COME back with your shield or on it, goes the old Spartan saying. Armagh came back on theirs, again.
Suppose it gets to be a problem if you come back on it too often but while you can nitpick at the heres and theres of this Ulster final, they drained the tank.
Sure, Jarly Og Burns maybe works the goal rather than fisting over. Ethan Rafferty probably shouldn’t come off his line for the early Derry major. Rory Grugan might have found another few yards in his kick.
If there’s just a wee bit more discipline in the dying moments rather than fouling Shane McGuigan twice in the game’s redzone.
In the really big games, those things do add up.
But just as in last year’s All-Ireland quarter-final, all the little margins were split down the middle and penalties was the only thing left to try and separate Armagh from Derry.
“I thought the fellas gave everything. They died with their boots on,” said an unflustered Kieran McGeeney, his cool demeanour that of a guy who’s seen enough of these wars to know the score.
“It’s tough. We played really well today, made a few mistakes and that, they played really well – thought it was a great game for the neutrals.
“Intelligent game of football from both teams, a lot of good scores in the clutch, small mistakes here and there. There wasn’t much between us, I suppose it would take something to separate us.
“The football spoke for itself, it was a fantastic game of football by both teams. It’s probably one of the few provincial games left that showed something.
“I think we’re one of the top teams out there that just makes small mistakes. Today, in fairness to the boys, they didn’t. You’re playing against a great team, they’re gonna get great scores, the likes of McGuigan, Cassidy, Rogers.
“Probably a wee bit fortunate with the goal, these things happen. We pulled ourselves well back into it. Although it’s a brilliant game for the neutrals, it’s a shitty one for us.”
Read more: How the Armagh players rated in the Ulster final
Goalkeeper Ethan Rafferty kicks a lovely point for @Armagh_GAA v @Doiregaa in the Ulster Senior Football Championship Final #GAANOW pic.twitter.com/dnc4rN49nP
— The GAA (@officialgaa) May 14, 2023
The Armagh boss said they take penalties after every training session, but they only found one way past Odhran Lynch from four attempts.
Despite their suffering at its hands, Armagh have no complaints about the concept of spot kicks. McGeeney’s approach was very much it is what it is.
“It's a thing now you just have to get it. Penalties are a funny thing, it's not like a skillset, it's a pressure thing being able to deal with that.
“In fairness to the keeper, three penalties that were hit were good penalties round the corner. They were good saves, they weren't bad penalties.”
At this stage, what’s lost is the silverware for which they were undoubtedly desperate.
Their life from here looks infinitely more difficult than Derry’s as a result.
It’s a round-robin group with Galway, Tyrone and Westmeath as opposed to Derry’s fate of Donegal, Monaghan and Clare.
“It’s a tough ask, that's why you want to stop at the top table. Find out where you are in these games and hopefully the boys will be able to pick themselves up and do themselves justice."
