Oisin Conaty reveals what Armagh must do to end drought in Ulster Championship

Belfast Telegraph

29-04-2025

The Orchard County were crowned All-Ireland champions in 2024 but incredibly still haven't lifted the Anglo-Celt Cup.
The provincial title has eluded them since 2008 and not only have they been knocking on the door in recent years, they have nearly kicked it off its hinges.
Unfortunately for Armagh fans, that door is still hanging on and they haven't got through it just yet, but after beating Tyrone in a nail-biting Semi-Final where they scored two late points to come from behind and win, they are feeling very confident about their chances.
Oisin Conaty was one of the main stars against the Red Hand County, and he was thrilled to get over the line and advance into another Ulster decider.
'Obviously buzzing to win a Semi-Final and get into another Ulster Final,' said Conaty.
'It's always nice beating Tyrone, too. I'm not going to lie, I thought we had lost it there towards the end, but when you have experienced players like Rory (Grugan) and Soupy (Stefan Campbell), you can rely on them to pull us out with big moments.
'Coming out of the changing room at half-time, a big focus was on starting the half right, set the tempo and bring it to them.
'Unfortunately, we didn't carry that all the way through but, luckily enough in the end, we pulled through, and now we have another Ulster Final to look forward to where we can hopefully right some wrongs from last year.'
Conaty is too young to really remember the famous rivalry between Tyrone and Armagh in the Noughties when it was at its absolute peak, but the magnitude of this game wasn't lost on him for a minute.
The flying forward soaked up the anticipation throughout the build-up and believes that it will serve them well as they prepare for another blockbuster event against Donegal.
'Of course you have nerves, that's normal,' admitted the half-forward. 'As a footballer coming into such a big game like this against your rivals, but there was a lot of excitement, too.
'You just have to try and channel that, try and use it to your advantage, something that we managed to do at times but, unfortunately at times, we didn't.
'Going into the next game, there will be even more nerves but, again, we just have to try and channel that to pull through.'
The manner in which they beat Tyrone also shows that they have the grit and never-say-die attitude necessary to compete at the top level.
Campbell hit the equaliser just before the hooter was blown, and then they almost toyed with their opposition while trying to manufacture a winner before winning a free kick that was slotted over by Rory Grugan.
That killer instinct and cool head when the game was in the melting pot is something that Armagh has worked hard on and planned for.
'Soupy hit that point at the end and then we won the next kick-out because with the new rules, you can run down the clock and work that last shot and use it to your advantage because you know you still have time,' said the Tir na Nog clubman.
'Luckily enough, we got that free at the end, and that is just Rory Grugan's bread and butter.'
When Kieran McGeeney's men lost the Final in 2024, it was a painful pill to swallow, but they turned that hurt into motivation and that led them to All-Ireland glory.
However, Conaty admits that he isn't looking for motivation and wants to bring that trophy home at long last.
He continued: 'You want an Ulster medal in your back pocket.
'I'm not going to lie, people say we used the loss as motivation last year, and we did, but you would have rather have won and used that.
'That is just the focus for us going into the next two weeks, we will watch this game back and take it from there at training.'