KIERAN McGeeney believes the GAA can do much more to promote the best of Gaelic football and feels some ex-players would be better removing their rose-tinted glasses and stop fawning over their own playing eras.
Armagh were promoted back to Division One last weekend with one game to spare after just a one-season stay in Division Two following their hammering of Cavan at the BOX-IT Athletic Grounds.
Given the condensed nature of the split season, McGeeney is still supportive of playing League finals despite increasing dissent that they are simply too close to the Championship.
While accepting the tight timeframe Division Two finalists Armagh and Donegal face with the Ulster Championship just around the corner, McGeeney still thinks they are worth persevering with.
Armagh face Fermanagh in the provincial series on April 14 and Donegal take on neighbours Derry on April 20.
“Any chance we get to promote our sport, we should do it,” he said.
Expanding on the point, the Mullaghbawn man added: “I think we spend our time in the GAA complaining. No matter what we do, it’s always wrong.
“In every other sport the league is where it’s going. We should be playing home and away games [in the Allianz League]. Fourteen League games. You can see what it does for Armagh, you can see what it does for Kerry. You go to all these towns, Mayo, Donegal, Derry…
“The sport is getting bigger in spite of what people are saying. More and more people are watching it. There are more and more scores but unfortunately all the ex-players think nobody is as good as them.
“It’s funny listening to [former] players in WhatsApp groups talking about saving football. They should take a look at their own games. They weren’t that hot at it when they were there.
“That’s the sort of rhetoric that we’re coming out with. I don’t see it. I really don’t.
“I just think Gaelic football is a brilliant sport. It’s just badly promoted.”
The Orchard men have won five games and drawn one [with Donegal] and amassed 7-89 as they prepare for a trip to Cork this weekend and then a crack at Donegal to decide the winners of Division Two on Easter weekend.
“It’s very easy to blame county managers and present players,” McGeeney said. “I think we have good games and we have bad games.
“In general, if you look at the scorelines over the last couple of years, especially in Division One, most teams are hitting 19 or 20 scores. In our time, I don’t think we ever did that, and I mean ever.
“Today’s game is faster. It’s just a far better game and smarter.
“Some games go backwards and forwards and side to side and people falling on the ball but that happens in a lot of other sports but we seem to laud it and they don’t have as many scores as we do.”
Armagh have been averaging 18 points per game as they head back to the top flight next season.
McGeeney reiterated his view that the National Football Leagues should be play on a home and away basis and to ditch the pre-season competitions.
Now in his 10th year as Armagh manager, McGeeney feels the GAA is getting closer to what Gaels want to see during the inter-county season.
“The Super 16s is where it’s at for a lot of teams and the Ulster Championship as well. People like a league basis… I think we’re getting closer to what we need but whether the League finals are right or wrong, I still don’t think it’s a bad thing to promote.
“How we promote it is hard to know. There are only so many matches you can play in six months.”
Meanwhile, sweeper ‘keeper Ethan Rafferty is nearing full fitness after breaking his ankle, but Blaine Hughes, who returned to the Armagh set-up after a year away, has enjoyed an impressive NFL campaign.
“Ethan’s back running and kicking, and hopefully we’ll see him but he’s a job on his hands as Blaine [Hughes] has had a great season so far.”