Kieran McGeeney rues 15 minutes he'd "like to forget"
Kieran McGeeney reflected on a 15 minutes he'd "like to forget" after Armagh were overwhelmed by Kerry in the second half of the All-Ireland quarter-final.
All appeared to be going swimmingly for Armagh five minutes into the second half, a burst of scores from Rian O'Neill, Darragh McMullan and Oisín Conaty pushing them into a five-point lead.
However, 15 minutes later, their campaign was on life-support and the game almost done and dusted.
Kerry racked up 0-14 without reply, with just two two-pointers included in that haul, as Armagh were unable to secure possession from their own kickout.
"It was probably a disappointing 15 minutes, that's what turned the tide," McGeeney told RTÉ Sport afterwards.
"They (Armagh players) never stopped fighting so you have to give them credit. It was just a 15 minute period where Kerry were devastating and we just couldn't get our hands on the ball in the middle.
"I think it was 11 out of our 13 kickouts (in that spell) that we lost. If you do that in this game, you have to commit for it and then you leave holes in behind.
"Seán (O'Shea), no matter what he hit, was putting them over and everybody else was joining in.
"It's a 15 minutes you'd like to forget. But it happens in sport. We've done it ourselves against other teams, so you just have to take it on the chin and move on.
"For the first 45 minutes we were very well on top, but the only time to be on top really is at the end."
Of that 15 minute spell, when Armagh were unable to gather possession on their own kickout, McGeeney shrugged that there was little that could be done on the sideline.
"Listen, that's what we (the public) want. We just want to be able to kick the ball out and make it 50:50. People find that more exciting. That's the game and Kerry were better at it today that us.
"I suppose we kept kicking it to the wings. If I could pinpoint the reason for you, we would have stopped it. We were too tied onto the sidelines. They were quicker on the breaking balls at that stage.
"It was just their ability to punish. Seanie had just one of those days. He couldn't miss. That's just what happens.
"And then three or four goal chances on our side that we miss. It's frustrating but we've all been around sport a long time. Outside of the Dublins and Kerrys, we lose more than we win."
In the same seat 10 minutes earlier, his Kerry counterpart Jack O'Connor had taken aim at his team's critics.
Kerry were in the rare position of underdogs amid an air of fatalism following their loss to Meath, but McGeeney said he didn't pay any heed.
"Not really, it was the Kerry boys that were talking them down, so we wouldn't pass much remarks.
"That's what Kerry do. My in-laws are from there. I would hear it direct.
"Everyone was saying they weren't a team - National League champions, Munster champions, the highest scoring forward, the highest scorers going into it (the game).
"Eamonn (Fitzmaurice) and the boys can write that stuff. But no one really believes it."
McGeeney, after years of hard-toil and near-misses, helped deliver the county's second All-Ireland title 11 months ago.
With their title defence done, the manager was in fairly reflective mood.
"Listen, they've won an All-Ireland. They're only one of two (Armagh) teams in 140 odd years that have won it. They can hold their heads up high surely.
"They've been one of the most consistent teams over the last three or four years. You get a few years to push at the top and you have to make the best of it.
"Between Dublin and Kerry, they've won 50% of All-Ireland finals. So, you're up against a huge thing.
"It's going to be a disappointing for them today. But they've got an All-Ireland medal in their back pocket.
"And I'm sure those younger fellas there, and most of the squad, will want to push on and get another one."
As for his own position at the end of 11 years in charge, McGeeney showed no indication he was getting tired of it.
"I sit down every year and it's always about players. It's all about players, first and foremost, and what they want. And how much they want to push on.
"My appetite for football has always been the same. I love it. I enjoy it. Despite the abuse.
"It's just one of the things, like. I don't know. Maybe it's an addiction."
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