McGeeney still a driving force

Although Armagh are progressing towards another Ulster football final with a more youthful team than widely perceived, they still boast one of the oldest players in the game in Kieran McGeeney.

Eight of the Armagh team that beat Monaghan in Saturday's quarter-final replay are aged 23 or under, and that takes constant reminding, but at 34 McGeeney almost single-handedly skews their average age.

There are several reasons for his longevity, starting with the fact he doesn't look 34. And while McGeeney has talked about 2006 as "staying on for another season" there's no guarantee it will be his last. Armagh are out to win that second All-Ireland, and if it doesn't come this year, McGeeney won't easily walk away. Yet there have been two major adjustments to his game in 2006, perhaps to further extend that longevity. He's moved from his trademark position of centre back to midfield, and also handed the captain's armband to his new midfield partner Paul McGrane.

Both adjustments helped influence the win over Monaghan. McGeeney's superb pass from midfield to Brian Mallon produced the goal that sent Armagh on the way, and McGrane's expanded leadership qualities helped ensure there was no way back for Monaghan.

"It is something different for me," says McGeeney, "and I do like it. It means playing different roles on the team, whatever Joe (Kernan) and Paul (Grimley) tell me to do, really. It's probably not an orthodox midfield, and I suppose sometimes people are wondering what I'm at. But I do what I'm told and I'm happy that I'm doing that as best I can.

"The captaincy thing is not so big a change because to be honest myself and Paul were more like joint captains over the years. It was only fair he should have the title to himself at some stage, and we discussed that last year, that even if I did stay on for another season, he should have the captain's armband. I suppose Paul is a different type of leader. He's probably not as vocal as me, but that's probably a good thing. He's still a fantastic player, and he showed that again in the second half there against Monaghan."

It is hard to define McGeeney's exact role at midfield. At centre back he'd always play a sweeping role, across the central defensive position, but at midfield he's shifted responsibility, directing play as much as making it. Sending in high ball such as that which created Mallon's goal is one such difference, but that, he says, is not strict a tactic.

"I was happy with the pass but it's like everything else in football. You give the ball to the forwards and they have the hard job of putting it in the net. Brian Mallon is as good as finisher as anyone in the country. His strength is sometimes hidden by his size. He looks small, but he's a wee tank, and he got around his defender very well. But we can't send them all high into Brian. Sometimes we have to keep them a little bit lower. But most of the scoring is going to come from the full-forward line, so you just want to get the ball in there as quickly as possible."

The main thing that explains McGeeney's longevity is his desire to keep improving. His enthusiasm for perfection is constant, and despite the six-point win over Monaghan, he believes Armagh can and need to improve.

"To be totally honest I feel like we played a six out of 10 . . . Scoring 1-13 is still two or three points short of what we're going to need in bigger matches. But at the same time we're happy to come out with the win. Sometimes we don't get the credit for beating teams like Monaghan."

Next up is the semi-final with Fermanagh on June 11th, another game Armagh will be expected to win: "Yeah, that's the thing about Ulster football. We're patted on the back leaving Clones, but straightaway you have to look at the next one. We know the most dangerous thing about Ulster football is looking one step beyond where you're at, because then you're in trouble."

Yet deep down McGeeney must know Armagh are closing in on another Ulster final, and the prospect of becoming the first county to win three Ulster titles in succession since Down's run in 1959-'61. If, as anticipated, Tyrone provide the opposition then a return to Croke Park on July 9th seems likely. "I don't care if they play it in my backyard," adds McGeeney, "as long as I'm in it. And winning it."