ARMAGH manager Sylvester McConnell has hit out at the timing of the county's fans' open day, which clashed with the Nicky Rackard Cup semi-final.
Supporters of the various Orchard teams were invited to meet the players at the Athletic Grounds on Saturday afternoon while the hurlers were on their way to Carrickmore for an Ulster derby against Tyrone.
But an angry McConnell said his players were fired up by the snub and they expressed their anger in the most positive way possible, with a 14-points win over the Red Hands.
"There was an open day for the county players. The camogie players were there, the ladies footballers were there, the county footballers were there.
"But the hurlers couldn't be there, because they had to hold the open day on the same date that we have a semi-final of our major competition. You can see how we were fired up about that," said McConnell.
"After being in three Nicky Rackard finals and playing at the highest level that any Armagh hurling team has ever played, we were hurt by that
"You could see the emotion in the boys as they got off the bus, how they felt in the warm-up. We were revved up for that game."
McConnell is pleased by the response of his team to a couple of disappointing defeats and the loss of a raft of players as he looks forward to a Rackard final clash with Derry next month.
"We trained hard, got our injuries cleared up, and we knew there was a big game in this team.
"We lost seven players from last year, and we have still come back and got back to Croke Park again. There's not many players that can deal with losing seven players.
"That shows the ability in the lads that have come in and the belief that's in the group. There was a strong energy within the team all week.
"The Donegal game hurt our players a lot. We had to take the defeat against Antrim in an Ulster final, and fair play to Antrim, they used that as a stepping stone to push themselves on against Carlow.
"There's a good balance in the side, the players at the back were very disciplined.
"We have very good leaders in the team and that's a big plus for Armagh teams in the future."
Derry will go in as favourites to win the June 10 Croke Park decider, but the Orchard boss believes his side can cause an upset.
"Derry is a massive challenge, we know the quality of Derry hurling, they have a very strong, physical team.
"But we'll go there and we'll give it everything we have, we'll take the challenge to Derry and we'll not be afraid of that challenge."
Meanwhile, Tyrone manager Mattie Lennon reflected on a season of progress as the 2017 campaign came to a disappointing end.
"There's a good bunch of young lads that have come into the squad this year, along with some of the more seasoned campaigners, and even some of the older lads are not that old, so it's a pretty young squad.
"
They have trained very hard all year, there's a good mix of youth and experience there, and there's no reason why they can't push on.
"It's hard to make huge steps in the one year, and we have definitely made progress, and the younger lads have come in and stepped up and played very well. And the older guys have bought into it and trained hard all year."
