Defending All-Ireland champions Armagh beat Dublin in the Allianz National League, despite a commendable comeback from the Leinster side.
The Orchard county could not have gotten off to a better possible start as they pushed the Dubs into their own half, and pinned them there for the majority of the opening half.
Conor Turbitt could have had two goals in the first 30 minutes of the game, but had to settle with just four points as he continuously cut through the men in blue, while Rory Grugan was seemingly free to do whatever he wanted; he threaded passes, created goal chances, and even popped over a fine score himself.
Armagh’s number 11 seemed to have the ball for an age every time he picked up possession, but it was more a case of him being two steps ahead of everyone else, as was demonstrated when Evan Comerford’s kick was broken down and spilled to Grugan’s feet who, without hesitation, chipped the ball into the path of Turbitt.
The flying forward then took a touch too many before getting his shot smothered by the keeper.
The home side did find the net through Barry McCambridge after a brilliant pass from Ethan Rafferty, but what was more surprising than the Ulster side’s 12 point lead at the interval, and the fact that Dublin had only managed to score three points.
It took Dessie Farrell’s men 20 minutes before they finally registered a point (thanks to Con O’Callaghan), and they went down the tunnel red faced, frustrated, and staring at an uphill battle for the second half.
Of course, the capital had been in an almost identical position away to Kerry just a few short weeks ago, overturning an 11-point deficit to come away with a win, against all the odds.
Armagh though, had surrendered a big lead last week against Mayo, and were determined not to do the same as shown by Ross McQuillan and Grugan, who scored in quick succession after throw-in to ensure that they picked up from where they left off.
However, two O’Callaghan frees – including a two-pointer – started to ask questions of their opposition’s confidence, and when substitute Lorcan O’Dell buried a goal past Rafferty, the travelling fans suddenly found their voice.
Both teams started to become a bit loose with possession, as the ball swapped hands a lot for the next few minutes, and there was a general feeling around the stadium that the next score could set the tone for the rest of the game.
King Con stepped up to kick a big two-pointer, and despite Armagh’s healthy lead, there was a sense of vulnerability about the home side when teeth began to chatter and hearts started to thump in The Athletic Grounds.
There was a tense moment when Cormac Costello kicked a point that was initially given, but was then cancelled out by the linesmen, and that was quickly followed by an important Darragh McMullen point to calm a few nerves for the reigning All-Ireland champions.
In old money, a six-point lead with 10 minutes on the clock would have been considered a great position to be in – but this is a new game with new dangers, and the threat of two-pointers means that there is – and was – still everything to play for.
Cornerback Tomas McCormack managed to stretch that lead by one, before a Turbitt free kick put fans at ease, daring themselves to be confident that this win was in the bag.
The new regulations mean that opportunities to keep possession and pass the ball around to kill the clock isn’t as easy as it once was, and credit to Farrell’s men, they kept pushing and fighting, but were forcing shots by the end that ultimately fell short or went wide of the mark.
Ciaran Kilkenny did manage to pull one back, but Armagh held their nerve, their lead, and all two points, with an impressive win in the end.
ARMAGH: E Rafferty 8, T McCormack 8, B McCambrdge 8, P Burns 7, C Mackin 7, G McCabe 9, R McQuillan 8, J Duffy 8, O O’Neill 7, P McGrane 7, R Grugan 9, D McMullen 7, C Turbitt 8, A Murnin 7, O Conaty 7
Armagh scorers: A Murnin 0-1, C Turbitt 0-6 (3f), G McCabe 0-3, O O’Neill 0-2 (1 2p), B McCambridge 1-0, E Rafferty 0-1 (1 45), R Grugan 0-3 (1f), R McQuillan 0-2, D McMullen 0-1, T McCormack 0-1,
Armagh substitutes: P Burns off for Gareth Murphy (35), O O’Neill off for Stefan Campbell (47), J Duffy off for Jarly Og Burns (52), R McQuillan off for Jemar Hall (60), O Conaty off for Shane McPartland (66)
DUBLIN: E Comerford 5, D Byrne 6, T Clancy 7, C Tyrrell 6, G McEneaney 6, S MacMahon 6, C Murphy 5, B Howard 7, T Lahiff 6, N O’Callaghan 5, C Kilkenny 6, N Scully 5, E O’Donnell 4, C O’Callaghan 8, L Breatnach 7
Dublin scorers: C O’Callaghan 0-6 (1f, 1 f2p, 1 2p), B Howard 0-1, L Breathnach 0-2, L O’Dell 1-0, K Lahiff 0-1, C Costello 0-1, C Kilkenny 0-1,
Dublin substitutes: N O’Callaghan off for Brian O’Leary (15), E O’Donnell off for Lorcan O’Dell (27), T Clancy off for Kevin Lahiff (blood sub) (49), L Breatnach off for Cormac Costello (52), N Scully off for Kevin Lahiff (61)
Referee: Niall Cullen