Content to do it the hard way

Ulster SFC Final replay: Kieran McGeeney tells Ian O'Riordan why Armagh's congested match schedule doesn't mean they are going to run out of steam any time soon

Spend five minutes talking football with Kieran McGeeney and it feels like the modern player is getting soft.

Saturday's Ulster final replay will be Armagh's sixth championship match of the summer - and if they do end up going all the way they'll have played at least nine. Few teams survive such extreme football endeavours.

Not necessarily so, says McGeeney. He may be 33 now, with more football in his legs than he can remember, but McGeeney still sees football through the eyes of a youngster. You play, you move on, you play again. Any player who feels recovery is more than a seven-day sentence is doing something wrong.

Win or lose against Tyrone on Saturday, the Armagh captain says recovery is all in the mind, not in the body. Having two weeks between the drawn match and the replay is a bonus, but it shouldn't make a difference. If this Armagh team is good enough to win the All-Ireland then they're good enough, no matter what way they go about it.

"Ay, it's possible," says McGeeney, looking relaxed and chilled and somewhat out of character. "If you go on to win it people will say it's good for you. Last year we had five weeks between the Ulster final and the Fermanagh game. I suppose we're going the opposite way this way, but I still think we've enough time to recover.

"Even this extra week shouldn't matter. We trained on Sunday, and none of us felt like we couldn't play a game. As far as I know the human body only needs 72 hours to recover. Bar bruises or knocks or tears.

"And we can talk about other sports, where they can play two games a week. Our training is a little different, and when you're preparing for certain teams you need those three or four weeks.

"But I see other sports being able to play very week. I don't see any reason why Gaelic players can't do the same. Possibly the only thing that does go against you is that other teams are able to build their game around you. They can prepare specifically for you, whereas we're just going from game to game."

There is a feeling, however, that this Armagh team has been on the road for so long now that recovery between matches is paramount - especially if they want to maintain their drive to beat the best around them. McGeeney smiles at the suggestion he might be losing some of that drive.

"Oh it's still there, believe me. I think it's 1989 now since I've been going. But I just love playing football. I think it's the greatest thing you can do. I'll keep driving on. People will always question whether you're the player you once were.

"As far as I'm concerned I'm still doing my job. It mightn't be the same type of role I've had in the past, and it's more sort of man to man. And I do have to try harder. But that's the nature of the game.

"Maybe we're looking a wee bit tired this summer. But when you get to the play-offs of the National League it's a big thing. Our team had never won it. So we went all out to win it. We were moving well at the time, but I wouldn't complain about playing games. I still think we're playing reasonable well."

Yet, the very nature of their draw with Tyrone - the late goal from Steven McDonnell and the later equaliser from Paul McGrane - has left an extra question mark hanging over Armagh. Any team that breaks out of jail like that must be wary of the extra guards next time out.

"No, it wasn't the performance we wanted," agrees McGeeney. "We didn't play that well, but I don't think we were as bad as some people were saying. It seems unless Armagh hammers a team we're poor.

"We beat Fermanagh, last year's All-Ireland semi-finalists. We beat Donegal, last year's quarter-finalists, and a damn good team with the forward line they have. Then we beat Derry, again last year's semi-finalists. And still we haven't played well.

The way McGeeney talks about the replay at Croke Park on Saturday you'd swear he'd play it any time, any place. And the harder the contest the better - no soft options wanted.

"Tyrone do play a great game, although a lot of people don't like it. They drop deep, collect the ball, and move it in twos and threes. And they tackle in twos and threes. That's very hard to break down. That's why I wonder why people say if you're not putting away a team like that you're a bad team. Either of us are capable of putting the other one away. One of us could run away with, or one of us could win by a point. You just don't know."