All change in the Orchard County

Hopes are still high of a productive season in Armagh despite a significant turnover in personnel. Shaun Casey writes….

OF the 30 players that pulled on the orange and white jersey last season, across league and championship, as many as 15 of them may not be available for the first round of the National League. That’s a gigantic turnover of players.

Kieran McGeeney’s wider squad has received plenty of plaudits over the past few years and it’s going to be tested to the maximum this year. And Division One is a unforgiving hunting ground.

Stefan Campbell and Jemar Hall have retired. Rian O’Neill, Shane McPartlan and Niall Grimley aren’t part of the panel for 2026. Connaire Mackin is in Australia. Rory Grugan is on an extended break and not expected back until early February.

Youngster Gareth Murphy didn’t feature in the McKenna Cup. Aidan Forker, Ben Crealey, Barry McCambridge, Ciaran Mackin, Darragh McMullen, Jason Duffy and Paddy Burns could all potentially miss out through injury.

Ciaran Higgins, Conor O’Neill and Aidan Nugent played in the championship when Armagh won the All-Ireland just two years ago but aren’t all three involved anymore. Kieran Donaghy has, of course, left the setup and joined Jack O’Connor’s Kerry management team.

Experienced heads like Mark Shields, Niall Rowland and Ciaron O’Hanlon also stepped away during the winter and while they didn’t play much over the last few years, they were familiar faces around the training ground.

In any environment, that’s a massive change. Can any side deal with that level of loss and suggest they aren’t in transition? It might take a few games battling it out at the top tier to see where Armagh actually are at this stage.

They used 32 players in the McKenna Cup and there’s plenty of newbies that saw game time and raised their hands. Daniel Magee and Fergal O’Brien impressed, and they’ve been part of the squad over the last few seasons and look ready to grab their chance.

The likes of Sean Conlon, Sean McCarthy, Conor Magennis and Fionn Downey have also been on the wider panel in the last year or two and earned valuable minutes in the pre-season competition as well.

Aaron O’Neill, Padraig O’Keefe, Dan McCartHy, Callum O’Neill (Clan na Gael), Gavan Duffy, Joe McCann, Ruairi McDonald and Ryan Duffy all saw game time after just joining the panel for the new year.

Callum O’Neill (Belleek), McMullen and Tomas McCormack earned their championship debuts last year and looked tailormade to compete at this level.

The likes of Cian McConville could be ready to nail down a starting spot in the forward line while Ross McQuillan and Jarly Óg Burns, both nominated for All-Stars in 2025, will be key going forward.

Oisin O’Neill was in flying form throughout the McKenna Cup, top scoring with 1-6 across their two games against Tyrone and Down, while Aaron McKay has returned following an injury-ravaged 2025.

It’s not all negative and the Orchard County certainly have enough quality to retain their Division One status, but given the fixtures they have ahead of them, it’s definitely not a guarantee.

Monaghan away on the first day is absolutely massive. The Oriel men, who have just returned to the top flight after winning Division Two last year, will be targeting Armagh at Clones as a must-win encounter as they aim to fend off relegation as well.

It’s going to be a huge test for what could be a new-look Armagh team, but they are all huge tests at the top level. If Armagh can open their account with a win, then they’ll set themselves up brilliantly for a shot at survival.

Armagh have three home games and they have a good record at the BOX-IT Athletic Grounds. Galway travel to the Cathedral City in round two and those two counties have built up quite a nice rivalry over the last few seasons.

Armagh’s second home game is against Donegal in round four. Talk about a rivalry. That meeting, a repeat of the last two Ulster finals, splits two visits to Connacht as Armagh make the journey west to both Roscommon and Mayo.

The Mayo game marks two difficult trips on the road as after Armagh travel to Castlebar, they’re off to Croke Park the following week where they will lock horns with Ger Brennan’s Dublin.

Finally, Armagh welcome old foes Kerry to the Orchard County in the last round and they’ll surely have revenge in their minds. The Kingdom humiliated Armagh at Croke Park last June to snatch the Sam Maguire from their grasp.

The 2005 season was the last time, and only time, Armagh claimed the Division One National League title and McGeeney’s men won’t be too concerned about the silverware that’s up for grabs. Division One survival is their real priority.

For so long, Armagh fought their way through darker days in Division Three and Division Two during McGeeney’s tenure and getting to the Promised Land of the top flight was, and remains, crucial for Armagh development.

With an intriguing Ulster Championship match-up with noisy neighbours Tyrone coming down the tracks, Armagh will want to find some fresh faces ready to make the cut but also build some momentum before the business end of the season.

In sport, it’s not how your start, but how your finish that is often remembered. But a poor start to the league could backfire on Armagh so expect fireworks at Clones on Sunday in a game that could end up defining both sides’ campaign.

NFL TARGET
WITH the turnover of player Armagh have endured over the winter months, keeping their Division One status is hugely important. A number of new players could see game time for Kieran McGeeney’s side in the league and the main goal will be to avoid the bottom two spots come the end of the campaign.
SFC TARGET
DESPITE winning the All-Ireland in recent seasons, it’s almost 20 years since Armagh last got their hands on the Anglo Celt. They’ve suffered three final defeats on the bounce but would love an Ulster title. They’ll still have their eyes firmly fixed on the big prize at the end of the season too.