AFTER months of uncertainty and not knowing if we would get the chance to see any football this year, we have the return of the National Football Leagues this coming weekend.
This is a campaign that I have been looking forward to for quite a while and my reason for this is because Armagh are now back in the top tier for the first time since 2012.
When you think of some of Armagh’s more experienced players like Aidan Forker, Rory Grugan, James Morgan and Stefan Campbell, it’s hard to believe that these guys have never experienced Division One football. The Leagues have been split in two and while Armagh won’t get the opportunity to play against Kerry and Dublin in the group stages, they have a chance to show their credentials in a mini-Ulster style league group.
Donegal and Tyrone are the obvious standout teams in the group but for Armagh’s development to continue on an upwards curve then these are the type of teams that they need to be playing against and more importantly competing against.
Three out of the four teams competing in Armagh’s group have made changes both at management level and coaching level and I am looking forward to witnessing the early impressions that each new addition has made.
The biggest and most significant change has come at the helm of Tyrone with Fergal Logan and Brian Dooher taking over from Mickey Harte. These guys have tasted success on the side-line with Tyrone already having guided their U21s to the All-Ireland title back in 2015, so working alongside most of those guys from that successful era once again will instil a renewed confidence amongst the group.
Tyrone has a lot of talented forwards in their squad and I would imagine that they will try to utilise this by placing more of an emphasis on the attacking aspect of their game than what they have done in the past couple of years.
This of course will be a cause of concern for their opponents but they have to be careful about who their opponents are. Donegal are masters at counter-attacking teams and if Tyrone leave themselves too open this weekend, then they could well be punished. But given the fact that it is Fergal and Brian’s first competitive game in charge, they will want to get off to the best possible start so they may not be as prepared as they would be against Armagh or Monaghan to let loose of the shackles.
One of the game's top coaches, Donie Buckley has joined the Monaghan backroom team and this is a shrewd move by Seamus McEnaney and one that could prove to me a masterstroke by him. Donie is a coach that is held in high esteem, particularly amongst the players that he has worked with so coaching players of the calibre of Conor McManus, Karl O’Connell, Kieran Hughes and co will only improve them.
When you think of the levels that Conor McManus has performed at over his career, the idea he can go even higher is intriguing.
Someone like Donie Buckley can prolong Conor’s career even further and give him a new lease of life.
I experienced this myself when Mike McGurn joined the Armagh set-up towards the twilight of my career. I found myself enjoying football again and believed that his training sessions were geared towards a player like myself rekindling that enjoyment element again, even though they were tough sessions.
I looked forward to training once again and my fitness levels got to where they should have been in no time. As a GAA fan, it’s a scary thought to think Conor McManus can improve even more but I want to see the best at the peak of their powers and Donie can make that impact.
Kieran McGeeney has added both Ciaran McKeever and Kieran Donaghy to his backroom team and it would not take a rocket scientist to figure out that Ciaran McKeever is there to focus on the defensive aspect of the team while Kieran Donaghy will be tasked with improving the attack.
These two guys have a wealth of experience and having lined out alongside both, I am confident that they will add a lot to the team. Both players had a winning mentality on the field and wanted to win at all costs and that is exactly the type of mindset that Armagh need to have to survive Division One football.
When you play against the best teams in the country, just being a good footballer is not all that is needed. You must have the full package, which includes a level of work-rate, a willingness to win, performing your football duties at a very high level, good systems of play and having a strong mindset. These things and more and I have no doubt that the new additions to the Armagh set-up can strengthen their need to improve and stay in Division One.
What we do have to expect this week though is a level of rustiness across the board. All teams have not had a lot of time together and while we are very demanding as supporters, we have to be realistic also.
In an amateur game, improvements can and will be made, but time is required for this to happen.
