RTÉ GAA analyst Peter Canavan believes that Armagh have the best squad left in the All-Ireland Football Championship – and that advantage gives them a chance of causing a shock in Saturday’s semi-final against Kerry.
Kieran McGeeney’s side are aiming to reach the final for the first time since 2003 and for Canavan, it’s their ability to keep everyone on board that has proven key to their run to the final stages of the season.
“If ever there is a lesson for a reward for perseverance it will be handed to Kieran McGeeney,” Canavan told the RTÉ GAA podcast.
“Because you’ll recall at the end of last year, there were rumblings in Armagh, a lot of clubs in Armagh thought it was time for change but McGeeney’s most notable backing then was from his players and those that were involved.
“I think you can see that. From the four teams that are left, the team with the strongest panel, in my opinion, is Armagh.
“The most difficult part of managing an inter-county team at the minute is holding on to your fringe players. It’s okay when you’re in the first 18, you’re guaranteed to get games throughout the National League, but to carry a big panel, for players to put in that amount of effort and commitment and see very little action – well the easy way out is always to go back to the club and get playing football because that’s what everyone wants to do, is to get playing on the park.
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“Those players have remained very loyal to McGeeney, there’s a great backroom team there, so there are a lot of things going right in Armagh behind the scenes that very few people know about.
“McGeeney is now getting his reward on the field of play with really strong performances.”
Much has been made about the need for a better spectacle after Kerry’s disappointing quarter-final win over Derry, but Canavan said that McGeeney would love to be in the position that the Oakleafers were in after three quarters of that contest with the sides level on eight points apiece.
“If you put Armagh in the same position that Derry were in halfway through the second half, if you can guarantee Kieran McGeeney that Sean O’Shea, David Clifford and Paudie (Clifford) will be held fairly quiet and it’ll come down to a battle of the bench in the last 10 minutes, he’d take the hand of you to be in that position.
“He will believe that for different reasons there didn’t seem to be the same self-belief In the Derry camp as there was in previous years.
“That’ll not be the case in Armagh and don’t tell me the hunger won’t be there to try and get back to an All-Ireland final.”
Even if Armagh do find themselves in that promising position, Canavan also added that he can’t see a way that the Clifford brothers and O’Shea are kept as quiet and that should prove the difference.
Watch the All-Ireland Football Championship semi-finals, Armagh v Kerry (5.30pm on Saturday on RTÉ2) and Donegal v Galway (4pm on Sunday on RTÉ2). Both games available on RTÉ Player. Follow a live blog on rte.ie/sport and the RTÉ News app and listen to commentary on RTÉ Radio 1
Watch Down v Laois in the Tailteann Cup final on Saturday from 2.45pm on RTE2 and RTÉ Player. Follow a live blog on rte.ie/sport and the RTÉ News app and listen to commentary on RTÉ Radio 1