Niall Grimley: The redemption arc

Armagh suffered their fair share of disappointments but ended up with the All-Ireland. Niall Grimley opens up to Shaun Casey.

AFTER another heartbreaking penalty shootout defeat in the Ulster final, Armagh were at a low ebb. Niall Grimley didn’t really know where he stood. He hadn’t featured for Kieran McGeeney’s men since the second round of the McKenna Cup.

No National League action. No Ulster Championship appearances. It would have been the easiest thing in the world for the Madden clubman to throw the head up and make his way towards the exit door.

But Grimley stuck around. That’s his career in a nutshell. Whatever has been thrown at the 29-year-old, he’s been able to bat it off and come back stronger. 2024 wasn’t so much a comeback, rather the emergence of someone that wasn’t going to take no for an answer.

He got his chance in Celtic Park against Mickey Harte’s dwindling Derry and grabbed it with both hands. Eight weeks later, Grimley was standing at the top of the Hogan Stand raising the Sam Maguire above his head. A dream come true.

Like any athlete, he is already onto the next thing, the next game, the next competition. But he does take the chance to ponder on Armagh’s success and reflect on a year to remember. “It nearly doesn’t sound real; it feels like it was that long ago,” said the All-Star nominee.

“It’s been amazing for myself and my family – the lift it has given us but it’s been amazing for everyone. “You might meet one of the lads in a shopping centre or something and you just have that smile and that connection without even saying hello.

“I hope that continues year after year but even in 10 or 15 years’ time when we meet each other, that bond will be there. We went to the well together and we came back with something, so it’s been an amazing time.”

Grimley kicked an awesome point in the decider against Galway that helped his side over the line. One point separated the teams when the referee sounded the final whistle and when it comes to top level sport, small margins count as big moments.

Armagh headed home with Sam Maguire at the front of the bus. It was onto the Carrickdale Hotel that night, a packed BOX-IT Athletic Grounds the next day, Maghery on the Tuesday, home of captain Aidan Forker. The team enjoyed a whirlwind few days.

“It was dreamland for a couple of days,” Grimley recalled, looking back on all the madness. “The night of the All-Ireland, at the banquet, we’d no sleep and then you’re waking up and asking your family members, did this really just happen?

“You dream of it, and you believe so much and then when it happens, you have to pinch yourself. It’s a couple of months ago so we’ve been brought back down to reality with pre-season and it’s back to the drawing board.”

He continued: “It’s a clean slate for everyone, there’s 30 or 35 boys that all want to be playing against Galway and play in next year’s championship and so do I. I didn’t play any league last year so I’ll be doing everything I can to get playing in this campaign.

“It’s exciting and obviously some of the younger lads are coming through so that’ll give management a bit of a headache. Hopefully they keep pushing on and keep pushing us older boys on now as well, that’s the squad. It’ll be all about the next man up, that’s the way it is.”

Before this year, there was already one All-Ireland medal in the Madden club. It belonged to Kevin McElvanna, who was a member of the 2002 side that brought Sam to the Orchard County for the first time ever.

While Grimley, and Armagh panellist Darragh McMullen, have now equalled McElvanna’s record, Grimley doesn’t see himself as an equal at all. McElvanna still has a couple of Ulster medals in his back pocket of course.

“Kevy is a legend to me, so I’ll never be on a level par with him,” laughed Grimley.

“As a player, you want to go and do it again and back it up, Kevy obviously has his Ulster medals and that as well to go with the All-Ireland.”

The McElvanna and Grimley names will forever be intertwined not only for the on-field achievements both families have enjoyed, but for the heartache and pain they’ve suffered away from football.

In November of 2023, Kevin McElvanna lost his wife Ciara in a tragic road accident collision. Niall’s brother Patrick and his wife Ciera were alongside the McElvanna’s, travelling home from Patrick’s 40th birthday and also lost their lives.

It’s been a difficult 12 months for the families, the people of Madden and the wider GAA community. Armagh GAA recently ran a ‘Crimbo Cracker’ charity event and teamed up with ‘The Road Ahead’, a support group for anyone affected by a road crash.

“I can only speak personally for me and my family for what they have done for me, it’s not anything huge, but it is something simple where you are having a conversation with Monica and the girls who run The Road Ahead Support Group,” said Grimley after the event.

“Something simple such as talking through your problems. I have often said that a problem shared is a problem halved. That’s what the group is there for, to create awareness, to help people who may have been involved in road traffic collisions.

“They do amazing work; they have done amazing work for me, and I can only be thankful for what they have done. If there is anyone out there that feels they are suffering, or it is getting too much, there’s always someone there to help.”

The ‘Crimbo Cracker’ was a day of fun for children, with Santa and Sam both in attendance, while a game between the Armagh squad took place as well and everyone got to witness the new GAA playing rules in action.

There were of course a few head-scratching moments, a few puzzled faces, but Grimley, who starred for Ulster in the inter-provincial series, is starting to get to grips with them and doesn’t mind the change up.

“I don’t mind them. I was only getting used to the last rules with the advanced marks and stuff, I think we had more advanced marks in 2024 than any other year. I have no choice, I have no real say – I’ll just have to get on with it and try and play my game as much as I can.

“There’s some aspects that are certainly exciting with the likes of the two-pointer.. If you have someone in your team that can do that, they deserve their score because it’s obviously a brilliant skill.”

With no McKenna Cup to look forward to after the New Year, McGeeney’s side will be forced to field a few friendly matches to get used to the new rules ahead of their opening league match against Galway.

Division One is absolutely stacked in 2025 and tough away days to Salthill, Ballybofey and Tralee will be balanced out with home fixtures against Tyrone, Dublin Mayo and Derry, but this is where Armagh want to be.

“We were in Division Two last year, and obviously Division One the year before that. There was only two or three points in it in last season and it’s going to be the exact same again,” Grimley added, looking ahead to next season.

“With the new rules, whoever adopts quickest and whoever applies their game-plan or whatever teams figures it out, that could be the difference. They might not have been the best team last season, but they could excel next year.”

While Grimley, McGeeney and the rest of Armagh’s 2024 heroes already have their minds locked in on the next challenge, Orchard fans will still enjoy the final few weeks of this year and celebrate for as long as they can.

“I’m still meeting people that are coming up and shaking my hand and congratulating me. It’s amazing the lift it gives to people. Bringing the cup round to the clubs and primary schools – people want a photo of it, they want to smile, people are just happy around it.

“Some of the older folks around Madden were nearly in tears, crying at the thought of even being able to hold it and touch it. It’s been amazing, but January is coming now and it’s on to the next thing.

“We’ve started back to training recently and its exciting, we have Galway now in the first round so we’re just getting stuck into it. We know each game is going to be a massive game, it’s going to be huge.

“Everyone is going to be out to get the champions, so we’ll have to knuckle down and we’ll have to be ready for it, it’s going to come thick and fast.

“The top teams don’t settle, they don’t stop after they win something, it’s on to the next thing and as a footballer, enough is never enough. It’s onto the next match, next training, whatever it is so we’re looking forward to 2025.”

LEGEND…Kevin McElvanna (right) is a legend in Niall Grimley’s eyes

DREAM COME TRUE…Armagh earned their second All-Ireland crown back in July

MADDEN MEN…Darragh McMullen and Niall Grimley took Sam Maguire back to Madden

NEW RULES…Niall Grimley represented Ulster in the recent inter-provincial series

BIG CHANCE…Grimley earned a start against Derry in the All-Ireland group stages and never looked back