By Shaun Casey

ARMAGH and the Ulster Championship. It’s been a love/hate relationship over the last few years. Having competed in the last three provincial deciders, Armagh are still waiting to end their long drought for the Anglo Celt Cup.

Glorious sunny days in Clones, the craic, the singalongs down the street. What’s not to love? For Armagh, it’s the final whistle. That’s where the hate comes in.

Two penalty shootout defeats to Derry and Donegal along with a one-point loss after extra time, also to Donegal, has been their record over the last three seasons. A heartbreaking return. So close, but then, so far.

The All-Ireland triumph of two summers ago certainly helped fill the void. At the end of the day, it’s all about the Sam Maguire. But when Tyrone visit the BOX-IT Athletic Grounds this weekend, the steps of the Hogan Stand will be the furthest thing from anyone’s mind.

For fans and players alike, the Ulster Championship still means so much. While most of the men in the Armagh changing rooms have Celtic Crosses in their back pockets, they’d kill for an Ulster one to go alongside it.

To do it this year, from the preliminary round, is going to be as tough an Ulster title as will ever be one. To even get to the final, it looks like Armagh are going to have to beat their near neighbours Tyrone and then back-to-back champions, and Division One winners, Donegal.

There’s no doubt about it, Kieran McGeeney has constructed a team as good as any in the country. At various times in the league, they showed that. The last 20 minutes against Dublin, the comeback against Kerry. Armagh can mix it with the very best.

That’s winter football though. Nobody will be talking about those performances or results if the Orchard County don’t send Tyrone packing in the opening round on Sunday. It’s all about the championship now.

They survived the drop from Division One with lots of their more recognisable faces. Rory Grugan and Barry McCambridge didn’t play a minute. Aidan Forker and Paddy Burns were only involved for bits and pieces. Andrew Murnin missed their most recent four outings.

Aaron McKay played the last two games. Joe McElroy only played the first two. The rumour mill has been in full flow that Rian O’Neill has returned to the squad, and if true, he adds a completely different dynamic to the whole thing.

But the lesser lights have really stepped up. Cian McConville has finally got a proper run at it and showed everyone what Armagh people already knew, he’s an awesome inside forward. Oisin O’Neill has been around a long time but is extremely prominent at this stage.

Darragh McMullan broke into the first team last season and has become an important ingredient. Gareth Murphy and Tomas McCormack have really found their feet and are well worth their place in the starting 15.

Then there’s the influence of the half back line that has been sensational throughout the entire league. Really, apart from the goalkeeper position, it’s the only line on the pitch that McGeeney looks settled on.

Ross McQuillan was one of the standout performers across the entire National League. He’s worth three-points a game and the pace at which he gets Armagh up the field on the counterattack is frightening.

Armagh are potentially weaker than they have been in recent years. They’ve had no Rian O’Neill, no Stefan Campbell and no Niall Grimley. But they still looked primed for a tilt at the Ulster title.

Roll of honour:

14 (1890, 1902, 1950, 1953, 1977, 1980, 1982, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008)

Memorable Ulster Championship match

Ulster Championship Final 2005

Armagh 0-13 Tyrone 0-11

Saturday July 23, 2005

Arguably the two best teams in the country at the time, the Ulster final was all about laying down a marker for what was to come later in the season. Tyrone should have had it won the first day, but Armagh pulled it out of the fire and came good in the replay as well to get their hands on the Anglo Celt. The game is remembered for Peter Canavan seeing red after being on the field for no more than 60 seconds, while Stephen O’Neill was wrongly sent off as well. Armagh shaded the battle, but Tyrone won the war and had the last laugh, going on to lift Sam, beating Armagh in the semi-final, later that summer.

Wild card:

Gareth Murphy

The Killeavy youngster isn’t as popular or as well-known as some of the other household names in the Armagh team, but he’s seamlessly been added into their defensive setup and looks set for a big season in the full back line. He has done toe-to-toe man-marking jobs on top class forwards like Oisin Gallen and Seanie O’Shea throughout the Division One league campaign but can get on the front foot too and bomb forward when required. With the likes of Barry McCambridge, Paddy Burns and Aidan Forker missing huge chunks of the season, Murphy has got plenty of game time and grabbed the opportunity with both hands.

Captain:

Aidan Forker

Although the Maghery man has only got a couple of minutes of game time under his belt during the league, he remains as the skipper of the Armagh team. The 2024 All-Ireland winning captain is still on the comeback trail following ankle surgery at the end of last season, but still offers the Orchard County so much, whether that’s on the field or off it. Forker is likely to see some game time during the championship, either as a man-marking defender or as a free scoring attacker, but if Armagh are to end their Ulster drought, it’ll be Forker accepting the Anglo Celt on behalf of his teammates.

Manager:

Kieran McGeeney

The longest serving inter-county manager in the game, McGeeney has been around the block. He’s dragged Armagh up from Division Three football to dine right at the top table and they are one of the leading contenders for the ultimate prize later on in the season. Of Armagh’s 14 Ulster titles collected in their history, ‘Geezer’ was part of the team that won seven of them, although he hasn’t been able to break the provincial code as a manager just yet. They’ve come so close, reaching the last three deciders, and maybe 2026 is the year where they finally get over the line.