Armagh are All-Ireland champions! In the aftermath of their win, we spoke to Niall Grimley post-match on Sunday and Connaire Mackin, Tiernan Kelly and coach Kieran Donaghy at The Box-It Athletic Grounds at their homecoming party on Monday evening.
For more coverage from Armagh's win see: www.newryreporter.com/sport.
For more coverage from Armagh's win see: www.newryreporter.com/sport.
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00:00Hello everybody and welcome to a special edition of the Newry Reporter Sports Podcast celebrating
00:25the All-Ireland Champions Armagh.
00:28On Sunday we spoke to Niall Grimley following the game, on a Monday evening at the Homecoming
00:32at the Boxing Athletic Grounds we spoke to CiarĂ¡n Inkelly, Conor Macken and CiarĂ¡n
00:36Donaghy so let's not waste any more time, let's get straight into it and hear what the
00:40Armagh All-Ireland Champions had to say.
00:44Up first is Niall Grimley, he's followed by Conor Macken, who's followed by CiarĂ¡n Inkelly
00:47and finally we finish with CiarĂ¡n Donaghy.
00:50Niall, you're an All-Ireland Champion, how does that feel, how does that sound?
00:56Yeah it sounds a bit surreal, I suppose from a young boy growing up that's what you dream
01:03of and you know within my own club Kevin McAvona was a hero to me and boys like Gleaser and
01:09John Tolde had their medals and I was always thinking I want a piece of that and I suppose
01:16now that it's sort of hit me it's a bit surreal but no it's amazing, it's amazing and look
01:21it's not really about me, it's about my family and look if it puts a smile on their face
01:26that's what it's all about, I'm not really worried about the medal or the cups it's sort
01:31of just doing it for them because they haven't had much to smile about over the past eight
01:35or nine months but it is what it is.
01:38Can you talk about your year on the whole Niall, I think I'm right in saying you didn't
01:40play in the league or in the Ulster Championship, you got thrown in against Derry and just since
01:43then you've been playing.
01:44Sometimes my brother CiarĂ¡n gently reminds me that I sat on the bench for 12 games and
01:51I only made the 26th twice so that was my driving force to basically prove to everyone
01:58that you know what I'm still fit, I'm still able, I'm pushing hard so there were 17 county
02:05games for Armagh this year and I only played the last five so it was a bit.
02:09The most important games anyway.
02:10Yeah true.
02:11Are you used to putting your hand up in training and working as hard as you can trying to impress
02:15Gieson?
02:16Oh look, this isn't a part time thing, this isn't something you just try and turn up on
02:22a Tuesday or a Friday night and be like oh I'll try and play well tonight, this is every
02:25day, this is your life and this takes over your life and there's a lot of sacrifices
02:30not only for me, my wife and my daughter and there's weekends away and my family and events
02:36and stuff but look it's all worth it.
02:39You might have a thousand bad days but one good day makes up for absolutely everything
02:43so it's a bit surreal.
02:47Can you talk about the build up to the game, lining out saving to shake the hand of the
02:51President, the National Anthem, was there anything different, any nerves, any excitement?
02:54We obviously done our routines during the week of training and stuff and we sort of
02:57went over all that and no look, Gieson, the team Gieson has assembled there, they're unbelievable
03:02and they leave no stone unturned, they're incredible from, they do the simple things
03:08well and suppose he was to send us there before the match, just look, go out and express
03:13yourselves and enjoy yourselves, don't be coming in here and having regrets, that was
03:18a big thing, it wasn't about the defeat, it was sort of just not waking up on a Monday
03:22morning and having a regret because that would be the worst in the world, that would live
03:25you for the rest of your life so it was just about trying to go out there and do whatever
03:30you can, if it meant putting a block in or a score or a kick out, whatever it was, so
03:34no.
03:35How do you reflect on the game as a whole then, it's probably tied, cagey, tied goal
03:38obviously, the turn point.
03:39Goalways, obviously they're an incredible team, they're a bit like us, they're in the
03:44same sort of journey that we're on, it's heartbreak for them lads, they've lost the All-Ireland
03:48final by a point so you have to show your sympathy for them, it's amazing but that's
03:57what it is, that's the beauty of sports, there's a winner and a loser and we all sign up for
04:01team sports so unfortunately, goalways are on the wrong side of it, we're on the right
04:06side of it, we might be treated like heroes, they're treated like failure but them lads
04:11are just equally as good as us, a point only to separate the sides.
04:17Can you describe the scenes at full time, can you put that into words?
04:21Yeah I suppose, I dropped on my knees and stuff, there's one person, there's two people
04:26there, my brother and his wife, we lost them eight and a half months ago and you know for
04:32me that was just the first thought that went through my head, I wish they were there and
04:37they weren't but since they've passed, there hasn't been a minute gone by that I haven't
04:42thought about them so just when the final whistle went I just dropped on my knees and
04:46I was just, I don't know, there's a God, he was looking out for me today so I wish they
04:50were there to see it and their three kids were there, I had them on the pitch after
04:54so that was amazing just to have them on the pitch and see them smiling because they haven't
04:59had much to smile about.
05:00Look Niall, I don't know how to put it into words, you're a credit to Madden, you're a
05:03credit to our man, you're a credit to your brother, we appreciate it, enjoy the celebration.
05:08Our first video, congratulations, can you sum up the last 24 hours?
05:12Not really, no, it's just something that comes over you, you just can't explain, it's like
05:20that euphoria that everyone talks about, it's just indescribable.
05:25How did you feel at that final whistle?
05:28Well I was on the thing and I seen CiarĂ¡n, the first thing I seen was CiarĂ¡n and I was
05:32like, I don't know, I don't know, just keep on saying I don't know, I don't know.
05:37How good was it to have your brother?
05:38Everyone didn't think we could do it, including Roman, no one didn't think we could do it.
05:42How good was it to have your brother and your family?
05:44Oh, it's nice, it's just one way of looking at it, it's like, things are obviously before
05:49him but to get the both of us on it and then obviously the family connections with the
05:55girls teams and all that crap too, it's one way of looking at it.
05:59You've been so good with our man, what was your first year, 2018 was it?
06:022018 was my first year.
06:03A lot of training sessions, matches, defeats, heartbreaks, has this been all worthwhile?
06:09Yeah, definitely.
06:11It's like, I was probably in every situation you can think of.
06:16I was like, I was number probably 32 in the AVB, I was like, I actually got tried out
06:25in nets at one stage and I was just, every position you could think of, I was probably
06:30in it.
06:31Just on the whole team, I'd say everyone has been there on the whole team.
06:37And the squad depth is one thing obviously that has been touched on and obviously all
06:43the media touched on it too.
06:46How did you set up the game?
06:47It was like sort of a cagey first half game, I mean the cage goals obviously that came
06:51up but how did you reflect on the game?
06:54Yeah, it's hard to, I haven't really watched the back yet obviously but I thought it was
06:59cagey.
07:00We give them three scores in a row I think from the kick-offs.
07:09No, we give two scores with threes I think.
07:13We give them three scores in a row basically.
07:17It's a bit of a blur.
07:18We just kept on coming back, we just kept coming back.
07:22You see them in the second half here, they got two in the bounce in the second half and
07:26just kept coming back and coming back.
07:28It's a bit of a blur, we can't really remember much of the game.
07:31Oh yeah, like every game's a gutter.
07:33Every game's a gutter.
07:34No matter what game it is, everything's a blur obviously.
07:38Listen, I'd like to go and enjoy a celebration.
07:40Cheers mate.
07:41You do that as well.
07:42Thank you.
07:44David, can you say a few words?
07:47It's been surreal, it's been very manic sort of since the final whistle went and even before
07:52the game, just getting the whole county and stuff, we're buzzing and to get the win it's
07:56been unreal and last night we had a good night at the Carkdale and some boys didn't get to
08:00bed the early hours of the morning, let's put it that way.
08:02And then just through the day, spending the day with the boys in the crowd at the Carkdale
08:06and then coming here out there, it's manic.
08:08And just to see all the support of the people, the people who showed out, it's unreal.
08:11That's something you'll remember for the rest of your life, being up on stage, looking out.
08:14Yeah.
08:15It was a good time as well, wasn't it?
08:17It was at least three quarters of it anyway.
08:20You know, Geezer always said that, you know, back in 2002, it was never the medals or the
08:26trophy or anything, he always remembers the pictures in his head of the crowd and stuff
08:30and you can't understand what he means now when you're looking down there and just seeing
08:34the orange and white on everybody's face and everybody is in such good mood and just having
08:39a good day.
08:40You touched on it already but a tiny lesson goes, what are your emotions?
08:44What's going through your head?
08:46It's kind of hard to put into words, you're kind of just, you're screaming and you're
08:51running about trying to grab on the boys and then it takes you a wee bit to realise what's
08:55actually happened and then you're focused on, you know what I mean, the celebrations
08:59and running about in front of the hill and then trying to find family members in the
09:03crowd and then we all got into the changing room together as a team, it was a good crack
09:08and the boys were in really good form and then we sat down as a group in the changing
09:12room in the warm-up area and we just kind of talked a wee bit and it was a great experience
09:16and it was great to be involved in.
09:18You've been right there now, you've had heartbreaks at the finish, you've had defeats,
09:22you've had tough times, geezers and criticism, does this make it all worthwhile?
09:26Yeah, you know, it just goes to show you that when things aren't going your way and things
09:33look like they're going against you and just constantly sticking to the process and just
09:38trying to chase your goals and chase your dreams and see what happens and just keep
09:42plugging away every single day, every day of the week, every week of the year, that's
09:45what geezers and all the boys do and kind of focus on that there and all we needed was
09:49a wee bit of luck and a break here and there, we knew we weren't far away and it just goes
09:53to show once we beat Lost Ham and we came together, that wee bit of momentum and you've
09:56seen it against Kerry there and obviously yesterday again as well, it just looked as
10:00though that as the game was going on we were gaining momentum and it just looked as though
10:04we were over the peaks and sort of thing, even though we were trying our bloody best
10:07to lose at the end, you just get it always on in your head that things were starting
10:11to align with you and we got that wee bit of luck that we needed.
10:14Great stuff, luck to you as well.
10:15Thank you very much, cheers.
10:16Thank you.
10:18Can you put the last 22 hours into words?
10:21It's hard to put it into words, it's pretty epic to be honest, just to see the buzz around
10:27the competition, what it means to people, what it feels like for the players group,
10:34for Geezer and the rest of the management team, it's a lot of blood, sweat and tears,
10:40a lot of hard luck stories, maybe fortune favoured the brave yesterday at times, we
10:46played on the front foot, went that things at times when we could and probably got a
10:52bounce of a ball, but you need that, I've played enough finals to know that you need
10:58a bit of a rub of a green in a big game and delighted to see Aaron McKay, who's a real
11:03spiritual leader of this team, pop up off of a typical slashing run from Snoopy Campbell,
11:08so to see those two boys who've sorted a long time to get that pivotal goal was brilliant.
11:14I think Aaron McKay had only ever scored one point for Armagh before yesterday, so the
11:18most unlikely of match winners.
11:20I think if he put his mind to it he probably could score more, but he's totally selfless
11:24in what he does for his team, the way he behaves around the group, he probably epitomises the
11:31We Before Me attitude of his team, but he's a very intelligent player, there's a reason
11:36he's always around when those loose balls fall, including the one off of Joey McIlroy's
11:40block, highly intelligent guy and able to read the game and cut out ball, through his
11:49body and a line and a ball against Roscommon, it was unbelievable, sorry it was the Galway
11:54game, he went head first into a ball, so I'm delighted for them.
12:00You've mentioned already the hard luck stories, the time you shoot out, the bad days, the
12:05easier targets to get a stick, it's fair to say, does this make it all worthwhile, the
12:09long journeys up and down the road, this is what you do it for?
12:12Yeah, this was the goal, so yeah absolutely, there is long drives home, scratching your
12:22head after me myself having a poor session and not getting stuff across to the players
12:27or the players underperforming in a session, there's a lot of time to yourself to be mulling
12:34stuff over, but people that I know in Tralee would be saying how are you doing it, I just
12:43think there's a bond built up with these lads, just as a group of men and they're a special
12:53bunch of lads, unbelievably dedicated, CiarĂ¡n O'Hanlon, class footballer struggling to get
13:01back from injury and get into the 26, he's played a huge part in training over the last
13:05number of weeks, he moved his wedding from Friday before the final to next week, when
13:11he probably knew he might not be on the 26, when you have players doing stuff like that
13:16it just kind of sums up what it's all about.
13:20And one last question about the players, the football awards, the celebrations, this isn't
13:26the start of it?
13:27Yeah I know, but that was class out on the pitch there, and Cian Eadon who's probably
13:35of the geezer mould, there's no quitting him, there's no doubting him, he does everything
13:45right, he's meticulous with his preparation, and yeah, brilliant, delighted for him as
13:49captain.
13:50Delighted for everyone.
13:51You're the man.
13:52Cheers.
13:54Thanks very much for listening, and thanks to the lads for coming on.
14:05Cheers.