Armagh complete clean sweep as qualifiers all make quarter-finals

Beginnings and endings in Clones. Their fuse lit by Rian O’Neill’s dazzling display, Armagh blew Donegal out of their way and hit the road for Dublin in two weeks’ time after an impressive turnabout from the counties’ Ulster championship meeting in April.

So much has happened in the meantime. Armagh dusted themselves down to end the interest of All-Ireland champions Tyrone and regenerated their season. Donegal, meanwhile, headed in the other direction after a demoralising Ulster final defeat by Derry.

The velocity of the counties’ changed direction and momentum was on full view in St Tiernach’s Park.

An explosive opening with O’Neill lasering a free from the throw-in into Rory Grugan who caught, landed and finished to the net within 10 seconds. If Armagh thought they were well on the way at that stage, they were premature.

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Donegal, a team that has laboured under the cloud of underachievement in the decade since winning the All-Ireland, responded really well and began to clip points and subject their opponents to a python embrace in defence and had turned around the match by 20 minutes.

It didn’t last. By the time Shane O’Donnell registered their 16th point in the fourth minute of injury-time, the match had long joined the county’s litany of disappointments.

Kieran Donaghy, the extrovert Kerry All-Ireland winner, who has worked with Kieran McGeeney’s management as a coach, was in fine fettle after the 10-point victory, a sweet turnaround from the Ulster defeat a few weeks ago.

“It’s a big win. You have to give the players some credit for where they were coming home from Ballybofey, how hard it was. What Kieran has instilled in them in the last few weeks. How hard we pushed them in the six weeks after the game, getting ready for Tyrone.

“Delighted for that bunch that they have got their just reward – that they have backed up a good performance last week. We had a goal to get back to Croke Park and we’re in the draw and we’re going to be going there in two weeks and the Armagh fans are going to be travelling in crazy numbers and it’s a good day for the county.”

He paid particular tribute to O’Neill, who had built such a big reputation but had recently experienced the vagaries of form.

“I’m delighted for him because he took a lot of flak after Ballybofey. He’s a young lad, he’s still learning his trade. He’s a phenomenal athlete and he’s doing a good job leading this team along with Aidan Nugent. He’ll know now as well as everyone else, it’s back to the grind – good to have a proper training week or 10 days coming into this game. Last week was tricky. You were coming into Wednesday: fellas were sore, resting guys.”

Armagh completed a weekend in which all four of the defeated provincial finalists were beaten by teams coming through the qualifiers. Donegal followed the fate of Roscommon, Kildare and Limerick, all of whom made their championship exit against teams whose seasons had been reignited by qualifier wins.

Clones actually saw the last of the qualifiers, 21 years after they revolutionised the championship. What started with Tipperary beating Louth on June 9th, 2001 ended this weekend. Next year’s format will involve four groups of four teams, drawn directly after the provinces are finished.

Some of the old structure’s romance was on view in Croke Park last Saturday with Clare producing a sensational finish to defeat Connacht finalists Roscommon – a timely reward for manager Colm Collins’s perseverance.

All will know their fate from Monday morning when the All-Ireland quarter-final draw pairs the qualifiers, Armagh, Cork, Mayo and Clare, with provincial champions Derry, Kerry, Galway and Dublin. They will be down for decision the weekend after next.

Donaghy was asked about Armagh’s prospects and said that the team liked big pitches such as Clones.

“Croke Park will suit the team, yeah. We played well there against Dublin in the league. When you get a big pitch it suits a certain style. There’s no reason [to be afraid of Croke Park]. This is what the players train for at the start of the year, to get to Croke Park.

“We have had a few chances to get there and didn’t make it. But we are in the quarter-final of a championship.

“This county is going to get in behind this team now. You saw the crowd that was there today. It was unbelievable. When we were kicking scores there in the second half, that kind of crowd can inspire a team and we’d be looking for them in massive numbers in Croke Park in two weeks.”

None of the provincial champions will be keen to get paired with them.