Footballer of the Year in waiting Barry McCambridge explained how Armagh's 'defensive structure' helped him in his duels with Galway forward Shane Walsh this year.
The Clann Éireann star McCambridge was a surprise hero for Armagh having began the season as a substitute before duly becoming a key player in their triumph.
McCambridge didn't feature in the Ulster final but was a late addition to the starting line-up the next day out against Westmeath, in the first round of the All-Ireland series.
That was a huge moment for him but it was also a huge moment in Armagh's All-Ireland winning season as McCambridge became their go-to man-marker.
From then on, he was tasked with curtailing the opposition's best forwards such as Shane Walsh, Diarmuid Murtagh and David Clifford, passing each test with flying colours.
Crucially, he also made key contributions himself with goals against Roscommon in the quarter final, Kerry in the semi-final before booming over a point in the final against Galway.
Galway ace Walsh was one of McCambridge's first big marking jobs this summer and speaking today in the Irish News, he explained how the team's calls made the job easier.
“Organisation and communication is what it’s all about," he said.
Léigh an secéal seo anois trí Ghaeilge ar Liathróidí.ie
“Shane can do anything," he added.
“He can kick with both feet – inside an outside of the boot – he has pace and he is a bit of a nightmare to mark at times because you don’t know what he’ll do.
“We have a very good defensive structure and if I’m doing my job I know I have cover inside to help me," he said interestingly.
Walsh is renowned for his dummies but the 25-year-old says that, upon hearing a call to indicate that a team-mate was covering, he could 'commit to Walsh's shots.'
"I had the call where I was able to commit to his shots and if I fully committed and he sold me a dummy I still had someone inside me to make sure he didn’t have an easy shot and we always kept pressure on him," he added.
While it's a system that clearly worked well for Armagh, it further underlines how difficult it is to be a forward in the modern-game.
