Even though this Ulster final was always going to be decided by only a point or two, the laurels rest where they deserve. Armagh upped their game considerably from their semi-final against Fermanagh, and they certainly shook off the idea that they might be a little tired for this game.

Their whole defensive cover was very impressive and Kieran McGeeney was always in the thick of it. He had another tremendous game and once again showed what a great footballing talent he is.

And even with McGeeney leading by example, Armagh also seemed to have more leaders on the field. They made things hard for Derry from the start, and only briefly were Derry allowed to get into their usual pattern of sending the high ball into Enda Muldoon. He did have Ger Reid under pressure for the first couple of balls, but that soon disintegrated, and the way that the Armagh defence grouped and closed off all the channels was particularly effective.

By half-time, it was easy to see that there would be changes in the Derry attack because they looked one-paced and predictable. There was still a lot of

ball going into Muldoon, but with so much grouping around him, he didn't have the space to convert. Reid finished the match very much the commanding figure in that area and the predicted advantage for Derry didn't come through.

Still, it wasn't quite as spectacular as Armagh's win over Down last year. They got two excellent goals that last day, and even though they were quite effective and dominant here, Derry were never quite shaken off. That's also to Derry's credit, but maybe all their draws and replays of recent months began to catch up with them a little.

There's also a question of whether Anthony Tohill was restricted because of the injury he had before this game. Even still, the Derry defence gave away far too many frees.

Having said that, Johnny McBride's goal brought them back to level terms and the game was very much up for grabs at that stage. But even then it never quite clicked for Derry, and again they conceded some hazardous frees.

Also contributing to Derry's downfall were their forwards, who looked a little off the pace throughout. None of the substitutes had the desired effect, and although Seamus Downey won a few balls when he came in, he was never really on fire.

It was ironic in some ways that Tohill was the man who missed the chance to save them. It was a well taken free and it's tough justice on him, because he has taken them out of so many difficult situations.

So it wasn't by any means a decisive victory, but in the modern game winning provincial titles back-to-back is something to be very satisfied about. More of the Armagh players played to their form, and that was also a significant difference in the end.

Eamonn Coleman signalled to me earlier in the year that this was his last shot. They had put a huge effort in getting everything right for this campaign and it doesn't really surprise me to see him step down.

All of a sudden it becomes another year when Derry have underachieved when everything looked to be going so well for them, especially in winning the league title. It's frustrating for him after giving so much service to Derry, and the fact that he wasn't on the sideline yesterday means he will probably go with a bitter taste.

It's still hard to predict whether Derry are coming or going and a lot players do have a lot of mileage in the legs. Henry Downey wasn't the most comfortable with the pace. But there's still a lot of great footballers there. Of course Tohill has had a great season and he'll be very close to an All Star at the end of the year.

Armagh still have a lot of improving to do but they'll certainly be delighted to retain the title. It sets them up nicely for their semi-final after coming through such a severe test like this.

In contrast, Kerry by-passed Clare as expected. They played within themselves for most of the game and Clare will be disappointed that some of their bigger players didn't lift themselves, especially Martin Daly.

Apart from the first 10 minutes or so, there was always a major gulf in class and it was always on the cards that the defence would find it difficult to hold the Kerry forwards.

In fact, they were on top in all the stakes. The three goals made them look most devastating, but they'll still be wondering if they were put through a real test. They won't be totally sure if some of the problems from the Cork match won't re-emerge, but they certainly justified their favourites tag for the All Ireland title.

(In an interview with Ian O'Riordan)