Armagh reaffirm pedigree

Gaelic Games/ Ulster SFC Final: "This is no country for old men." For a team rumoured to be aged and weakened, for men who had supposedly lost their game, there were signs in Croke Park yesterday that Armagh can yet claim that long-awaited and sacred second All-Ireland.

On a copper-gold afternoon in the city, they reaffirmed their legacy across the North by claiming their third Ulster title in a row, their sixth in eight summers, a feat achieved during a formidable football era in the dark province.

That three-year deal began with Kieran McGeeney and Paul McGrane clasping their mighty arms around the Anglo-Celt in front of a heartbroken Donegal and ended yesterday with precisely the same scene. Except that in between them stood John Toal, the Armagh veteran nursing his way back to form after an horrific leg injury.

The sight of that trio, a sea of tangerine beneath them, reinforced the fact Big Joe Kernan presides over a family as much as a county. The 1-9 to 0-9 win was not classic Armagh destruction, but it was a formidable display by a proud and exceptionally tough team.

"There are a lot of great men in that room and they proved that this last 10 years," said Kernan. "To win six Ulster championships in eight years is an unbelievable feat . . . We had to fight for every one."

The young men from the Northwest were deathlessly brave yesterday and deep into injury-time were chasing the score that would haul them back from Paul McGrane's thunderbolt of a goal just after half-time. There was a tantalising chance some 71 minutes into the game when Stephen McDermott somehow ghosted in behind the Armagh full-back line, but his hammer blow was calmly deflected by Paul Hearty, and the window closed for Donegal, just as it has for the past five summers.

More than most teams in Ireland, Donegal have had to absorb what it is that separates this Armagh team from most others. Their greatness comes from the fact they never deviate from what they do best. Armagh have been visiting Croke Park for so long now that almost everything they did yesterday looked rehearsed.

And many questions were answered. Once again Adrian Sweeney, the gallant Dungloe veteran called in at the 11th hour, found Francie Bellew an absolute frustration. The Great Wall of China will crumble before Bellew lets Armagh down. The 30-something club of McGeeney, McGrane, McEntee and McConville still have game in them. And in young Aaron Kernan, Martin O'Rourke and Paul Duffy, they have football brains to burn.

This Armagh-Donegal rivalry confirms one of sport's vexing truths: you do not get what you deserve. Brian McIver's men wanted only for a little experience and composure. Those qualities come with time. Ask Armagh.

As Armagh rested on their laurels, the heavyweights of Kerry and Cork drew in a thrilling Munster final.

Joe Kernan would be happy if the Rebels and the Kingdom draw for the next three weeks. What a difference a day makes. Only yesterday, they said Armagh were dead men walking. What does this make them now?