For the early part of this century, there was one addition to the two certainties of life, death and taxes: that Crossmaglen Rangers would win the Armagh senior football championship.
That belief ended in 2009, but there was a get-out clause. Clearly bad luck was to blame, because Cross had won the previous 13 titles…
‘Normality’ was restored for the next six seasons, with the Gerry Fegan Cup returning ‘home’ to Plunkett Park.
Nineteen titles out of 20 pretty much says ‘This trophy is our property’.
But then came two weird years, 2016 and 2017, when Crossmaglen didn’t even make the final.
From 2018 onwards, though, they’ve been back in the decider every year, winning four times and losing twice.
Once more they’re one step away from the final stage.
Semi-final opponents Clann Eireann won’t fear them, having beaten the Rangers in the 2021 decider, an extremely rare final defeat for Cross – but they will wonder…
So will Clan na Gael, and not just because they lost in last year’s decider to Cross. It may be 30 years since the Clans’ last senior triumph, but they know that the Rangers have even more history on their side. Madden, the other team in the last four, will remember that the Rangers ended their title dream at the semi-final stage last season.
Watching on at the Athletic Grounds on Sunday evenings, there was a real sense of inevitability about Crossmaglen’s progress past Cullyhanna in the quarter-finals.
True, anyone who didn’t know about the history of the team in black and amber would have watched the second half and felt sure that the side in red, black, and yellow hoops was going to claim a comeback victory.
Cullyhanna were the team that ended Cross’s run in 2016, shocking them at the semi-final stage.
Eight years on, they came into the game as reigning All-Ireland Intermediate Football champions.
Trailing by six points early in the second half, Cullyhanna turned on the style, and almost totally dominated proceedings. Their attack, including Armagh All-Ireland winning forwards Jason Duffy, Aidan Nugent, and Ross McQuillan, as well as the classy Shea Hoey, fired in shot after shot, score after score.
Crossmaglen looked like they had no answers, no response.
Especially when Cullyhanna drew level, and then continued to power forward in search of the winning score.
Cross had done little to nothing in the second half. Only one score before added time – and that from a free, the opening score of the second period, before Cullyhanna assumed complete control.
However, for those who have been there and seen the movie before, the thought processes went something like this:
Before the game: Cross will win this, won’t they?
During the first half: Cross are looking good here.
At half-time: Cross have this won.
During the second half: Cross are still going to win this, aren’t they?
Later in the second half: Cross might need a replay here.
Heading into added time: Cross aren’t actually going to lose this, are they?!
Final whistle: Cross win.
You can seek all sorts of explanations.
Voodoo, magic, curse.
Belief, faith, tradition.
Cullyhanna, if they’re feeling particularly masochistic, could look back and cringe at the wides they kicked, the shots they sent short, as they owned the ball in the second period.
Yet there was a special something else involved.
There was no panic from the Crossmaglen management. Instructions were called out calmly, not shouted wildly.
When it came to the crunch, the Cross players cleverly worked the ball forward, won a free, converted it. Job done.
There’s plenty of quality in the Crossmaglen ranks, of course, including Rian and Oisin O’Neill, and Cian McConville, and the experience at the back of Rico Kelly and Callum Cumiskey.
Perhaps equally importantly, there is an innate confidence coming from decades of winning.
The players change. The mindset doesn’t.
The stats over the past eight seasons say that there’s a 50-50 chance that Cross WON’T win the Armagh title – but it probably won’t feel that positive for the other three clubs.
Aiming for a hat-trick of county crowns, Crossmaglen still have that special aura about them.
Sure, they’re no longer regarded as invincible. But coming into the closing stages of a tight contest, you can bet that Cross heads will remain calm and clear, while doubts pour into opposition minds.
While other teams ask ‘Can we?’, Crossmaglen say ‘We can’.
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THE scrutiny of top level soccer has now entered the psycho-analytical phase. Not so much about pundits trying to get into players’ heads, but pundits losing their heads.
To be fair to Ian Wright, having retired from ‘Match of the Day’ perhaps his always open, and understandable, affection for his former club Arsenal has now placed him the role of full-time fan.
Yet Wright lost the run of himself on social media when he labelled Manchester City striker Erling Haaland a “coward”.
The Norwegian’s ‘crime’ wasn’t a high or late challenge, or even an act that had any serious impact on the outcome of the match – or on an opponent.
Nope. All he did was gently lob the ball onto the back of Arsenal defender Gabriel’s head, after picking it out of the Gunners’ net following City’s late, late, late equaliser.
It wouldn’t have hurt, not compared to the pain of the two points dropped, and not for a centre half who heads balls for a living.
Sure, the professional thing to do would have been for Haaland to run back to the centre sport with the ball.
What he did instead was funny. In a sport that’s taking itself far too seriously, such moments should be celebrated, not denigrated.
