ARMAGH’S Aidan Forker has launched a stout defence of his manager Kieran McGeeney and admitted that the hysteria generated on social media over the last number of weeks was “hard to ignore”.
After easing past Antrim in the preliminary round of the Ulster Championship on Saturday, Forker addressed the negativity surrounding the Armagh camp ever since they lost to Galway in the National Football League, which coincided with unfounded rumours of a fracture between McGeeney and star attacker Rian O’Neill.
Armagh went on to suffer relegation from Division One but were business-like in how they negotiated their way past Antrim to set up an intriguing provincial quarter-final with Cavan in 11 days’ time.
Asked if he felt Armagh and Kieran McGeeney were judged more harshly than other top counties, Forker replied: “In short, yes. I think there is this image of Kieran that everyone has and it is very much the other way. Kieran would admit himself that he doesn’t really care about how people perceive him.
“People think he is hard-nosed and tough and he is when he needs to be, but he is also very kind and empathetic and a real leader in the most modern sense of the word.
“There is no-one that has given up more for the county to be successful and Kieran wouldn’t say that out loud. Those things hit him most and I think those narratives going around the socials are hard to ignore.
“He would do anything for the county to be successful and for us to be successful. We give up a lot but he gives up more and I have no problem in saying that.
“One of our big things is to challenge ourselves to be better and we just can’t let that seep in from the outside because it is really all noise and what really matters is what we say to each other inside the group.”
Forker also pointed out just how close Armagh were in their two encounters with Division One finalists Mayo and Galway earlier this season, with champions Mayo tumbling out of the Connacht Championship to Roscommon at the weekend.
“If you were summing up the League, we were on the wrong side of the results trying to play the game the right way and if you look at the two League finalists Galway and Mayo, we were ahead of them for most of those games and couldn’t see them out for one reason or other.
“But that is very much on the boys who cross the white line and we have been working on that. Listen, it was very unfortunate. We parked it quite quickly and we have this competition now and then there will be another competition later on in the year and that’s the way we are framing it.”
Armagh selector Kieran Donaghy couldn’t provide any time-frame for the return of Rian O’Neill, Andrew Murnin and Jarlath Og Burns to the set-up with all three missing Saturday’s nine-point win.
But midfielders Ben Crealey and Shane McPartlan posted reminders that there is considerable depth to McGeeney’s squad after their fine displays against Antrim.
“I knew it was in them,” Forker said. “I was really excited to see the likes of Shane [McPartlan] because he is pushing really hard and he is a real handful in training, I know that first hand.
“He was waiting in the wings there for a long time and I was really excited to see him and I knew he could deliver for us.
“And with big Ben [Crealey] you know what you get with him. I am really happy with those boys coming in and the boys coming back from injury will definitely get it tight, because those boys will not give it up too easily.”
Eight of Armagh’s starting line-up against Antrim featured in their McKenna Cup loss to Cavan in January and with Mickey Graham’s men gaining promotion to Division Two, there will be a considerably step-up in class ahead of their April 22 clash at Breffni Park.
“We haven’t had it easy up there in recent history but we will prepare well and it is going to be a battle," Forker said.
Meanwhile, the Armagh defender took time out to wish young Lilly Mulholland well after suffering serious illness.
“You can talk about football battles, but there is a wee girl, friends of ours, who took sick last Sunday,” said Forker.
“So I would like to mention Lilly Mulholland. She took ill and was in for surgery on Tuesday, so the Armagh squad are thinking of Lilly and her family, supporting them and sending all the good vibes towards them.”
