Armagh v Cork NFL Division 1 round 1 Sunday 05-02-12

[Etienne Lantier]

how did the keeper do? and what happened for the goal?

It was a free in and Niall had it covered all the way but Kingham took a head stagger and tried to do a Daragh O Se on it, but fumbled and it flew into the net. Niall made a good stop in the second half, showed a lot of variation in kick outs and was competent.

I think people are too down on Kingham. The goal came from inexperience on all counts and was forgiveable, even though it looked awful. Kingham got an undeserved yellow card for a second tick and was probably on borrowed time because of that anyway. However he looked big, ignorant (in a good way) and mobile, which makes him better than James Lavery who is merely big and ignorant. I'd like to see more of him, I know Kerry wouldn't like to see him coming anyway.

Man of the Match was McKeever. Even when every single other member of the team was playing pure dung, McKeever was getting in Cork's collective grills and making them work. The subs were a huge addition, but this is a recurring theme with O'Rourke. We start with a team that we think are alright, but when they come out they play the first 20 minutes as if their confidence is in their boots.

I don't doubt we'll see Rafferty or Campbell, for example, starting against Kerry and them not able to do anything right and playing with total fear and getting subbed before half time. This happens again and again under O'Rourke.

As Crossbar says, large dose of perspective required here. Cork were crap even before they went down to, after that they were worse again. By rights we should have put six points on them. We huffed and puffed to draw when the win was there for the taking, it's a point lost, but hopefully we'll have learned valuable lessons this week and apply them in Kerry and maybe for once send out a team with a tiny amount of confidence in their ability and not shitting themselves about the reputations of the opponents for the entire first half.

On the ref, as noted earlier he was awful. However he was consistent with the soft free thing. Basically if a man was going through and he went over at all he won a free. Cork copped that very quick, it took us to the second half  to do it.

[AFS]

Heartening stuff today. Cork's shiteness and numerical disadvantage can't be discounted, but there were definitely a lot of positives to take away. Commitment and effort were first rate. Some promising individual displays from a few of the younger lads too. On the down side, the first half forward effort was pretty woeful and there were a few starters that might have to wait a long time to be given the nod again. Heading into next weekend, I'd hope a bit more faith is placed in the likes of Forker, Campbell and Rafferty, with the starting team resembling something closer to the team that dominated much of today's second half. A lot more encouraged about this year's prospects.

[under the bar]

Some very negative vibs from the Armagh supporters on here.  Yes yas are missing a few but so are Cork. Being at home is a big benefit and you would like to think Armagh will go out and give it a go.

Just as with Healy Park for Tyrone I don't ever recall the Athletic Grounds exactly being a fortress for Armagh!

Your recollection is the difficulty here then.

that must be the case.  Remind me when it was fortress TAM?

[From the Bunker]

I suppose a draw is a draw, when most were expecting a loss. Perspective is needed. Cork had to make the long trip. Cork were down to 14 men for the whole of the second half, a big loss in what transpired to be a running game. Though Armaghs fighting qualities have to be admired in the second half. Cork are not world beaters, as a modest Mayo side showed last summer.

[SuperDooperCooper]

Only watched the last 10 mins of this game. However one thing that did annoy me was the kick-out after the Armagh forward kicked a free wide. The Cork goalie picked out Alan O'Connor who won a good ball and was fouled, got up took a quick free and Cork appeared to be on their way when the ref for some unknown bizarre reason holds up the game to book a player for a challenge that was not worthy of a yellow card.

Did the ref ever play the game!!!! Why in gods name could he not let play go on and book him later if needs be. The booking played into the Armagh defence hands; everyone funnels back when the boy in black notes a number. Anyone with a feel for the game would have let the play develop. The biggest crisis facing the game if the quality of refs; or indeed how they are trained / assessed.

Incidentely the muppet did the same thing when the game ended. Surly the advantage has to be with the team attaching. With all the technology why can't we wait for the next big break to book a player. Rant over (and it only the first weekend of the league).

[David McKeown]

Only watched the last 10 mins of this game. However one thing that did annoy me was the kick-out after the Armagh forward kicked a free wide. The Cork goalie picked out Alan O'Connor who won a good ball and was fouled, got up took a quick free and Cork appeared to be on their way when the ref for some unknown bizarre reason holds up the game to book a player for a challenge that was not worthy of a yellow card.

Did the ref ever play the game!!!! Why in gods name could he not let play go on and book him later if needs be. The booking played into the Armagh defence hands; everyone funnels back when the boy in black notes a number. Anyone with a feel for the game would have let the play develop. The biggest crisis facing the game if the quality of refs; or indeed how they are trained / assessed.

Incidentely the muppet did the same thing when the game ended. Surly the advantage has to be with the team attaching. With all the technology why can't we wait for the next big break to book a player. Rant over (and it only the first weekend of the league).

Would have to agree with you that this is how it should be done, but I don't think the rules allow it to be done that way, as technically the ref has to restart play (before the free is taken) so if he does that hes effectively saying I have dealt with everything up until now.  For the sending off in the first half, Armagh had the ball in the middle third on the left side when the ref blew his whistle and went and spoke to the linesman and sent off Kerrigan for whatever had happened on the right hand side of the pitch, he then went over and it appeared he was going to hop the ball where Armagh had it when he blew it up before deciding instead to give Armagh a free kick for no apparent reason.

[Harold Disgracey]

A good point for Armagh, one which looked very unlikely at half time. McVerry who I thought was poor in the first half had a very good second half. Watters and Dyas were poor, saying that Dyas would probably be a better option at lhb than Finn Mo. Mackin was very good but still can't see a pass. Forker a Caolan Rafferty played well.

I like everyone else thought the ref had a bit of a mare. To me Kerrigan was sent off for putting his head into Moriarty's face.

[Orangemac]

Didn't look good at half time but great spirit showed by Armagh in the 2nd half.

Great leadership shown by McKeever and Andy Mallon in particular and Mal Mackin in the 2nd half. Caolan Rafferty was good in the 2nd half.

Unexpected point today, Cork were poor, they had a strong team out but there was no great urgency from them at any stage.
2 wins from somewhere would keep us up.

[eviemonkey]

Poor performance from Cork and lucky enough to hold on for a point in the end. Cork should have been further ahead before the sending-off and in the second period we retreated too deep with the 14 men trying to hold on to the lead rather than pushing on to try and finish the game with a few scores of our own.

Don't have a big issue with the sending-off as Kerrigan raised his hand so under the rules deserved to go but overall I felt the referee was poor with some dubious calls made in the second half. I suppose you definitely know the GAA season is bang in earnest again when we are complaining about poor officiating so nothing new there.

Armagh deserved the draw and should be competitive in the division when they have a full contingent of players available. Cork will need to get a few of our forwards back from injury because the forward unit that lined out today will not be good enough in the long run.

[Orior]

Whilst the goal was a school-boy error I think Kingham should get another chance. As someone else said, he was big and ignorant in a good way.

Glad to see the tactics change. In the first half the long high ball into Mackin paid zero return. When Armagh ran at Cork in the second half it produced the scores. If we do that more often then we'll get much better at it.

[regal]

A lot of positives from the second half today. I don't think Kingham deserves any stick and hopefully he will get another start to give him a chance to show his worth. The keeper looks very promising as did others mentioned such as a.duffy, mcverry, forker, campbell & rafferty. The stupid and ponderous play of the first half was replaced with hard work, ferocious tackling and a more positive attitude in the second half.

Swift will be no big loss as after being in the U21 team in 2004 (now in his late 20's) he has failed to break into an average enough armagh team. Unlucky last year with injury

[Bill Haven]

Cork's backs exposed again in the second half.

Same old story. If you try and pass your way through them they'll just smother you. Run straight at them with pace and they don't like it one bit.

[Goats Do Shave]

Kerrigan did put the head in... but he swung his elbow twice also.

[Applesisapples]

Some of the comments on here show up what seems to be a divide in the County...Cross against the rest. Whether it is comments of BCB about McKeever or those about some Cross players having hit the ceiling. A bit of perspective and community outreach is required (maybe Peter Robinson could help). There are a number of Cross players, Aaron Cunningham, David McKenna, Stephen Kernan, Paul Kernan and James Morgan among them who are much better footballers than a number of yesterdays starters. Time to take of the pro Cross and Anti Cross blinkers lads. As to yesterday, hats off to Mackin, a player I have doubted in the past but he stepped up when it was needed and with McKeever dragged us home. Moriarty was much better than some comments on here pre game suggested he might be and Paul Duffy was as poor as I have always believed him to be. Vernon was good at midfiled despite the passing, but thank god Clarke and Stevie are in the wings.

[brokencrossbar1]

Some of the comments on here show up what seems to be a divide in the County...Cross against the rest. Whether it is comments of BCB about McKeever or those about some Cross players having hit the ceiling. A bit of perspective and community outreach is required (maybe Peter Robinson could help). There are a number of Cross players, Aaron Cunningham, David McKenna, Stephen Kernan, Paul Kernan and James Morgan among them who are much better footballers than a number of yesterdays starters. Time to take of the pro Cross and Anti Cross blinkers lads. As to yesterday, hats off to Mackin, a player I have doubted in the past but he stepped up when it was needed and with McKeever dragged us home. Moriarty was much better than some comments on here pre game suggested he might be and Paul Duffy was as poor as I have always believed him to be. Vernon was good at midfiled despite the passing, but thank god Clarke and Stevie are in the wings.

What about my comments about McKeever?  I said he was lucky to stay on the field for a very clear elbow to the face of the Cork man who was lying on the ground.  On looking at it again it was a more clear cut sending off than Kerrigans.  I looked at Kerrigans again and matbe it was a sending off but Finn Mo was clearly the instigator and he got Kerrigan to react.  I made no issue about Cross or anti Cross.  I felt pre match that Cork would win with a bit to spare going by the teams on paper.  Losing Pa Kelly is a massive lose for Cork when he doesn't play as he is the fulcrum of every single attack and would have been a real steadying influence for them after Kerrigan got the line. 

The second half was encouraging for us mostly through the seeming change in attitude with regards to work rate and taking responsibility.  The reality though is that we didn't score from play for 50 minutes of the game and that is a worry.  If the pressure is to be lifted off Jamie and Stevie then that needs to change.  In fact I think the only starting forward who scored from play was Mackin and that was when he moved to midfield.  McVerry may have got 1 from play but 2 scores from play from you starting team is a poor return.  A lot of positives but just as many negatives and sometimes we lose perspective after a good result.