Ulster Championship 2026

[gallsman]

Of course the turnaround had an impact, but only in determining the margin of victory, not the result. If Down had had an extra week they might have lost by only the ten points, but almost certainly not by 30. It's about much more than "tiredness".

I said immediately after last week's result that Armagh would win by 10 and a few people got arsey about it. It's very, very difficult to pull off a monumental upset like the Donegal result and be able to come back the next week and repeat the feat. Teams and players need time to be able to come down from the high of the first victory. The adrenaline and dopamine coursing through the veins of the Down lads would have taken a few days to wear off and then they had to try and get back to the same, if not higher, level to have any chance whatsoever. Given the gap between the teams, and even more so with the benefit of hindsight, they were always going to be on a hiding to nothing. They ran into a buzzsaw that wasn't prepared in any way to let them think lightning could strike twice.

[Rossfan]

Ulster Final w/e 17 May.
Armagh would have had to play a semi and final in successive weeks if not played yesterday.

[An Watcher]

I would read too much into the scoreline.  Same if it happened in the final. They need to put in a performance against a bigger team and they wont get that for a while

[gallsman]

I would read too much into the scoreline.  Same if it happened in the final. They need to put in a performance against a bigger team and they wont get that for a while

Timewise no, but they could be playing Donegal or Mayo in a couple of games' time.

[Armagh18]

Ulster Final w/e 17 May.
Armagh would have had to play a semi and final in successive weeks if not played yesterday.

Whats changed this year as previous years there was always 2 weeks between quarters semis finals. I'd been slightly annoyed if I was a Down man but that doesn't really apply to a 28 point tanking

[Armagh18]

I would read too much into the scoreline.  Same if it happened in the final. They need to put in a performance against a bigger team and they wont get that for a while

That Monaghan side are still dogged as f**k and will be absolutely gunning for us. Always a bogey team for us as we well remember from '23

[armaghniac]

I would read too much into the scoreline.  Same if it happened in the final. They need to put in a performance against a bigger team and they wont get that for a while

That Monaghan side are still dogged as f**k and will be absolutely gunning for us. Always a bogey team for us as we well remember from '23

Down folded yesterday afer the first Armagh goal. Monaghan have the houdini act in their DNA, so they'll not give up just because we have a good first half. With Tyrone, we let them back in, we should not accord Monaghan the same opportunity.

[Armagh18]

I would read too much into the scoreline.  Same if it happened in the final. They need to put in a performance against a bigger team and they wont get that for a while

That Monaghan side are still dogged as f**k and will be absolutely gunning for us. Always a bogey team for us as we well remember from '23

Down folded yesterday afer the first Armagh goal. Monaghan have the houdini act in their DNA, so they'll not give up just because we have a good first half. With Tyrone, we let them back in, we should not accord Monaghan the same opportunity.

Yep. 70 minute performance needed.

[David McKeown]

The incident with McEntee yesterday was hilarious I thought.

[Solo_run]

Down geared up 6+months for that game. Zero time to adapt and go again a week later.

Down should not be taking 6 months to prepare for a single game, they should be preparing for a season within that time.

[imtommygunn]

Playing in lower divisions it's tough to get up to the pace of the big teams once's never mind twice in a row. Laverty still doing a very good job but yesterday shows good bit to go too. They need more time exposed to higher levels. The tc is a disaster for them and is really not a scenario that should have arisen.

It will be hard for them to lift it after that. The game probably didn't do Armagh loads of good either

[J70]

Playing in lower divisions it's tough to get up to the pace of the big teams once's never mind twice in a row. Laverty still doing a very good job but yesterday shows good bit to go too. They need more time exposed to higher levels. The tc is a disaster for them and is really not a scenario that should have arisen.

It will be hard for them to lift it after that. The game probably didn't do Armagh loads of good either

Yeah but as one of the best teams in it, they should be doing their damnedest to win it so they're guaranteed Sam Maguire football next year.

The next season doesn't be long coming around.

[rodney trotter]

Maloney on commentary said Armagh got 8 fisted pts. Must be a record

People can complain about the fisted point all they want but it's up to Down to stop them getting to those areas.

I wasn't able to watch the first half in fairness as our club minors were playing. The opposition scored a fisted point in the last 2 minutes to bring it level and my first thought wasn't "Ffs a fisted point get it out of the game there's no skill in it" it was "Ffs they actually worked that really well".

Got the kickout away short when pitch was soaking (keeper showed some balls to do that a point down), didn't panic and worked it up the field, nobody took more than 1 touch until they got in our 45m roughly then they had another 10 handpasses maybe, no touches, movement everywhere, backdoor cut a few steps out from the endline. What would you want the young lad to do? Take on a goal that would be nearly physically impossible? Shoot on his right foot at a narrow angle? Cut back onto his left foot and get blocked down maybe?

Would genuinely like to hear

There was a couple of times when Armagh took the fisted score where there was a player open for a goal scoring opportunity.  They got 3 goals but could have had a few more. They done the same in a few league games and it cost them

[toby47]

I fancy Armagh by 10 points

[dec]

They got 3 goals but could have had a few more. They done the same in a few league games and it cost them

Take your points, goals will come.