Kieran McGeeney: 'They were told they would never get out of the group of death – they topped the group of death'

Irish Examiner

2 days ago

All-Ireland SFC Group 4: Dublin 0-19 (0-3-13) Armagh 0-24 (0-5-14)
"They were told they would never get out of the group of death – they topped the group of death,' Kieran McGeeney rallied supporters at Armagh's All-Ireland SFC homecoming in the Athletic Grounds last July.
After just two rounds, Armagh have again ensured they will finish best out of a viper's nest with a quarter-final on June 28/29 to anticipate. The pangs of another Ulster final loss have once more been parked and this time the champions are wearing the crown well.
Plenty will be made of Con O'Callaghan not being available and Dublin's comedy of errors (18 wides, three shots that dropped short and one that struck the post aside) but Armagh looked assured from the moment they went ahead for the first time in the 26th minute.
They will point to be without some of their stars too, the likes of All-Star and captain Aidan Forker, Aaron McKay and Oisín O'Neill, who had been providing regular two-pointers up to the Ulster final.
Here, his brother Rian took over that mantle, kicking three of them. O'Neill is what Michael Murphy should be to Donegal – the icing on the cake. His team don't see him as a crutch but when he raises orange flags like his floating first effort here, he is a weapon of destruction.
Kieran McGeeney was pleased if not satisfied with his charges's display. 'I thought we missed a hell of a bit, I think we had four or five goal chances and missed a lot. They had 17 wides, but at least, I would say, 10 of those were well within their range.
'You could argue the bit out, it would be closer or not, the conversion rates are important. Their wides would look bigger, but I think there are four or five goal chances, actually Dublin scored three or four points off them.
'Good saves, but you still want to be at least converting one or two of those if we're at this level. Definitely a mix of the good and the bad, but listen with the way the other results went, you take it every day of the week. To be able to top the group is a testament to the way the boys put their shoulders to the wheel.'
Watched by a slightly disappointing crowd of 38,763, Armagh led by 0-13 to 0-9 at half-time and capitalised on three consecutive three up/four back transgressions by an insipid Dublin to extend their lead to seven by the 45th minute.
The frequency of the infractions was a bad look for Dublin who compensated with a couple of two-pointers to draw within five points with 17 minutes remaining. Seán Bugler kicked the second of them only to then kick a couple of wides, the second from a relatively easy position.
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Armagh were simply a more clued-in side. In the second half, Ben Crealey and Darragh McMullan gave them a platform in the middle and the latter put them seven up in the 50th minute and the game seemed to be over when O'Neill thumped over his third two-pointer, the first from a free, in the 59th minute and Armagh were eight to the good.
A desperate Dublin searched for two-pointers and bagged a third via Paddy Small but the wide count kept ticking and the total of 18 told plenty about their day.
There wasn't much efficiency in the first half either. Armagh had two goal shots kept out by Stephen Cluxton and missed another six attempts at goal but Dublin were guilty of more erratic finishing. Cormac Costello ended the half with his side's seventh wide and 10th miss for the opening half.
Ironically, Costello had been his team's best player in that period, scoring three points from play and winning a free he converted. Colm Basquel struck two wides inside the first 15 minutes and was withdrawn five minutes later.
Dublin looked the part in the opening 11 minutes when they pushed 0-6 to 0-3 playing into Hill 16, but were hauled back courtesy of a Rory Grugan two-pointer and Jarlath Óg Burns's second point from play.
Cluxton made his first save in the 19th minute from Oisín Conaty and Dublin made plenty of the let-off with the next couple of points to go two up. There was pace in their football and their inside line were enjoying the duels that came off it.
However, what followed was an Armagh blitz, seven points in six minutes, two of them two-point scores, an enduring kick from O'Neill, which followed an equivalent score from a Grugan free outside the arc.
Dublin were being walloped on their kick-out, the frenzied efforts of their half-forward preventing Cluxton from finding pockets and forcing him long where the likes of Crealey and Ross McQuillan were breaking ball.
Conor Turbitt sent over his second score courtesy of the restart that came after O'Neill's kick and Conaty also brought his total to two points on the half-hour mark to stretch Armagh's lead to five points.
Costello did sent over a free, Dublin's first point in 12 minutes, in the 34th minute but the wide he added over a minute later typified his team's performance if not his own.
'I think in the first quarter we were quite clinical but then lost our way for some reason,' reviewed Dessie Farrell. 'And we never really regained our composure, struggled to get momentum maybe outside of a period in the second half where we got at the Armagh kick-out. That gave us a very good platform but we failed to convert and execute from that platform, so that was very disappointing.
'And then perhaps some decision-making around shot selection, chasing the game, chasing two-pointers. That potentially we would regret now looking back on that at this point.'
Scorers for Dublin: C. Costello (0-8, 1tp, 3 frees); P. Small (0-4, 1tp); S. Bugler (0-3, 1tp); L. Gannon (0-2); L. O'Dell, B. Howard (0-1 each).
Scorers for Armagh: R. Grugan (0-8, 1tp, 1tpf, 4 frees); R. O'Neill (0-6, 2 tps, 1tpf); J. Burns, O. Conaty, C. Turbitt (0-2 each); E. Rafferty, D. McMullan, S. Campbell, J. McElroy (0-1 each).
DUBLIN: S. Cluxton; D. Byrne, T. Clancy, A. Gavin; N. Scully, B. Howard. S. MacMahon; P. Ó Cofaigh-Byrne, C. Kilkenny (c); K. McGinnis, S. Bugler, C. Basquel; P. Small, C. Costello, L. O'Dell.
Subs: L. Gannon for C. Basquel (20); J. Small for A. Gavin (h-t); T. Lahiff for K. McGinnis, L. Breathnach for L. O'Dell (both 48); E. O'Donnell for N. Scully (61).
ARMAGH: E. Rafferty; B. McCambridge, P. Burns, P. McGrane; R. McQuillan, T. Kelly, J. Burns; J. Duffy, B. Crealey; D. McMullan, O. Conaty, A. Murnin; R. Grugan (c), R. O'Neill, C. Turbitt.
Subs: S. Campbell for C. Turbitt (53); J. McElroy for J. Duffy (64); T. McCormack for R. Grugan (67); N. Grimley for R. O'Neill (68).
Referee: J. McQuillan (Cavan).