Ulster to the fore
Should Armagh get their hands on Sam, it will crown Ulster’s greatest ever season across all grades of intercounty football.
The province has already claimed more or less every major national honour in the game this year. Back in January, Glen Watty Grahams (Derry), Cullyhanna (Armagh) and Arva (Cavan) won the All-Ireland Club senior, intermediate and junior titles respectively.
Ulster University won the Sigerson Cup and in April, Derry won the Division One National League title, with Donegal claiming Division Two honours. The All-Ireland Under-20 championship went to Tyrone, who also boasted the Hogan Cup winners in Omagh CBS. The All-Ireland minor championship was annexed by Derry, who saw off Armagh; incidentally, this was the second successive year all-Ulster final.
To put 2024 in context, Ulster’s previous most successful year was probably 2008 when Tyrone won the senior and minor All-Irelands, Derry won NFL Division One, UUJ won the Sigerson and St Pat’s, Dungannon took home the Hogan Cup but no club or league titles went north, nor the Under-21.
Joyce bidding to spike Ulster guns again
Speaking of Ulster teams, Padraic Joyce’s record against them as a manager is superb. Yesterday’s game was his 21st against Ulster opposition and boosted his record further. His only two losses were against Derry in this year’s league and Armagh in last year’s while he has also overseen draws against Donegal (2023 league) and Armagh (this year’s All-Ireland group stage).
In all, 17 wins have come against Monaghan (five times), Tyrone (four), Donegal (three), Derry and Armagh (two apiece) and Down (one).
Joyce also had some great days against Ulster sides as a player. He was part of the Galway minor side that beat Armagh in the 1994 All-Ireland final, captained St Jarlath’s to the Hogan Cup against Maghera the same year and beat Derry in two All-Ireland SFC semi-finals en route to Sam Maguire .
New York retain junior crown
New York retained the All-Ireland Junior Football Championship title with a 0-13 to 0-12 win over London in the curtain-raiser at Croker yesterday. This competition was first played for way back in 1912 and was quite prestigious in the early decades.
For the most part, it has been dominated by Cork and Kerry, who have a combined 37 titles. Of late, it has been restructured to include four teams, who this year were a home-grown American side called USGAA, the All-Britain finalists Warwickshire plus London and New York.
Both of Friday evening’s semi-finals were closely-contested. In the final, six points from Shay McElligot, one of nine survivors from last year’s win over Kilkenny, helped New York to a 0-13 to 0-12 win.
McCambridge’s big hand in Armagh’s success
Barry McCambridge’s handball-style goal on Saturday should come as no surprise to any devotees of the small ball game (of which The Schemozzle is one).
McCambridge played juvenile handball for Lurgan’s Clann Éireann, home club of former All-Ireland senior champion Charly Shanks, and Armagh.
He’s not the only handballer set for an All-Ireland final. Clare’s Mark Rodgers, Patrick Crotty, Adam Hogan, Gearóid Sheedy, Peter Duggan and David McInerney are all a dab hand in the alley, no pun intended.
In words
“I think the referee made the right call, it was a free-kick and a yellow card – and he probably should have given Paul Murphy a yellow card for the pass in the first place.” – Peter Canavan re Peter McGrane’s tackle on Paul Geaney which saw the Kerry attacker felled spectacularly.
In numbers
4 – Points: Armagh trailed by at half-time in the 2002 All-Ireland final against Kerry and again on Saturday.
