HE produced in a brilliant display of forward play as Maghery stunned Crossmaglen on Sunday, but Aidan Forker won’t complain when he is asked to go back to snuffing out opposition dangermen with Armagh next month.
Forker lashed home a brilliant second half goal as the Loughshore men inflicted a first county final defeat on Cross since 1982, finishing joint top-scorer with 1-3 to his name and deservedly picking up the man-of-the-match award after a powerhouse performance.
However, in recent years he has been converted into a man-marker with an attacking edge by Armagh boss Kieran McGeeney, successfuklt curtailing the influence of Cavan’s Martin Reilly, Mayo’s Darren Coen and Monaghan star Conor McManus during last year’s Championship.
And the versatile 28-year-old is more than happy to revert to that role when the Orchard County step up their bid for promotion to Division One of the National League against Roscommon and Clare, before attention turns to their Ulster Championship showdown with Derry.
“I have to go back in there now - Kieran has a funny way of talking you round, put it like that,” he smiled.
“Listen, Armagh have taken a step forward in the last few years. The quality of player we have now, it’s going to be so difficult to get in the team and I’m happy to contribute whatever way I can, whether that’s number two, four, number 14 or 15.
“Wherever it is, I’m happy to do it. That has to be your mentality when you play county football, and if you don’t bring focus to your role there’s someone else is going to come in and do it.
“Whatever plans he has for me – before lockdown I was going rightly in there – I’ll try to bring something different to that kind of role and put my man on the back foot. It’s like any position, you bring your own strengths to it.
“If I can bring my own running and kick-passing game, maybe get a couple of scores, then it doesn’t matter where I’m playing.”
County panels across Ireland have been allowed to return to group training this week for the first time since the Covid-19 pandemic took hold in mid-March.
In the meantime, there has been increased momentum behind a split club/county season, which looks increasingly likely to be introduced in the coming years.
Having ended the club campaign with a championship medal, only the second time Maghery have lifted the Gerry Fegan Cup following their 2016 success, Forker feels there is only one way to go in future.
“It was brilliant.
“You weren’t distracted, you weren’t being pulled here, there and everywhere… you feel like you’re letting your club-mates down when you can’t be there, that’s the nature of the beast.
“The GPA has put forward a great model, maybe with a few tweaks that makes everybody happy. There’s this culture of thinking someone’s going to lose out, or someone’s going to have the upper hand – sometimes you can have a bit of a truce where everybody wins.”
