Summary of the 2022 Season - Hopes for 2023 - Questions for the Future?

William Of Orange

Well-Known Member
How do we feel the season went ? . For me I would mark it 7/10 . Staying up in Division one was one of the targets and we done that reasonably comfortably . The disappointing Ulster campaign was the big negative , the fantastic results against Donegal and Tyrone and the wave of enthusiasm going into the Galway games was fantastic . A lot of potential but also some players will be come past their peak as well as the new blood coming through . Disappointing against Galway that we couldn't get over the line but you could not fault the spirit of the team . However will be get a better opportunity for am All Ireland semi Final or Final again ?. I suppose we have to be realistic overall we are not a dominant GAA county , our purple patch from 99 into the 00s returned 5 semi finals . 2 finals and one victory . What do we expect from the team , where can we improve ? Is McGeeney the man to get us over the line and Silverware . What's everyone thoughts ?.
 

Armaghball

Well-Known Member
Yeah probably a 7 or 8 out of 10.
Goal at the start of the year I’d have said was staying up in the league which we achieved, getting to an Ulster final or failing that a good run in the back door and draw dependent make a quarter final or further which we did.

Obviously Donegal in Ulster was hugely disappointing and has been discussed to death, but fair play to all the lads they bounced back and gave us 3 hugely memorable days out.

Disappointing to lose the way we did against Galway but the positive signs are all there- hopefully we can get lads back from injury for next year, maybe unearth another couple of lads to add to the panel over the winter and can dig in ready for another lash at next year.

A big positive was the amount of new faces having big years- Mackin and Kelly were 2 of our best players in the league before we lost them, Woods and Kierans have added something new as well and were very good in Croker.

Soupy did extremely well to regain his place after being on the bench for most of the year was unbelievable since hes been back. Grugan had another super year as usual. Nugent I thought has been brilliant this year- turned into a real leader and never stops working. Morgan had one of his best ever years as well, did a very good job on Walsh the other day.

Ethan Rafferty has been an absolute revelation in nets, contender for our player of the year imo and I’ll put my hands up and admit I wanted him nowhere near nets, was totally proven wrong there so well done. Actually think he has a good chance of an All Star- Derry and Galway keepers are both very dodgy.

Obviously Rians performances it goes without saying was another highlight of the year, summed up perfectly by the nerve and the skill to kick that equaliser on Sunday. Another thing I noticed is that several times when we were struggling or Galway had just scored, he made himself available for the next kickout- real sign of a good leader. Nailed on all star and without a doubt one of if not the best footballer in the country at the minute.

Next year we’ll be hoping for more of the same- get Oisin O’Neill, Mackin, Grimley, TK, Paddy Burns back fit and we’ll offer a huge threat to anyone. Hopefully we can keep everyone else together for another run. Donaghy has been a massive addition by all accounts so heres hoping we can keep him as well.

Target for me is again staying up and being competitive in the league but number one an Ulster title, we’ve shown we being competing against the big boys and no reason we can’t win an Ulster- would be huge for this team to get over the line. Imo the all ireland is wide open for the next few years- Dublin have come back to the pack, Mayo are definitely not the force the were and while Kerry are full of talent they’re still beatable. We know we can compete with any of the teams in Ulster as well. That’s bound to be hugely motivating for our lads- anything is possible.
 

stevie_06

Well-Known Member
I would say it was postive year

The league was very encouraging and staying up was the main thing. Staying in Division 1 and playing competitive football I think is vital for this teams development.

Championship started on a low against Donegal. The performance and not the result was the most disappointing aspect. We seen to abandon the positive play that we had seen in the league.

But from there think we regrouped and two great performances against Tyrone and Donegal. Two of the better championship performances I have seen in a long time from Armagh.

Galway match I have already talked about so won't go over it again. But reaching an All Ireland quarter final was an important step for the team. Yes reaching a semi would have been nice but wasn't to be.

Bit early to be talking about potential starting 15 for next year. But think winning the McKenna Cup would be nice to give the team a winning feeling. The league survival again would be the main priority. If we could push on maybe reach a league final that would be a bonus

Geezer will be mainly judged on the championship and rightly so. I think next year is really the year we need to push on in Ulster and at least reach a final. That must be the next step for this management team and group of players.

Again it's all about the luck of the draw. But would happily take first round match against a weaker team to get us started and work from there
 

Hurricane Fly

New Member
Too much emphasis being placed on division 1 football in my opinion. Playing division 1 football is only a good thing if it translates to championship success. This team have consistently failed to produce in Ulster, despite playing in division 1. Derry failed to get out of division 2, yet beat 3 division 1 teams en route to an Ulster title and are now 1 winnable game away from an all Ireland final. Cavan have won an Ulster title despite not playing in the top division. If we are relegated next year so be it. Il happily take relegation if it means even an Ulster final appearance.
 

Ouch It’s Francie

Active Member
Very positive year for me…..

We are back in the mix for the first time in years. We’ll be the team that everyone will love to hate and no one will want to meet us. I drifted away from reading forum posts through the hard years as I couldn’t understand this notion that it’s our God given right to be at the top table. We’ve had little or no, success at college, club or underage in the past 10 years and getting a team to be talked about as contenders on the National stage, playing explosive football and keeping us in Division One is no mean feat.

However, the most satisfying achievement for me is the one where this team has galvanised the county support. We now stand that much taller amongst our peers and I’m even more proud to say I’m from Armagh. As I said to a Tyrone man….‘get ready to hate us all over again’.

Well done McGeeney & Co.
 

Ed Ricketts

Active Member
Too much emphasis being placed on division 1 football in my opinion. Playing division 1 football is only a good thing if it translates to championship success. This team have consistently failed to produce in Ulster, despite playing in division 1. Derry failed to get out of division 2, yet beat 3 division 1 teams en route to an Ulster title and are now 1 winnable game away from an all Ireland final. Cavan have won an Ulster title despite not playing in the top division. If we are relegated next year so be it. Il happily take relegation if it means even an Ulster final appearance.
Nah. Playing in the top division is incredibly important. It’s no coincidence that we’ve begun to contend with top teams in championship football since we’ve reached the top tier. The exposure, the experience, the confidence that comes with regularly competing against the big boys just can’t be replicated.

Cavan won the Covid cup, shouldn’t read too much into that. And Derry are the exception that proves the rule, but they’re likely to be playing in Division One soon.

Tyrone, Donegal, and Monaghan have dominated the Ulster championship for the last 15 years, and all from the platform of Division One football.
 

Hurricane Fly

New Member
Nah. Playing in the top division is incredibly important. It’s no coincidence that we’ve begun to contend with top teams in championship football since we’ve reached the top tier. The exposure, the experience, the confidence that comes with regularly competing against the big boys just can’t be replicated.

Cavan won the Covid cup, shouldn’t read too much into that. And Derry are the exception that proves the rule, but they’re likely to be playing in Division One soon.

Tyrone, Donegal, and Monaghan have dominated the Ulster championship for the last 15 years, and all from the platform of Division One football.
It's time this team started making an impact in Ulster. Not too many people would be unhappy to be in Derry's position with an Ulster title and all Ireland semi final, yet playing division 2 football next year. Galway played division 2 football this year. Dublin will be playing there next year. Ideally, yes, we would be in division 1 and making a mark come championship time. But playing division 1 doesn't seem to have helped and playing division 2 hasn't hindered other teams. At the end of the day championship is what counts and if it means relegation next year, but an Ulster final/title, then so be it.
 

Armaghball

Well-Known Member
It's time this team started making an impact in Ulster. Not too many people would be unhappy to be in Derry's position with an Ulster title and all Ireland semi final, yet playing division 2 football next year. Galway played division 2 football this year. Dublin will be playing there next year. Ideally, yes, we would be in division 1 and making a mark come championship time. But playing division 1 doesn't seem to have helped and playing division 2 hasn't hindered other teams. At the end of the day championship is what counts and if it means relegation next year, but an Ulster final/title, then so be it.
Lets stay up and win Ulster. Doesn’t have to be one or the other.

Wouldn’t like to be listening to ones on here if we did get relegated
 

stevie_06

Well-Known Member
Too much emphasis being placed on division 1 football in my opinion. Playing division 1 football is only a good thing if it translates to championship success. This team have consistently failed to produce in Ulster, despite playing in division 1. Derry failed to get out of division 2, yet beat 3 division 1 teams en route to an Ulster title and are now 1 winnable game away from an all Ireland final. Cavan have won an Ulster title despite not playing in the top division. If we are relegated next year so be it. Il happily take relegation if it means even an Ulster final appearance.
Disagree. If you go back over the past 20 years how many provincial winner or all Ireland winners have there been from outside the top division.

I accept there is the odd one. But being in division 1 generally leads to better success later on. And I mean being an established Division 1 team and not a yo yo team going up and down every couple of years.
 

Hurricane Fly

New Member
Disagree. If you go back over the past 20 years how many provincial winner or all Ireland winners have there been from outside the top division.

I accept there is the odd one. But being in division 1 generally leads to better success later on. And I mean being an established Division 1 team and not a yo yo team going up and down every couple of years.
I agree with your points. Ofcourse being in division 1 is more beneficial than not. But I feel people are making out that staying in division 1 was a massive achievement. In the grand scheme of things how big is it? Maybe it will stand by us next year. But Championship success is and always will be the main goal and I believe this team needs that success in the championship to push on and make the next step. I believe Derry will have improved more this year for winning big championship games as opposed to playing division 1 league football. There is clear evidence this year that playing outside the top tier will not hinder championship success and that has to be the priority for next season. Il happily take relegation if that's the case.
 

stevie_06

Well-Known Member
I agree with your points. Ofcourse being in division 1 is more beneficial than not. But I feel people are making out that staying in division 1 was a massive achievement. In the grand scheme of things how big is it? Maybe it will stand by us next year. But Championship success is and always will be the main goal and I believe this team needs that success in the championship to push on and make the next step. I believe Derry will have improved more this year for winning big championship games as opposed to playing division 1 league football. There is clear evidence this year that playing outside the top tier will not hinder championship success and that has to be the priority for next season. Il happily take relegation if that's the case.
Appreciate that. And next year we should be mainly judged on Ulster. The next step for this team is contesting a final and winning. Feel getting over that hurdle is essential.

Only thing about relegation is you are only then one division away from division 3 and ending up potentially in the second tier all Ireland 1
 

Geezersleftfoot

Active Member
Gonna upset people here but I will say 5/10
We started the league with 2 really good wins against Dublin and Tyrone but when you look at what happened Dublin that win seems a bit less than what it was.
Our next 5 games produced 3 losses a draw and a win. Not great. Enough to stay in the division but we could have made a league final. That would have benefited the players.
Then there was Bally bofey
Fair play to the lads, they picked themselves up and got 2 very good wins but scrutinising those somewhat you would see that Tyrone were a beaten docket all year and Donegal not far behind them.
The comeback against Galway tales away from the fact that we did not play to our potential. We took a 2 point lead in the second period of extra time and threw it away. Very disappointing.
Then there were the melees. One you can excuse. Its harder to excuse two. And three..............
Now, dont get me wrong, the lads gave everything and brought cheer to us all but

Overall a decent season but one I will look back on and think what could have been
 

JoeH

Well-Known Member
Too much emphasis being placed on division 1 football in my opinion. Playing division 1 football is only a good thing if it translates to championship success. This team have consistently failed to produce in Ulster, despite playing in division 1. Derry failed to get out of division 2, yet beat 3 division 1 teams en route to an Ulster title and are now 1 winnable game away from an all Ireland final. Cavan have won an Ulster title despite not playing in the top division. If we are relegated next year so be it. Il happily take relegation if it means even an Ulster final appearance.
Jaysus you must be a joy to be out on a night out with
 

Armagh_paul

Well-Known Member
Can't help but feel this team is being held back, we are getting better but progress is slow to the point that even Derry are surpassing us. The likes of Forker, Campbell, Murnin and Grugan are not young in football terms and it would be a shame for them to walk away empty handed.
 

Ed Ricketts

Active Member
Can't help but feel this team is being held back, we are getting better but progress is slow to the point that even Derry are surpassing us. The likes of Forker, Campbell, Murnin and Grugan are not young in football terms and it would be a shame for them to walk away empty handed.
Are Derry surpassing us? I'm not so sure.

The semi-final will tell a tale.
 

Armaghball

Well-Known Member
Can't help but feel this team is being held back, we are getting better but progress is slow to the point that even Derry are surpassing us. The likes of Forker, Campbell, Murnin and Grugan are not young in football terms and it would be a shame for them to walk away empty handed.
I get what you’re saying but think thats harsh. We have to remember that the likes of Galway and Derry have had huge success at underage county, schools, college and provincial club level while we’ve barely won a game in provincial club in years at any level bar Cross a few years ago now. St Ronans won a hogan and St Pauls had a few decent MacRory teams a few years back and we’re decently represented from both but its been bare apart from that. The less said about our minor/u20/21 record the better.

There’s clearly issues in the county with regards to all these competitions which run deeper than the current management set up. What these are or how we can fix them I wish I knew. I agree what we have isn’t perfect, but to Geezers credit he has got good people round him and seems to have full buy in from the players- all the best players in the county are involved bar maybe one or two for whatever reason.

You’re right those lads and others have given us years plugging away in the lower leagues and deserve at least an Ulster title for their service.
 
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