OUT from beneath Crossmaglen’s sprawling shadow, a new order is threatening to emerge in Armagh football.
For the first time since 1968, it will be an all-Lurgan final.
Clann Éireann from the north of the town will face Clan na Gael from the south, just as it was 56 years ago.
Their other dear neighbours from the town, St Paul’s, will be in the intermediate final as well having beaten Clann Éireann’s second team in Sunday’s curtain-raiser.
It was a first knockout championship defeat for Crossmaglen since Clann Éireann beat them in the 2021 final. It will be the first time in seven years and just the third occasion since 1996 that Cross won’t be there for the showpiece.
And they could have no complaints. It was Adam Kelly’s tap-in after Conor Turbitt’s shot had been well saved by Miceal Murray that separated the teams in beautiful autumnal sunshine, but it was a game that Cross led for just four first-half minutes in total.
Having lost last year’s semi-final to the Clans, the 2021 champions insist they’re not motivated by revenge – but are sore about it and not having backed up their success of three years ago.
“A lot. It does,” said Clann Éireann boss Ruairi Lavery when asked if last year still stings.
“Obviously it’s a local derby and the Clans are coming up strong, they have been building for two or three years now, back in their second straight final. “Even if you take the emotion out of it, it’s a game of football that will be very tight. It’ll be physical, it’ll be exciting. It’s not about revenge, it’s about trying to get the job done no matter who you’re playing.
“There’s maybe people expecting that when we broke through and got one that it would come naturally, but that’s not the way football works. You have to earn everything. Its’s like anything, you can have the best players but you need a bit of luck and things to go for you. Maybe we didn’t always have that but we’ll look forward to the final.
“I think the first year there was a lack of hunger, if you want the truth, in that maybe the players thought you just have to turn up now and you’ll win championships. That was a harsh lesson the first year when Mullaghbawn deservedly beat us.
“Last year, we got to the semi-final stage and maybe didn’t have games like we’ve had this year against Maghery, against Madden, against the Harps that were tight games where you have to face adversity and respond in the right way to it.
“We’ve had our fair share of tight games and adversity this year. I think that’s helped us and I think that will help us when we get to the final.”
There’s little won in Armagh without accounting for Cross at some point.
A note of caution for Clann Eireann is that the last time they weren’t in the final in 2017, the Maghery team that beat them lost the decider.
“The last time they were beat in knockout championship was in 2021 when we did it, and that speaks volumes,” said Lavery.
“Everybody knows what Crossmaglen are about, they’re a great outfit going for three-in-a-row.
“We knew what type of game it was gonna be, you have to stand up and be counted against Crossmaglen and I thought every man that took the field for Clann Éireann did that.”