By Shaun Casey

WHILE Armagh currently have their hands on the Sam Maguire Cup, and head into Saturday’s All-Ireland quarter-final against Kerry as slight favourites, past experiences have led Aaron Kernan to be wary of the Kingdom.

Jack O’Connor’s side had to come through the preliminary quarter-finals after Meath knocked them off top spot in the group and although Kerry hammered Cavan to reach the last eight, question marks remain over the Kingdom.

The Munster champions defended their provincial crown with relative ease after overcoming a stern Cork examination in the semi-final and they breezed by the Rebels, along with Roscommon, in the group stages.

Kerry legend Darragh Ó Se made the comment in his Irish Times article that there was “an air of inevitability” surrounding Kerry’s season, but club and county hero Kernan doesn’t buy into that narrative.

“The Cavan game was a non-event really because everyone knew they were going to win that game and it didn’t matter if they won by 20-points or two-points, they weren’t going to get a huge amount of credit for it,” said Kernan.

“The only thing is that history tells me to be wary of Kerry. I know there were a few comments from some former Kerry players thinking that the team was going nowhere, there was no progress being made but they have some top-class players.

“They were All-Ireland champions a couple of years ago and they have some of the best footballers in the country. They’ll be stung by what happened last year against ourselves (in the All-Ireland semi-final).

“They would have felt they had the game under control until Tom O’Sullivan missed a goal chance and then (Barry) McCambridge got his goal, and all hell broke loose after that.

“Kerry will come with a huge amount of hurt and aggression, but I think Armagh can absorb all that and give them every bit as much back.”

That All-Ireland semi-final will still be fresh in Kerry’s mind, but the league clash back in March, played at Austin Stack Park, Tralee, will provide plenty of motivation in the Orchard County dressing room as well.

Kerry hammered the All-Ireland champions that night by ten-points and played with an intensity and an aggression that Armagh simply couldn’t match. “A lot of times you learn more from defeat than you do victory,” added the Crossmaglen man.

“I think Armagh, in terms of their season as a whole, took a huge amount from that game and that’s a good bases as too how we’ll try to counteract them. It’s that footpassing, that forward movement that they had that night, it was so hard to hold.

“This weekend in the bigger and more expansive surroundings of Croke Park, that’s what management teams are there for, to plot and plan and have the right people in place to counteract that.

“I think we’re in for an unbelievable game of football, even if the quality isn’t that high, I just think it’s going to be epic in terms of intensity, fight and hunger for every ball. Our All-Ireland title is on the line. Kerry every year feel that they’re nearly All-Ireland favourites so what a contest to look forward to.”

Kernan has been impressed this season so far by Kieran McGeeney’s side and the confidence that winning the All-Ireland has given to them. Armagh emerged from the ‘Group of Death’ before the last game was even played.

They look to have some injury concerns, with super sub Stefan Campbell likely to miss out with a hand injury but the likes of Oisin O’Neill and Rory Grugan, who didn’t feature the last day out against Galway, could be back in contention for a starting place.

Joe McElroy and Niall Grimley returned to the starting line-up against the Tribesmen while Aaron McKay has yet to see any game time in 2025 despite being named in the matchday panel two weeks ago.

“I think we’re in good form going into it, I think we have certainly played like a team who are All-Ireland champions. We’ve played with the confidence of All-Ireland champions,” Kernan, who retired from inter-county action in 2014, continued.

“In fairness, the one team I was looking at for the majority of the year, I was thinking the new rules would really suit them, was Kerry. They play through the lines and use the foot pass fairly often which means it’s not as taxing on the body so they can get slicker scores.

“They look like the handbrake has been pulling up on them these last three or four games, they haven’t set the All-Ireland series alight so I think our boys will be full of confidence going into the weekend.”

Last time

Kerry 2-21 Armagh 0-17
IF markers are to be laid down as early as the month of March, then that’s certainly what Kerry did in round six of the National League at Austin Stack Park, Tralee. A fired up Kerry flew out of the traps and by the time the half time whistle had sounded, the hosts were already 13-points to the good. Dylan Geaney and Paudie Clifford (penalty) claimed first half majors while David Clifford proved unmarkable on the night, leaving with a personal tally of 0-10. Rory Grugan (0-7) and Oisin O’Neill (0-4) done the bulk of the scoring for Armagh, who were second best all over the pitch.

Kerry: S Ryan; P Murphy, J Foley (0-1), D Casey; G White, M Breen, B Ó Beaglaoich; D O’Connor, J O’Connor (0-1); M Burns (0-1), P Clifford (1-2, 1-0 pen), S O’Brien (0-1); D Clifford (0-10, 7f), P Geaney 0-1, D Geaney (1-1)
Subs: T Brosnan (0-3) for D Geaney, G O’Sullivan for Ó Beaglaoich, C Geaney for Burns, K Spillane for P Geaney, R Murphy for J O’Connor

Armagh: B Hughes; A Forker, B McCambridge, P Burns; Connaire Mackin, G McCabe, P McGrane; Ciaran Mackin, O O’Neill (0-4 (1f 1tpf); J Og Burns (0-1), R Grugan (0-7, 4f), D McMullen; C Turbitt (0-1f), A Murnin (0-1), O Conaty (0-1) ‘
Subs: B Crealey for A Murnin, B Crealey for Connaire Mackin, S Campbell (0-2) for Forker, S McPartlan for Turbitt, J Hall for McMullen, J McElroy for Ciaran Mackin

Last five meetings
2025 NFL – Kerry 2-21 Armagh 0-17
2024 SFC – Armagh 1-18 Kerry 1-16
2023 NFL – Kerry 0-12 Armagh 0-11
2022 NFL – Armagh 0-13 Kerry 1-13
2012 NFL – Kerry 0-12 Armagh 2-8

Season so far

ARMAGH

NFL
Galway 1-12 Armagh 0-9
Armagh 1-23 Tyrone 0-18
Donegal 0-21 Armagh 1-10
Armagh 1-17 Mayo 1-17
Armagh 1-20 Dublin 1-12
Kerry 2-21 Armagh 0-17
Armagh 4-24 Derry 1-18

Ulster SFC
Antrim 1-23 Armagh 1-34
Armagh 0-23 Tyrone 0-22
Armagh 0-28 Donegal 2-23 AET

All-Ireland SFC
Armagh 2-21 Derry 2-17
Dublin 0-19 Armagh 0-24
Galway 2-22 Armagh 0-27

KERRY

NFL
Derry 1-24 Kerry 5-15
Kerry 1-18 Donegal 0-23
Kerry 1-15 Dublin 0-19
Tyrone 2-13 Kerry 3-13
Mayo 0-21 Kerry 1-16
Kerry 2-21 Armagh 0-17
Galway 2-19 Kerry 3-24
Kerry 1-18 Mayo 1-12

Munster SFC
Cork 1-25 Kerry 3-21
Kerry 4-20 Clare 0-21

All-Ireland SFC
Kerry 3-18 Roscommon 0-17
Cork 0-20 Kerry 1-28
Kerry 0-16 Meath 1-22
Kerry 3-20 Cavan 1-17

Top scorers

Armagh
Rory Grugan    0-44 (23f, 2 tpf, 1tp)
Conor Turbitt    2-25 (8f, 1 tp, 1 sideline)
Ethan Rafferty    0-30 (5tp, 5tpf,2 45, 1f)

Kerry
David Clifford    10-67 (23f, 8tp, 1tpf)
Seán O’Shea    1-46 (13f, 7tpf, 5tp)
Paul Geaney    6-30 (12f, 2m, 2f)