They’d lost finals to Kerry in 07’ and 09’ too though and beat a fine Tyrone side in the 2009 semi-final. When you add in the 2008 semi-final replay defeat to Kerry then I think the Kingdom knocked them out 5 consecutive seasons in Croker. They had a mental block against Kerry but were fine against the rest. Beat a coming Dublin team in 2010.
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Shields was playing in an All-Ireland club semi-final for the Barr’s against Kilcoo as recently as 2022.
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As a committed barstool republican I’d generally have a soft spot for champions coming from the United Kingdom. I think there’s a lot to like about that Armagh side, especially the setbacks they’ve overcome obviously. I thought they got finish line fever (have I mangled a phrase?) when they scored the goal & got ultra conservative in possession in the aftermath & ended up turning the ball over sloppily a few times when moving it slowly & laterally. Whatever about them defending with everyone back in their own half, they usually break quickly as a unit & holding the ball & trying to run the clock down didn’t suit them. But that point from Grimley after Shane Walsh dropped a free or mark short & Oisin O’Neill drilled that long foot pass over the top to him was superb & then the last point from O’Neill himself was terrific too.
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These Twitter coaches love their own narratives on things
Was it oisin or rian o neill drilled that long pass to him?
Yes.
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I’ve made my mind up that Rian is a great player (even if hes very dopey) based on it so I hope it wasn’t the sub.
Since 1971 Connacht teams have a record of W6 L31 in All-Ireland senior finals.
That’s incredible
How have they won 6? Sure Galway only have two in that time period
Oh sorry hurling too
Colm O’Neill and Goulding weren’t footballers? Some load of bollocks. 
Armagh were the best team in the country moving the ball quickly from defence to attack.
Galway may have been better on the eye footballing wise but if you took Conroy’s super scores from distance out of that game Sunday they were bang average tbh.
Armagh fully worth their win and fuck the begrudgers.
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Im not begrudging them anything,they won fair and square.Its not an easy watch is all I’m saying
I can’t think of a single stand out contender for Footballer Of The Year. Maybe I’ve just not been watching enough football but I don’t think so.
I was going to suggest Michael Langan and I would suggest Paul Conroy and John Maher but I presume Rian O’Neill will get it.
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O’Neill is being put forward nearly solely on the basis of name recognition. Four points in the three knockout games would not have you in the conversation any other year.
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I would agree. Is Niall Grimley a contender? Or Soupy? Soupy must be Armagh’s most impactful player.
This Armagh team reminds me a bit of Greece 2004, who Johnny Giles said of that nobody would remember the name of a single player six months later.
Outside of Rian O’Neill and Soupy they have no players who make a real impact on the general GAA/sporting consciousness.
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That cork team only got past Limerick due to a series of outrageous refereeing decisions. And then there their play, handpass only. Comfortably the worst and most undeserving team to win an all Ireland in my lifetime.
The two outstanding contenders by the semi-final stage were Dylan McHugh and Peader Mogan. Both will have fallen off a cliff due to the recency bias of the final.
They competed very well with a much better Kerry team than the present team for years. They were hardly that bad
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The outrageous reffing v Cork was in the 2009 Munster final. The 2010 backdoor game was a 50/50.
The outrageous reffing in 2010 was in the Munster final at Killarney where Tomas O’Se was close to getting away with murder.