Armagh aim to pop Cork

GROUP A winners Armagh will face Cork at the Athletic Grounds in the All Ireland Senior Championship quarter-finals the weekend after next after the Munster champions secured runners-up place in their pool by trouncing Tipperary 8-12 to 2-3, writes Richard Bullick.

If the Orchard outfit triumph, they will either meet Dublin in a repeat of the 2020 semi-final or have the opportunity to avenge May’s Ulster showpiece defeat by bitter rivals Donegal who thwarted Armagh’s bid for a fourth consecutive title.

Saturday night’s draw has thrown up a repeat of last year’s All Ireland final, with Kerry having home advantage against reigning champions Meath, who were pipped for top place in their group by a one-point defeat by Donegal in Navan.

The other last eight tie is a Connacht derby between provincial champions Mayo, who were runners-up in Armagh’s group, and Galway, who bounced back from losing the western showpiece to top their pool at the expense of Cork.

Armagh have home advantage in the quarter-finals for the first time ever because of finishing first in their group courtesy of victories over reigning Intermediate champions Laois and then Mayo thanks to a last-gasp penalty by Aimee Mackin.

Had Meath edged Donegal in the last of the 12 group games, all four provincial title winners would have had away quarter-finals as a result of failing to top their respective pools, underlining how wide open this season’s All Ireland title race appears.

Because of the way the group stage went, Armagh’s three possible opponents in the quarter-finals were the counties who have held the All Ireland title between them since the mid-noughties – Cork, Dublin and Meath.

Cork won 11 out of 12 All Irelands up until 2016 but were beaten by Armagh when the counties last met in a group game four years ago and may make the trip north minus experienced campaigner Ciara O’Sullivan, who got a straight red card against Tipperary.

Armagh may not have needed to beat Mayo two Sundays ago to qualify for the All Ireland quarter-finals but their last-gasp win felt like an invaluable victory in psychological terms for Shane McCormack’s side.

Defeat for the orangewomen would have left them having to relying upon Mayo not slipping up against Laois six days later in order to go through, but the Orchard’s dramatic triumph clinched top spot in Group A along with home advantage for their last eight tie.

That is an appealing prospect, and it will be an historic occasion as the Athletic Grounds has never hosted a TG4 Senior Championship quarter-final before, but the considerable boost to Orchard confidence from beating a top team can’t be underestimated either.

After relinquishing their provincial crown with that disappointing defeat to bitter rivals Donegal at the end of May, Armagh got back to winning ways in their opening group game away to Laois.

However, with no disrespect to last season’s All Ireland Intermediate title winners, Armagh weren’t particularly convincing in Portlaoise whereas overcoming Connacht champions Mayo was the team’s biggest scalp since McCormack took charge.

Mayo may go under the radar a bit compared to reigning two-in-a-row All Ireland champions Meath, Dublin and Cork who dominated ladies football between them for a decade and a half from the mid-noughties, or this season’s National League title winners Kerry.

But they reclaimed the Connacht crown in May with a provincial decider defeat of familiar foes Galway, who bounced back by winning their opening All Ireland group game against Cork, who should have been on a real high after eclipsing Kerry in the Munster showpiece.

Last year’s All Ireland runners-up Kerry responded to that Munster final loss by winning next time out in the Parnell Park backyard of Dublin, who had recently claimed their 10th Leinster title in a row at the expense of Brendan Martin Cup holders Meath.

Armagh had been tipped to add a fourth consecutive Ulster Senior Championship success to the NFL Division Two title won in April but revitalised Donegal grabbed the Owenbeg glory and followed up by beating first division Waterford in their All Ireland opener.

All of the above points to the most open All Ireland race for many years, with the eight provincial finalists all fancying their chances of claiming the top prize but not a single team being an absolute banker to reach the semis.

If Armagh had limped into the quarter-finals on the back of being dethroned by Donegal in Ulster, few would have given much for their hopes but they are on the front foot again now thanks to the incredibly fine margins between winning and losing at this level.

It took that Mackin penalty netted 16 seconds before the final hooter to snatch victory over Mayo, but the importance of coming out on the right side of the result can’t be underestimated and not just because it has secured home comforts for the next round.

To come back and win after trailing by five points at half-time and then finding themselves two down with very time left having got in front in between was very satisfying for Armagh, and there was a real feelgood factor in the Athletic Grounds after the match.

Nobody will have got carried away with this last-gasp win and the hard work will continue but it was nice to see these dedicated players with smiles on their faces as they typically took time to interact with the excited young fans who rightly regard them as heroes.

By her own admission, inspirational skipper Kelly Mallon hasn’t really been hitting the heights this season in terms of personal performances compared to last time Armagh reached the All Ireland semi-finals, in that pandemic-delayed 2020 campaign.

But the way she instinctively swung over an imperious point as Armagh hit their stride in the second half was very encouraging and the hugely experienced campaigner, who turns 34 this Saturday, admitted afterwards that it was an afternoon full of positives.

“We might have got through without winning here but this was an important opportunity, against good opposition, to see where we’re at as a team, and having to come from five down at half-time, or being behind near the end, was a real test of character.

“There’s still plenty to work on but we’re pleased to get over the line, to top the group and get the home quarter-final.  I’ve maybe been questioning myself a bit because you really want to make a difference for the team so hopefully I can build on this too,” she said.

Manager McCormack declared himself “absolutely thrilled and delighted” with the character shown by his team in what he described as “a fantastic game which was a great advert for ladies football.

“It’s tough when you’re going in five points down against a team like Mayo, but we asked for character and accountability and the girls really stood up.  Come those two or three minutes near the end, we were behind, but the players never panicked,” he reflected.

“It was said at half-time, when we were five down, that we had a chance to rectify the situation whereas we’d be absolutely disgusted at ourselves if we were five behind at the full-time whistle.

“It was all about belief and work-rate and the girls kept working hard, and held their nerve, and I’m just delighted to get out with the win, which gives us a home quarter-final and the chance to play in the Athletic Grounds again.

“There was fantastic support today, there always is.  It’s great hearing the crowd getting behind the team and naturally the players feed off that.  Whoever we play next, the opportunity to bring any team to Armagh here, it’s a big benefit for us.

“Aimee Mackin missed a penalty in the first half but she stood up there with 30 seconds to go and rattled the net and that’s what it’s all about.  They all stood up today, from forwards right through to the goalkeeper, and showed the character we want,” he enthused.