Armagh manager Kieran McGeeney insisted he would not read too much into his side’s emphatic Ulster semi-final win over Down, despite a dominant performance in Clones.
The Orchard County powered to a 3-33 to 0-14 victory, keeping Down to just seven scores in each half, to book their place in the Ulster final against Monaghan on Sunday, 17 May.
“It’s great to get into an Ulster final again,” McGeeney told BBC Sport NI.
“But in terms of the scoreline, I wouldn’t read that much into it. We knew it was going to go one way or the other with Down [after the Donegal game] last week, either it was going to give them a bit of energy or sap them and their performance last week probably paid its toll.”
Armagh built on their high-scoring quarter-final win over Fermanagh, but McGeeney was quick to stress how quickly momentum can shift.
“The score was good today, but so was Down’s last week; these things can come and go.
“Some days, things can run for you. Down was 5-2 up when Greg McCabe had a chance to score, and if that went in, the game could have taken a different trajectory altogether.”
He also pointed to the evolving nature of the modern game.
“You’ve seen for the last 10 days that 12 or 14 point leads aren’t what they were before.
“Teams can hit two-pointers now and turn things around very quickly, so you always have to stay switched on.”
The second half provided an opportunity to introduce fresh faces, with Aaron O’Neill and Tomas Galvin making their championship debuts.
“It was good to see lads like Aaron and Tomas on, I told [Aaron] when he came on to pull the trigger, and he did and got a two-pointer.”
‘Monaghan will have no fear of us’
McGeeney also highlighted the importance of squad depth as Armagh continue to manage several injuries and addressed a late change involving Ross McQuillan.
“We’ve had a few boys coming back – Barry McCambridge, Ciaran Mackin, Andrew Murnin, and they’re still building match fitness,” he explained.
“There’s competition there, and that’s what you want.
“It’s a huge kick for us, Ross has serious pace and picked up a strain, it’s not too bad, but you just can’t take chances.
“Callum [O’Neill] and Ben [Crealey] are big misses, and we’re still trying to get Barry McCambridge and Ciaran Mackin to match pace, so we’ve needed that sort of depth and will need it again against Monaghan.”
Attention now turns to the Ulster final against Monaghan, who secured their place with a dramatic win over Derry.
“Monaghan will have no fear of us, I can guarantee you that,” McGeeney added.
“They’ve quality forwards and a lot of new talent coming in, so they’ll be well-prepped as well playing on their home patch, and they showed again yesterday what they can do.”
Having suffered a series of narrow defeats in recent Ulster finals, McGeeney is keeping the focus firmly on preparation and is refusing to buy into talk of Armagh as favourites.
“You just stick to what’s on the pitch and keep the noise out. It would be great to get one [an Ulster title], but there’s a lot more to play for, including the home venue in the All-Ireland we secured this evening.”
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