Armagh’s courageous approach in their kicking strategy played a crucial role in the All-Ireland final. They consistently demonstrated a significant level of bravery, seizing every opportunity to kick.
By strategically aiming their kicks into Galway’s defensive third, Armagh succeeded in scoring 1-3. A missed opportunity for an additional point occurred when Joe McElroy failed to secure his mark attempt, despite a precision setup from Rian O’Neill in the 33rd minute.
The Armagh team, under the direction of Kieran McGeeney, are known for their willingness to kick assertively, understanding that at times this may result in losing possession. Yet, McGeeney only seems to take umbrage when critics suggest that he’s holding back his team.
Of the aggressive kick attempts, four were lost by Armagh. However, each attempt showcased their calculated approach and aspiration. They typically aimed these kicks to the farthest forward Armagh player. Because of the nature of these kicks, they were always assured a strong defensive setup when moving forward. The benefits of this strategy clearly outweighed the risks.
On the other hand, Galway only scored a single point from the four regained possessions from the lost Armagh kicks. The best effort was a near perfect pass from Oisin Conaty to Conor Turbitt in the 30th minute, that unfortunately ran out without scoring. The outcome of this kick set up Galway’s strategy to progress the ball forward for Paul Conroy’s booming kicks – the sole instance when a kick resulted in a distant score. Undoubtedly, Armagh showed superiority in the kicking battle, providing a net gain of five points (1-3 to 0-1).
Attacking defenders must also be acknowledged for their contribution to the match’s results.
Barry McCambridge’s performance this year has been nothing short of exhilarating. His Championship tally currently stands at 2-5, having successfully thwarted significant threats like David Clifford, Diarmaid Murtagh, and Shane Walsh most recently on Sunday. However, it is his progressive attack play that catches the eye, demonstrating impeccable timing in his strike runs. Last Sunday, he secured another scoreboard mention in the 26th minute following a successful foray.
A key contributor to Armagh’s defensive structure was Aaron McKay, who spent much of the game in the +1 position. Tasked with safeguarding his full-back line, he also took the initiative during Galway’s external line breaks by stepping forward. McKay’s defensive prowess was evident, but he also made his mark on the offence, scoring a decisive goal in the 47th minute. Stefan Campbell even jokingly confessed to thinking it was Rian O’Neill making the centre-forward run when he delivered the precisely-timed hand pass.
In the grand scheme of things, Armagh roped in 1-3 from their defences and a further 0-3 from their midfields. The traditional concept of fixed positions has become irrelevant, with the emphasis now laid on versatile, highly skilled players, 15 of whom are deemed insufficient.
This year, the Armagh substitutes, led by Kieran McGeeney, have consistently made their presence felt, and Sunday was no exception. Jarly Óg Burns performed admirably during the final phase of the game, exercising excellent control over both, the ball and the game’s rhythm. He successfully moved the ball into Galway’s half before passing it to Oisin O’Neill, another substitute, who scored. Burns also importantly intercepted a shot under his crossbar and was in possession when the final whistle sounded.
Oisin O’Neill’s impact was not limited to just the point, he was also instrumental in setting up Niall Grimley’s point through one of the previously discussed daring kick passes. Soupy Campbell, despite his unsteady performance, will be recalled for aiding McKay’s goal, contributing a crucial assist.
Finally, Galway was plagued by missed opportunities.
Galway experienced disappointment with missed opportunities in their game, especially during the latter half. Their shot efficiency dwindled down to a minor 47% as they only secured 7 out of 15 attempted shots. It was rather peculiar as Galway seemed to make successful difficult shots but falter with seemingly easier ones. They had a strong shooting streak of 85% from the right side, translating to 11 out of 13 shots made, however, failures emerged on the left side with a lowly shot success rate of 17%, securing only 2 out of 12 shots. Analysing this disparity isn’t straightforward, but appears to boil down to weak execution.
Key scores for Galway came courtesy of Céin Darcy, Paul Conroy and Cillian McDaid, who between them accounted for 8 points. Their performances highlighted the robust defence efforts of Armagh. Early injury to Robert Finnerty was another setback for Galway as it lessened their offensive push and caused a shift in their attacking balance. Yet, Finnerty’s area remained productive on the scoreboard pre-injury.
His early contributions include earning a free shot, which he slotted in neatly, gaining one point, and seizing a short Armagh kick before his departure. Whilst the disruptions caused by the lockdown on Damien Comer and Shane Walsh have been widely noted, similar impacts on offensive defenders Dylan McHugh and Liam Silke also had substantial consequences for the Tribesmen’s game. The domino effect of this resulted in an increased creative burden on the Galway full-back line.
Galway would have been content with their defensive success as they only allowed 12 scores, but Armagh displayed offensive courage on the field compared to Galway’s cautious tactics while in possession. Even on a low scoring day, Walsh demonstrated resilience and leadership by continuing to attempt shots, managing a success ratio of 33%, albeit achieving only 2 out of 6.
The Tribesmen’s defense managed to overturn four key tackles during the second half whilst Armagh bided their time, ball in hand. Galway utilised these turnovers to bring in two points, but considering the strategic field position that these turnovers were made in, and the number of players they had aligned for the attack, two points was a rather inadequate yield.
In the original game, Galway managed to score twice following turnovers from Conor Turbitt and Aidan Forker at the 38th and 44th minutes respectively. This saw Cillian McDaid being the finisher of the first score and Shane Walsh converting a free for the second after an impressive interception by Paddy Burns. Both of these scores came before Armagh’s goal.
However, the subsequent two turnovers did not result in any scores. Even though the game was dominated by Galway, there was a certain sense of panic that ensued as they chased the game. Despite a swift move that led to a 57th-minute turnover on Ben Crealey, Liam Silke’s inevitably checked run resulted in a miscued pass back to Walsh by John Maher.
The subsequent minute saw Soupy Campbell’s turnover with a classic move from Dylan McHugh. Notwithstanding Armagh’s devious fouls to slow down the turnover, it was eventually contained, allowing another wide shot from Galway.
Regrettably, Galway did not make the most of Armagh’s kickout throughout the game. After securing an early short miscue from Blaine Hughes, they couldn’t win any more until the 69th minute. However, three consecutive long Armagh kickouts were then won by Galway in the tense final stages of the game.
Successfully scoring off the first of these kickouts, McDaid emerged as the finisher after winning the breaking ball. The next kickout was won by Paul Conroy, who then fed McDaid for a free, but it fell short. The final kickout was broken by Connor Gleeson, in an attempt for an equaliser but was thwarted by Niall Grimley’s sturdy tackle turnover, which led to the elimination of their last opportunity.
Armagh’s ultimate victory was a show of courage both on and off the field. Leading the team to victory was their captain, Kieran McGeeney, who inspired the team with his iconic bravado.