02-06-2025
Galway star says there'll be 'big edge' to crunch Armagh tie with season on line
Galway's Cein Darcy says there will be 'a big edge' to their upcoming All-Ireland final rematch with Armagh.
The counties will renew their budding rivalry at a neutral venue the weekend after next in the final round of All-Ireland series Group 4, with fixture details set to be announced tomorrow.
It'll be the third year running that they have met in the group stage, while there was an All-Ireland quarter-final meeting in 2022 as well as last year's final.
In the previous four meetings, Armagh have enjoyed two one-point victories while there have been two draws, with Galway progressing on penalties in that quarter-final three years ago.
Armagh are already guaranteed to top the group so there's more at stake for Galway, but Orchard boss Kieran McGeeney has insisted that his side will be going all out for the victory.
Darcy said: 'It's a must-win game and will create a big edge for us playing them obviously and they'll be the same.
'We've had some tough battles over the years and there's a nice rivalry there so, yeah, I'm looking forward to that one.'
With Armagh beating Dublin, Galway would have been out of the Championship had they lost to Derry on Sunday. Having been eight points down, they battled back to take a sensational lead late on with Matthew Tierney's second goal, though Derry forced a draw with Conor Doherty's late leveller.
'I'm probably feeling a bit cynical at the moment that we couldn't get over the line, especially the last play there,' Darcy told Galway Bay FM.
'It mimics the Dublin game in a way, conceding the short kickout and then a very simple shot we'd look to avoid there but yeah, if you look at it, you flip the perspective where you're eight points down at one stage and managing to claw our way back so there's that character present in the squad but, as I say, it's probably still a bit raw and I'm a bit cynical about it all!'
Darcy didn't start the game but was introduced in the first half and made quite an impact as Galway dominated the Derry kickout for long spells.
He added: 'Well that's what I'm there for, I suppose. It's a restart game in a way, in patches anyway with the new rules and the conditions the way they are today.
'It was similar when we played them in the League game up here. Once you get on top and you get a bit of momentum, it's hard to break it and that's my job, happy to go out and execute it.'
