THE Armagh men’s and ladies’ senior teams will complete a unique double if they avoid defeat on Saturday. After six rounds of their respective leagues, both teams remain unbeaten and the county has never finished a ‘regular’ season without defeat in either code before.
Following five wins and a draw, Kieran McGeeney’s men guaranteed promotion from Division Two with a statement-of-intent victory over Cavan at the Athletic Grounds last Saturday and meet Cork in the final round of games on Saturday (7pm).
The Rebels have recovered from losing their first three outings by winning their last three and Pairc Ui Chaoimh hasn’t been a happy hunting ground for Armagh for more than three decades. You have to go back to 1988 for the Orchard county’s last win on Leeside and, with a return to the top flight already in the bag, manager McGeeney may opt to rest some of his troops with an eye on the League final and the Ulster Championship quarter-final against Fermanagh at Brewster Park on April 14.
Armagh last went unbeaten through the National League in the 1982-83 season, reaching the final against Ulster rivals Down who won thanks to a goal from the late Ambrose Rodgers senior at Croke Park.
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Meanwhile, the Armagh ladies – back in Division One for the first time since 2017 – have beaten all-comers this season with six wins out of six. Last weekend’s one-point win over Mayo in Ballina was Armagh’s 17th league victory on-the-trot since they lost the 2022 Division Two final.
Outstanding for the Orchardwomen has been Aimee Mackin who has racked up 6-21 over six games and is the top scorer in Division One by a distance. Armagh finish their campaign on home soil against third-placed Dublin on Saturday (2.45pm).
LGFA manager Greg McGonigle is up against the county he managed between 2014 and 2016. He took the Dubs to three consecutive All-Ireland finals, losing all three to Cork, the county that had denied Monaghan twice during his time there.
After inspiring Clann Eireann to Armagh and Ulster senior club championships last season, Derry native McGonagle took over the county reins after Shane McCormick stepped down. He admits that taking on Armagh wasn’t on his radar but some gentle persuasion from the likes of Clodagh McCambridge and county chairperson Sinead Reel convinced him to take the job on.
“I said: ‘If I’m going to do it I’ll give it a massive effort for maybe one year and see how we go’,” he explained.
“From being involved in Armagh football I knew the panel of players they had with the Mackins (Aimee and Blaithin), Aoife McCoy, Lauren McConville, Grace and Niamh Ferguson and young players coming through like Caitlin McCormack. I knew it would be hard work but the girls have bought into everything.”
McGonigle, a senior footballer and hurler with Derry during his own playing days, added Joe Feeney, Darnell Parkinson, Mags McAlinden and Philly McEvoy to his management team and the results have been spectacular.
With a spot in the April 7 league final against either Kerry or Dublin confirmed, McGonigle is likely to ring the changes for Saturday and there is the prospect of “three or four” players making their senior debut in the orange jersey.
“Since November the girls have worked very hard and they’re getting the rewards for the effort they’ve put in,” he said.
“We’ll get the League over and see where we finish up. Obviously we’ll be trying to win the Ulster Championship back that Donegal won last year and then you’re looking at the All-Ireland group stages.
“The players have proved they belong in Division One after six wins on-the-trot and some very good performances against the likes of Kerry and Meath. Those two teams – Kerry definitely – will be seeing themselves as All-Ireland contenders and there’s no reason why Armagh can’t be thinking the same.”
