Nicky Rackard Cup final: Armagh v Derry (today, Croke Park, streamed live on TG4.ie)
TWICE now Artie McGuinness has made the long walk back to the Armagh changing room in the bowels of Croke Park. Twice now he has sat in silence and watched the stunned expression on the faces of his teammates as they absorbed the pain of defeat.
For the past two seasons, the Orchard county have fallen at the final hurdle in the Nicky Rackard Cup. To their credit, they have battled back once more and this year it’s Derry who stand between them and glory.
“We don’t want to experience that feeling again,” said the Armagh full-back ahead of today’s game.
“Nobody is really talking too much about the last two finals, but it does be at the back of your mind.
“It drives you on, it helps you get that bit extra out of it. It’s just a simple case of not wanting to be back in the same position. Twice was enough.”
McGuinness, whose younger brother Eoin is likely to play at full-forward, could possibly be the most important player for Sylvester McConnell’s side today as he tries to nullify the threat of Derry’s Brendan Rogers.
The fact that the Slaughtneil ace is lining out for both the Oakleaf hurlers and footballers this season is a sign of Derry getting their house in order, according to McGuinness.
“This is a very strong Derry side coming out,” he said.
“They got a couple of players back that were missing last year.
“The Slaughtneil boys have bought into, which is massive for them.
“We’re not going to focus too much on Derry though; we’re going out to play hurling and to play our own game. Hopefully it’s good enough for the win.”
Rogers’s inclusion in Colm McGurk’s starting line-up is not surprising considering that he hit 3-3 in just 29 minutes after coming on against Monaghan in the semi-final.
Chrissy McKaigue has also moved from sub’ to starter and the addition of the Slaughtneil pair has just reinforced Derry’s favoritism.
McGurk’s men have had an easy run to Croke Park, hitting a combined 16-55 in their wins over Louth, Longford and Monaghan.
McGuinness is happy enough that Derry are being talked up as likely victors, but he does feel that their quest to upset the odds won’t be helped too much by the fact that Armagh have reached the last two finals.
“Being the underdogs tends to suit us,” said the Newry Shamrocks man.
“We have went into a few games against Down as underdogs and it has worked well for us. We’re happy enough with that tag.
“A lot of our boys have been there (Croke Park) before.
“Obviously we have been there the past two years and then the Middletown boys have been there with their club.
“But then you look at the Derry boys. They were there in 2015 (Christy Ring final) and a lot of that team is still there.
“The Slaughtneil boys have been there a few times with their club too, so there’s no real advantage there for us.”
While Derry have eased their way to Dublin, Armagh have experienced more than their fair share of turbulence.
They were on the backfoot from early on after Donegal beat them 1-19 to 0-13 in the opening fixture.
An injury crisis opened the door to an early exit, but a strong second half against Louth got them back on track before they impressed in wins against Longford and Tyrone.
Armagh have a number of players back for this match, including McGuinness’s brother Eoin who was only fit to come off the bench against the Red Hands.
Caily Gorman and Ryan Gaffney are also fully fit but Shea Gaffeny and Stephen Reneghan remain out for the long term.
Having lost at the death against Roscommon in 2015 and having met an in-form Mayo side last year, Armagh would have hoped that they would be the team to beat in this competition.
That may have seemed the case earlier in the season, but Derry have strengthened significantly as the season has progressed. That should tip the balance in the Oakleaf county’s favour.
Paths to the final
Armagh
Round One: Donegal 1-19 Armagh 0-13
Round 2B: Armagh 0-23 Louth 2-9
Semi-final: Tyrone 1-14 Armagh 2-25
Derry
Round One: Louth 1-12 Derry 2-17
Round 2A: Derry 8-21 Longford 1-14
Semi-final: Monaghan 1-12 Derry 6-17
