One of the major talking points surrounding Armagh right now is who is going to start in nets, Ethan Rafferty or Blaine Hughes?
Hughes was in goal all of last season when Armagh went on to win the All-Ireland, but Rafferty was between the sticks for the two previous years, and could have won an All-Star for his performances.
The rule changes came in at the start of the league that meant attacking goalies were more potent, so that gave Rafferty the edge, but then that rule has since been amendment, so only Kieran McGeeney knows for sure who he is going to go with for their championship opener against Antrim next week.
However, when speaking on the latest episode of The Puke Football Podcast during the AIB senior football championship launch, Rafferty tells the story about a fan who was so succumbed in the debate, he didn't even realise who he was talking to.
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The Puke Interview: Ethan Rafferty
Armagh goalkeeper Ethan Rafferty joins Lee on the show as they discuss:
- New rules, the good and bad
- Healthy competition with Blaine Hughes
- Coming back from horrific injury
- How close he was to playing last year's All-Ireland final pic.twitter.com/koEXjPaIIZ— Lee Costello (@LeeCostelloGAA) April 1, 2025
“I’ll tell you a funny story - I took the dog for a walk and a boy was there and he had seen that I had an Armagh top on, and he was just chatting away about the whole Corrigan Park thing and just having the craic.
“Then he said: ‘Here’s the big question, who is going to start in nets?’ - I sort of laughed and thought that he had maybe copped on, but I was throwing a hurley ball for the dog, and he goes ‘is that a sliotar is it?’
“I said yeah, and he goes ‘do you play football or hurling yourself?’ - And I was thinking ‘surely not,’ but he was just laughing away, I don’t think he did cop on.
“I should have told him to get (Rafferty) out.”
It could have been a lot worse when you think about it, but nonetheless Rafferty will be hoping to wear the number one jersey for Armagh against Antrim and in the championship this year.
You can also listen to the full interview with Ethan Rafferty on The Puke Football Podcast right here: The Puke Interview: Ethan Rafferty
