Rian O'Neill returns as Armagh survive late Derry blitz in nervy All-Ireland opener
But Orchard captain for the night Rory Grugan insisted that the victory was all that mattered — as his side stumbled over the line to take two points in the group of death from a game they should have cruised home in.
2
Rian O'Neill returned for All-Ireland champions Armagh on Saturday at the BOX-IT Athletic Grounds
2
Armagh's defence kicked off with a nervous win against a tough Derry outfit
Second-half goals from Barry McCambridge and Conor Turbitt saw Kieran McGeeney's men take a commanding 13-point lead with just over ten minutes left.
But Derry rallied, scoring two late goals from Conor Glass and Tommy Rogers to make the hosts sweat at the Athletic Grounds.
Armagh hung on to banish the memories of another drama-filled Ulster final defeat to Donegal.
Grugan said: 'The first few days are tough, getting the corner turned in terms of mentally and that, but we managed to do that and we put in a good ten days of training.
read more on gaa
'We treated this like a final, basically, because if you lose this first game, you're scrambling away to Dublin, neutral to Galway, you don't know where it'll take you and suddenly you're fighting for your life.
'We want to push on now, see where this week takes us and I look forward to Croke Park.'
Grugan admitted he was glad to hear the final whistle.
He added: 'I went off just after we'd conceded the first goal and it went back to a ten-point deficit, and you're hoping that's still enough of a buffer.
Most read in GAA Football
'But in the modern game we've seen those disappear really quickly. There was a significant wind there, Derry took advantage of it.
Antrim GAA captain Dermot McAleese insists Ulster SFC clash against Armagh will be at Corrigan Park
'You could tell they were really going for goal and they never stopped fighting. They came at us hard, kicked a couple of two-pointers and it was more nervy than it needed to be there.
'It would have been a travesty if we threw it away.'
Armagh came flying out of the blocks in the second half having only led by three points at the break despite dominating the opening period.
The return of talisman O'Neill for his first game of the year came in the No 6 jersey after he had initially not been named in the matchday squad.
That all changed on the day and he was among the scorers as his side led 0-9 to 0-2 after 19 minutes. Grugan, Andrew Murnin, Oisín Conaty with a two-pointer, Ross McQuillan and Turbitt all contributed.
But Derry hit back with Conor Glass, Paul Cassidy, Ruairí Forbes and Shane McGuigan on target to cut Armagh's half-time lead to 0-12 to 0-9.
Murnin, Jarly Óg Burns, Jason Duffy and McQuillan all helped extend the Orchard lead again before McCambridge steered Murnin's optimistic delivery into the net and then Turbitt displayed class to slip his shot past keeper Ben McKinless.
However, Derry chipped away with a big two-pointer from McGuigan and then with ten minutes to play, Glass' low effort gave Armagh keeper Ethan Rafferty no chance.
And Paddy Tally's men really started to believe when substitute Rogers rattled in another goal.
Indeed, they came close to turning it around with Rafferty required to make saves from Rogers and his namesake Brendan.
But Joe McElroy stemmed the tide with a vital insurance point as Armagh hung on and they now head to Croke Park to face Dublin next weekend with both sides having won their group openers.
Derry will welcome Galway to Celtic Park as both teams look to get off the mark.
Ahead of facing the Dubs, Grugan warned: 'The amount of goal chances Derry created and scored would be concerning.'
ARMAGH: E Rafferty; P Burns, B McCambridge 1-0, P McGrane; R McQuillan 0-4, R O'Neill 0-1, J Óg Burns 0-1; J Duffy 0-1, B Crealy; D McMullan 0-1, R Grugan 0-3, 2f, O Conaty 0-4, 1tp; T Kelly, A Murnin 0-3, O O'Neill. Subs: C Turbitt 1-2, 1tp for O O'Neill 12mins; S Campbell for Duffy 51; N Grimley for R O'Neill 55; J McElroy 0-1 for Grugan 60; G McCabe for McQuillan 62.
DERRY: B McKinless; P McGurk, E McEvoy, D Baker; R Forbes 0-1, B Rogers, P McGrogan 0-1'45; C Glass 1-3, C Doherty; C McFaul, P Cassidy 0-5, 1tp, E Doherty 0-1; A Tohill, S McGuigan 0-5, 1tp, 1tpf, N Toner 0-1f. Subs: D Higgins 1-0 for Tohill 38mins; R Mulholland for McGurk 54; C Devlin for McFaul 59; T Rogers for Toner 62; D McDermott for McGrogan 65.
REFEREE: S Hurson (Tyrone).
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Independent
26 minutes ago
- Irish Independent
‘I'd be lying in bed at night asking ‘why didn't I get it instead?' I had a good innings, he was only a youngster'
A table of toast and coffee rests between us in the Brogue Inn at the bottom of Rock Street on the Monday before an All-Ireland final. It's hard to imagine that getting this close to the most famous GAA forward in history was once strictly off limits days before a final.
Irish Times
38 minutes ago
- Irish Times
Conor McManus on the Donegal team: Profiling the men tasked with avenging 2014 All-Ireland final loss
1. Shaun Patton Age : 29 Club : St Eunan's SFC debut : 2018 v Cavan Cornerstone of everything with the speed, distance and variety of his restarts and he has also made some decent stops. Injured for Donegal 's one defeat. Never gets flustered if one or two kickouts go astray but the 4-4-4 press has caused occasional trouble. READ MORE 2. Finbarr Roarty Age : 19 Club : Naomh Conaill SFC debut : 2025 v Derry Young Footballer of the Year candidate, he has everything in his locker – physically strong in the tackle, pace to carry the ball, great footwork and has got on the end of a few scores. Composure of someone who is playing at this level for significantly longer. 3. Brendan McCole Donegal's Brendan McCole is likely to be marking David Clifford, which is as tough as it gets. Photograph: Leah Scholes/Inpho Age : 27 Club : St Naul's SFC debut : 2019 v Kerry Top man-marker who tends to pick up the opposition danger man. This weekend, that means David Clifford. McCole has strength, pace and aggression. Very diligent in how he covers off space and will have support in what is a daunting task. 4. Peadar Mogan Age : 26 Club : St Naul's SFC debut : 2020 v Tyrone Prolific number four, as befits a natural forward. Maybe not as spectacular this year but just as effective. Pace and dynamism going forward but also as one of the hunting pack, turning over ball and getting it quickly up the field. 5. Ryan McHugh Age : 31 Club : Kilcar SFC debut : 2013 v Down Playing a much more conventional role than the go-go-go associated with him in recent years. Integral part of their defensive and sweeping system. Generally, in the vicinity of turnovers. Give him the ball and he'll keep it moving. 6. Eoghán Bán Gallagher Age : 29 Club : Killybegs SFC debut : 2016 v Monaghan Biggest compliment you can pay is that Caolan McGonagle hasn't been badly missed. Brings solidity and is very comfortable on the ball. He is also a good man marker from days in full-back line. Likely to take Seán O'Shea or Paudie Clifford. 7. Caolan McColgan Donegal's Caolan McColgan always puts in a big shift. Photograph: Bryan Keane/Inpho Age : 23 Club : Naomh Pádraig, Muff SFC debut : 2023 v Down Deployed as a utility player. Man-marked Mayo's Aidan O'Shea in the final round-robin game, more to put O'Shea on the back foot than to stay in the full back line. Very busy and will do his shift until replaced around 45 or 50 minutes. 8. Hugh McFadden Age : 31 Club : Killybegs SFC debut : 2015 v Armagh Knows his job. Gives everything for 45 or 50 minutes and Jason Magee will finish off the job. Not sure he would have the same impact coming on but it's not just about finishing strong. McFadden is a massive leadership figure. [ How Kerry or Donegal could win or lose the All-Ireland final Opens in new window ] 9. Michael Langan Age : 29 Club : St Michael's SFC debut : 2017 v Antrim Over Donegal's 10 games, he's probably been their best player. Pops up with big scores, wins a lot of ball and distributes well. Also has the ability to kick two-pointers. Very languid style but hugely effective. Potential Player of the Year. 10. Shane O'Donnell Age : 23 Club : St Eunan's SFC debut : 2022 v Armagh A massive addition to the team's game over the last couple of years, he's very pacey and makes more than his share of scoring assists. Ticks every box for Donegal in how they're set up and how they play. 11. Ciarán Thompson Donegal's Ciarán Thompson has a habit of coming up with big moments when the team needs him most. Photograph: Bryan Keane/Inpho Age : 30 Club : Naomh Conaill SFC debut : 2016 v Dublin Another hugely prominent presence, he has played every single minute of the 10 games to date. Drifts in and out around the middle and shot important two-pointers against Monaghan in the All-Ireland quarter-final when Donegal really needed scores. 12. Ciarán Moore Age : 23 Club : St Eunan's SFC debut : 2024 v Derry Move to half forwards has transformed his game, which has been better this year and he has been physically stronger. Moore is one of the weapons when Donegal turn you over. He has the constant pace to hurt teams, no matter how late, as Mayo found out. [ Patrick McBrearty is the golden thread running through the Jim McGuinness era Opens in new window ] 13. Conor O'Donnell Age : 24 Club : Carndonagh SFC debut : 2021 v Down For all Donegal's impressive spread of scoring, he's consistently getting on the board. Popped up with 1-3 the last day from five shots, untypically missing one on his right foot from the 13-yard line. Hugely efficient use of the ball. 14. Michael Murphy Michael Murphy has been outstanding in Donegal's march to the final. Photograph: Ryan Byrne/Inpho Age : 35 Club : Glenswilly SFC debut : 2007 v Leitrim Despite talk of Murphy being an impact sub, it should have been obvious that he would be picking up where he left off. To get to this level, having been out of intercounty for two years, is incredible. Precision, ball winning and leadership all still intact. 15. Oisín Gallen Age : 25 Club : Seán Mac Cumhaills SFC debut : 2019 v Tyrone His return to form has been massive for Donegal and their chances of winning the All-Ireland. He hadn't been hitting top notes in the early rounds of the championship but shot 1-2 the last day, which creates a problem for Kerry. Bench This is potentially the big difference in the two teams. Donegal can spring Jason McGee on 50 minutes as well as Patrick McBrearty, Dáire Ó Baoill and Caolan McGonagle. Outstanding options going down the stretch. Management Donegal manager Jim McGuinness will have worked through every possibility with his players. Photograph: Bryan Keane/Inpho Jim McGuinness (manager), Colm McFadden, Neil McGee, Luke Barrett. This simply wouldn't be happening unless Jim McGuinness was back. Has everyone hanging on his every word. They're going into this with every box ticked, every angle covered and every small detail worked on.
Extra.ie
an hour ago
- Extra.ie
How Donegal's defence can cope with David Clifford
There was a moment of levity during Jim McGuinness's press conference ahead of the All-Ireland final. The Donegal manager was asked when he knew that Finnbarr Roarty, the fresh-faced teenage defender who has been one of the revelations of this summer, was ready for senior inter-county football. 'I would say about a year ago I thought he might have been good enough, but I was a day out on my calculation!' McGuinness smiled, a reference to how he handed Roarty his senior debut in a McKenna Cup game, despite him still being a minor, which was against GAA rules and resulted in Donegal getting a slap on the wrists. But it did show how long the youngster, a clubmate of the manager in Naomh Conaill, has been on the radar. One of the big questions that surrounded Donegal ahead of this season was how McGuinness would adjust his team's defensive structure and shape to the new rules. While much of how they defend remains based on a system — and how they like to set up zonally just inside the arc — they have adapted it to the new game. Even with 11 v 11, he has trusted his team's shape. Finnbarr Roarty has been one of the revelations of this summer. Pic: INPHO/James Crombie 'That is probably the one thing that has surprised me about Donegal this season,' says Eamon McGee, the All-Ireland-winning corner-back in 2012. 'McGuinness came back last year and loved his defensive shape, and I wondered if he would remain true to that there or is he going more to a hybrid approach where he is getting out and putting the pressure on. 'But he's stayed true to that. I'm surprised that he's able to work it out, and they've been very brave, in fairness to Donegal, how they defended those zones and how they're leaving that third zone, nearly man-free. There's one man keeping an eye on it, but they're getting across so quick. From a defensive perspective, I'm surprised that they're able to manage it as well as they have.' McGuinness has been able to make it work because of the quality of defenders they have, and the speed at which they can move into a zone if they sense danger. Tyrone's decision to go man-on-man against Kerry resulted in David Clifford filling his boots on Padraig Hampsey, scoring 1-9 and probably leaving another couple of goals out on Croke Park. It was clear from early on that Hampsey was left too isolated, especially given how wide open his team were down the central channel where Joe O'Connor had a field day and roughly half of Kerry's 10 goalscoring opportunities originated. That is one area Kerry may find clogged upon Sunday, particularly if Caolan McGonagle returns to centre half-back. David Clifford has been in red-hot form for Kerry. Pic: Seb Daly/Sportsfile And while the Ulster champions are wedded to the zonal system, defenders are still required to win their individual battles. One-on-one defending still matters. Roarty's ability to strip the ball from an opponent — most clearly seen in dispossessing Meath's Keith Curtis in the semi-final to start the move that led to Ciaran Moore's goal — is reminiscent of Karl Lacey in his pomp, as both McGuinness and McGee have pointed out. 'He punches above his weight in many respects and doesn't fear anybody,' McGuinness said of Roarty. 'There's an innocence to that but a courageousness as well. He's a brilliant tackler. I can see him taking the ball off Aidan O'Shea in Roscommon that day, that's not an easy task. Karl Lacey in his pomp. Pic: Brendan Moran/Sportsfile 'When he gets you in that grip, a bit like Karl Lacey, he can get the hand in and the hand out. It's clean and it's crisp and it's strong. He's fair. He's been brilliant, the Donegal people love him. They absolutely love him. When he gets a turnover now, I think it's as big a cheer as you're going to get for a point because he is so honest. ' McGee agreed with those sentiments. 'He is so good at sniffing danger and getting to the danger. His ability to rob a man reminds me of Lacey, who was like a boxer with quick hands and able to get the ball without getting the foul on. You watch Finbarr when he gets near the man. How many times we've seen it this summer, where Finbarr's getting the hand in, gets it away. 'He's brought so much to that defensive unit. And remember, Finbarr's coming from an era where he's been brought up in blanket defences, so a lot of those defensive skills were neglected, they weren't coached, it about getting everybody back, and the group, rather than the individual. For him to come out, and in the manner that he has, it's a testament to his club and his coaches and to himself.' Brendan McCole will likely be assigned the most difficult job in Gaelic football and asked to limit the damage that Clifford does in the final. There has been some speculation that Donegal may remain true to their zonal system elsewhere and McCole will be the only one tasked with a specific man-marking role, although the manner in which Ryan McHugh curtailed Rory Grugan's influence in the Ulster final suggests he may be the player to tag Paudie Clifford. Brendan McCole will likely be assigned the most difficult job in Gaelic football. Pic: INPHO/Leah Scholes But all eyes will be on McCole and how he handles Clifford. In his understated way, the Mountcharles native has grown into arguably the most consistent full-back in the country over the past couple of years and his ability to read the game and sense danger are two of his most impressive attributes, both of which he will need in spades on Sunday. His policing of Matthew Costello in the semi-final underlined his ability. 'McCole has been tasked with the danger man in every game, and he keeps an eye on his man while reading the game,' McGee says. 'If you look at the players who are dubbed man-markers most of them aren't able to do that, they are just focused on their direct opponent. But McCole is able to read the game, he's always aware of where his man is and when to stand off. He's hands-on at times, but he doesn't bring any of the sledging or verbals nonsense.' McGuinness has re-designed parts of his defensive shape to fit into the new game, but he still trusts his players in their individual battle. McCole has the hardest job of all on Sunday, but if his teammates sense trouble, their system means they can move at speed to help — and how they try to nullify the Kerry threats is just one of the reasons Sunday's game is so intriguing.
