the game, which is something you have to be proud of. They showed great resilience today.”
Kerry led 0-10 to 0-6 at half time and Paul Murphy’s goal had them 1-11 to 0-9 ahead after 47 minutes.
But once Barry McCambridge boxed home a goal after Shane Ryan’s big fumble, Armagh took over.
“It was a soft goal we conceded though they’d probably feel the same about the goal we got,” McGeeney said.
“I didn’t think we should have been behind for so long but we have shown that resilience over and over again and pushed every team to the limits.
“It’s a credit to the fellas because it’s a tough grind. Some of those players have been there 10, 11 years so I’m delighted for them today, I genuinely am.”
Huge Armagh crowd was ‘a factor’
Jack O’Connor said Kerry would take defeat “with a bit of grace”.
While confirming his desire to see out the remaining year of his three-year contract in 2025, the Kerry boss felt two missed goals chances early in the second half cost his team.
He also pointed to the impact Armagh got from their bench and the huge orchard support base in the 55,548 attendance as key factors.
O’Connor admitted: “the crowd drove them on”.
“They outnumbered us fairly substantially out there and I thought the crowd was a factor in the game.
“No question about it, it just lifted Armagh and we tried very hard but it was hard to arrest that momentum.
“We did well to come back and equalise in normal time but we had a ferocious effort from our boys but it was bitterly disappointing, it was a game we had enough chances to win it.”
Tom O’Sullivan’s glaring miss early in the second half seemed a big moment at the time and even though Paul Murphy palmed home a 47th minute goal to put Kerry 1-11 to 0-9 ahead, O’Connor still rued the earlier miss.
“It looked like that missed goal chance into the Hill was a critical moment,” he said.
“If that went in, I thought the game was probably beyond Armagh and then the goal, that poor goal that we conceded (from Barry McCambridge) was a huge moment in the game.
“I think that is where the game swung, those two moments. The goal we conceded was a killer in the sense that it got the Armagh crowd into it.”
Kieran McGeeney,Armagh,All-Ireland
