Many of the teams in Division 2 of the 2020 National Football League are looking over their shoulder, trying to avoid the pitfalls of relegation that brings with it a spot in the second-tier championship.
However, Armagh are one of the favourites in Division 2, tipped for promotion.
Things are certainly moving in the right direction for Kieran McGeeney’s side. After a first Ulster Championship win since 2014 last summer, they followed it up with a qualifier win over Monaghan before suffering a narrow defeat at the hands of Mayo.
“It’s difficult because they were so close,” reflected former Orchard star Oisín McConville.
“I wasn’t a hundred per cent sure the Super 8s are where we needed to be just yet. So I think where we got to was probably acceptable enough. I don’t think a couple of hammerings in the Super 8 would have really helped the thing. I think we would probably have been better placed to be challenging for a Super 8s [spot].
“Realistically that’s what Armagh need to be looking at [in 2020], promotion and getting into the Super 8s. When you look at Meath’s season last year, that’s probably as much as they could have gotten out of the season.
“So I think Armagh should be there now.”
“Realistically that’s what Armagh need to be looking at, promotion and getting into the Super 8s
McConville feels the Ulster side should target a step up
McConville knows just how competitive the second tier of the league can be, but feels McGeeney’s charges are now seasoned enough to make a serious assault on promotion.
“It’s going to be more competitive but they’re a wee bit better acclimatised than they were. They were a wee bit of a yo-yo team there for a while,” he noted.
“They looked comfortable in Division 2 most of the time last year. That’s the stability that everyone was looking for. Now that that’s there, it’s a matter of getting a couple of early wins.
“Armagh’s trouble over the last couple of years is they’ve lost games they shouldn’t have.
“They lost two games early last year that they shouldn’t have lost and put them in bother. But still they looked very comfortable in the league.
“There’s different challenges in Division 2. Because you’re getting an opportunity to play football some weeks and then other weeks, you have to grind it out. And for young lads, that’s a good lesson to learn early.”
With Oisin O’Neill, Rian O’Neill and Jarly Óg Burns among those to have impressed over the last year, Armagh finally have some of the best players in the county producing simultaneously, and McConville feels that the form of Jamie Clarke could be key to Armagh’s progress.
However, he feels the former New York sharpshooter needs to be more selfish:
“The way I would look at Jamie is I think Jamie’s game has changed in the last couple of years. I think he needs to go back to being hungry for scores because there’s plenty of people there who can provide, set things up.
“We have plenty of ball winners. Most of the boxes are ticked. I just think he needs to be hungrier for scores. His finishing can probably go up a notch from what it was last year.
“If he can do that, he can have a major impact. But I just think rather than being that provider, he should go back to being that finisher and being that ruthless just for scores.”
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