Much for Kieran McGeeney to ponder as Armagh take on Galway

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Armagh and Galway are no strangers. Saturday will be the fifth time that the two counties have met in the Championship in the last four seasons.

The most famous of those encounters was Armagh’s 1-11 to 0-13 win in the All-Ireland final last year, and Kieran McGeeney’s men haven’t lost against the Tribesmen in 70 minutes in any of those meetings.

Interestingly, this will also be the third consecutive year where Armagh and Galway have battled it out in the final group fixture during the All-Ireland Series.

In 2023 and 2024 Armagh got the required result (a win in ‘23 and a draw in ‘24) to knock the Connacht champions into second place, seal top spot and book their place in the quarter-finals.

However, this year that job has already been taken care of, as Armagh sealed top spot with a win over Dublin two weeks ago.

Knowing that their place in the last eight is already secured, how will McGeeney approach this fixture?

In his own words, he said: “ You have to go and win it.

“There's no point in saying anything else. You turn down the dial a wee bit at this level and you're going to be caught. You just can't afford to do that.”

The idea of Armagh making wholesale changes seems unlikely, as they will want to keep momentum rolling in their push for retaining the Sam Maguire title.

Additionally, depending on the result between Dublin and Derry, this Saturday’s game could be a chance to knock a strong contender in Galway out of the Championship.

With all that said, there are a number of players who will be desperate for a chance to get minutes and show McGeeney what they can do.

Joe McElroy and Niall Grimley were key pieces of Armagh’s success in 2024, but have been limited to substitute appearances in recent games. This could be their chance to get in from the start.

Aaron McKay has yet to feature in 2025, and he’ll be hopeful of being fit and ready to play some part in this year’s run-in, as will Oisin O’Neill and Aidan Forker.

The return of Rian O’Neill to the squad in the last two matches has added another dimension to Armagh’s attack, and this weekend is another chance for him to get Championship minutes into his legs, after he missed Armagh’s first 10 games of the season.

Furthermore, players like Jemar Hall and Cian McConville have been used off the bench throughout the Championship, and will want to put their hands up for a starting place.

Or will McGeeney stick to what has worked in wins over Derry and Dublin and elect not to make too many changes?

Either way, you can be sure that Armagh won’t be taking their eye off the ball, and whilst there is nothing at stake to play for, they will want to keep momentum rolling as they head into the quarter-finals.

After touring the Orchard County over the past 10 months, the Sam Maguire was returned to Croke Park last week. Will the famous trophy make its way back to Armagh in six weeks’ time?