By Shaun Casey

MADDEN joint manager Mark Harte has hailed the humility of star man Darragh McMullen after the Raparees qualified for their first Armagh SFC final since 1998, beating defeating champions Clann Éireann last weekend.

McMullen had a breakthrough season with Armagh and started in all 14 league and championship matches for Kieran McGeeney’s side this season. The youngster has certainly carried that form into the club campaign.

The classy half-forward notched a score last Friday evening, and his soaring pace proved impossible to deal with from a Clann Éireann perspective as he played a major role in the Raparees getting over the line.

“One of Darragh’s biggest qualities I think is his humility,” said Harte, who takes the team alongside Adrian O’Donnell. “He has qualities, he has work rate, but he just keeps his head down.

“He is one of the lads, one of the players and I think that’s what he likes. His work-rate rubs off on others, it’s infectious but again all of the boys have put their shoulder to the wheel.

“I know names jump out but unless we have everybody going in one direction then it doesn’t work out. Darragh played his role superbly and we’re very proud of him and indeed the rest of the panel.”

Semi-finals have been the stumbling block for Madden in recent seasons. They lost to Crossmaglen and Clan na Gael in the past two years and while they have cleared that hurdle, Harte suggests they need to improve if they are to overcome Cullyhanna in the final.

“It’s satisfying I suppose. It’s one that if we’d lost it would have been awful sickening because we left a lot of stuff behind, particularly in the first-half when we maybe had the ascendancy.

“We created good chances and didn’t finish them and Clann Eireann aren’t champions last year for nothing. They’re a superb, well drilled outfit.

“They were always going to come so to sneak over the line is satisfying but we’ve work to do, we have quite a few things to tidy up on if it’s going to be good enough the next day.”