FOUR TEAMS HAVE pushed on in the 2023 All-Ireland football championship, preparing now for semi-final assignments and dreaming of a day in the decider.
But for four other sides, the first weekend of the July represented the end of the road for 2023 – Armagh, Cork, Mayo and Tyrone all bowing out over the last couple of days action in Croke Park.
All part of the last eight conversation yet all suffered disappointment.
How will they reflect after their 2023 season exits?
*****
- Compiled by Declan Bogue and Fintan O’Toole
Armagh
To lose once on penalties may be regarded as a misfortune. To lose twice looks like carelessness. Where are we with a third penalty shootout loss in a year with this Armagh team?
Ultimately, we have to ask the uncomfortable question. Why can Armagh not finish teams off? They should have had Monaghan beaten on Saturday, but a situation emerged where Rory Grugan – ball-playing artist Rory Grugan – ended up being the man trying to tackle Conor McManus as he headed to goal.
That’s a systems failure. Penalties themselves are a sickening way to go out of a competition, but there’s a little bit of an excuse culture developing around Armagh, a poor-mouthery that didn’t exist when they were last capable of winning titles.
Which brings us to manager Kieran McGeeney and how he divides opinion.
Those in his camp will point to how he has managed to get Armagh to this point despite the record of underage, schools and clubs steadily deteriorating during his time.
Unyielding loyalty from his players is a clear indication of the bonds he forms, and his relationship with the county board is rock solid given his heavy lifting in funding the senior football teams’ requirements.
However. They have a tendency to overthink.
When Monaghan were down to 14 men due to Sean Jones’ black card, they had to keep Rory Beggan in goal. With Ethan Rafferty such a scoring threat, Armagh effectively had a two-man numerical advantage out the field. And they passed that up by sitting back.
All the other factors then build up like layer cake. The petty incidents of sneaky play on the pitch is unfortunately matched by McGeeney’s constant carping at referees such as Conor Lane on Saturday and a bizarre incident with Fergal Kelly earlier this year, while shoving into Stephen O’Hanlon, one of the smallest Monaghan players, was a little tragic.
Nine years in charge is a phenomenal spell. But it would be no surprise to see Armagh announce another couple of years in the short term.
- Declan Bogue
Cork
The Cork footballers actively participating on All-Ireland quarter-final weekend? Not always a strong prospect throughout this season. Missing out on promotion from Division 2 created a little uncertainty about their summer destination, pipped by an injury-time winner on Easter Sunday in Ennis cast greater doubt about where they were headed. The provincial results worked in their favour to ensure All-Ireland qualification, a run that yielded wins over Louth, Mayo and Roscommon, along with a performance that pushed Kerry to the brink.
For salvaging their season, John Cleary and his crew deserve plaudits. Their defensive structure is proof of Kevin Walsh’s work on the training ground. Mícheál Aodh Martin’s kickouts have become a stronger asset for the team. Daniel O’Mahony, Rory Maguire and Colm O’Callaghan all enjoyed prominent seasons.
And yet the manner of their loss to Derry yesterday will grate. They matched the Ulster champions in several sectors but lacked the attacking poise and class to cause an upset, as evidenced by their meagre tally of 1-8. Only one starting forward scored from play. Injury has hampered the campaigns of Cathail O’Mahony and Brian Hurley, while Steven Sherlock and Conor Corbett could not influence on the Croke Park stage like they had in the previous two weekends. Getting that quartet fit and choosing the right mix will be key for 2024.
Unearthing a couple of other forward options, particularly long-range shooters, will be on Cleary’s to-do list as well. Cork got a lot right in the hard work last winter, they’ll need another productive off-season to improve their athleticism and squad depth. After taking out Division 1 opponents on successive weekends, a third victory proved beyond Cork, a reminder of the road left to travel.
- Fintan O’Toole
Mayo
A season of fluctuating fortunes for Mayo. They were terrific at times in the league and for a county scarred by final experiences in Croke Park, winning that April decider was not to be sniffed at.
But from there they mixed the highs and the lows with a frequency that will concern them. Held off by Roscommon in Connacht, rebounding in style to end Kerry’s 28-year unbeaten home championship record. A collapse in form in the face of Cork’s revival in Limerick, then a rousing victory over rivals Galway in a Salthill arm-wrestle.
And then it ended in a familiar fashion, powerless to suppress a Dublin onslaught in Croke Park. The parallels with their 2019 loss were uncanny, highly competitive in the opening half before they were swatted aside by Dublin’s blitz after the break.
The energy-sapping recent schedule impacted in the second half but in truth it was of Mayo’s own making that they ended up in that position. They were in control six points up against Cork when they surrendered the initiative in the final quarter. That loss was the unravelling of their season, increasing the demands that would be placed on their players.
It was a year where they were delighted to have Tommy Conroy back fit, energised by the bright sparks of Colm Reape, David McBrien and Sam Callinan. How much is there left to squeeze out though of old stagers Doherty, McLoughlin and O’Shea? Paddy Durcan, Diarmuid O’Connor and Jordan Flynn continue to lead impressively, but the gap to a team like Dublin in full flight mode when the All-Ireland series heats up, looks considerable.
It was a similar glum experience to that suffered in last year’s quarter-final convincing defeat against Kerry. McStay took on the role last August for a four-year term. With one season in the memory bank, he has plenty experience to utilise.
- Fintan O’Toole
Tyrone
Take yourself back to last Saturday week ago and the backdoor of the Donegal dressing room in Ballybofey.
Tyrone had just knocked Donegal out of the championship. Interim manager Aidan O’Rourke emerged with a certain weightlessness. Like a Death Row prisoner licking his fingers after a final meal of sticky ribs washed down with a brewski, being told the plug was broken on the electric chair.
“It is absolutely a full-time job, managing an inter-county team. I was going to say at this level, but at any level really, at this point,” he said.
“And that’s just the facts of it. You need a lot of time on your hands or to be retired to really do this properly.”
And that brings us to Tyrone. In November 2020, Tyrone county board appointed Feargal Logan and Brian Dooher for a three-year period.
They exceeded all expectations by landing Ulster and All-Ireland titles in their first season, to go with their U21 All-Ireland success from 2015.
Since then, the player’s departure door has hardly felt the hinges close. Their record in championship has been incredible with just three wins from nine games.
And you’d be hard-pressed to find two men with busier day jobs in the entire province; Logan heads up his own Solicitor’s practice across two sites in Tyrone, while Dooher is the Deputy Chief Vet at the Department of Agriculture.
It’s entirely unlikely they will seek another year with their three-year term up, and a raft of Tyrone’s finest-ever servants such as Mattie Donnelly, Peter Harte and Ronan McNamee are expected to call it a day.
A rebuilding job awaits, but there’s always talent in Tyrone to get a headstart.
- Declan Bogue
