Having gone so long without dining at the game's top table, very few people would begrudge Armagh their All-Ireland semi-final victory over Kerry yesterday.
It was a brilliant game at Croke Park, one that was not short on drama. There was nothing to separate the teams in normal time, although both sides could have won it before the extra periods of play.
Once extra-time did get underway, Armagh looked like the better team. They would capitalise on that to win on a scoreline of 1-18 to 1-16, booking their first All-Ireland final berth since 2003.
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Tomás Ó Sé & Sean Cavanagh Have Scrap Over Kerry Comments
Armagh were worthy winners in this game, although Kerry may well feel as though it was a match that they left behind them. They squandered a number of chances in normal time, ones they likely would have taken on another day.
The Kingdom's failure to get over the line was a point of debate on RTÉ's The Sunday Game this afternoon, with Sean Cavanagh feeling that the Munster champions lacked the bottle to get over the line. Those comments did not go down well with Tomás Ó Sé, leading to a bit of a scrap between the pair.
"Nobody can't tell me that that game wasn't there on a plate for Kerry in normal time"
Tomás Ó Sé, Sean Cavanagh and Lee Keegan argue over Kerry's display in their defeat to Armagh
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Cavanagh: Kerry wilted, like Kerry teams we have seen in the past if I'm totally honest with you. It reminded me of the 2002 All-Ireland final, four points up at halftime, maybe thinking the job was done. Whenever Armagh started to claw back into that game yesterday, there was only one team there to win it...
Whenever Kerry had the ball and they needed leaders, the leaders weren't there...
It just looked to me like a script that we've seen too many times from a Kerry team that maybe thought they were going to get it easier. Whenever the game came into the melting pot, they weren't there, they went missing, they bottled it...
Ó Sé: I don't buy they wilted, I don't buy they choked. I don't think Kerry were at the level all year long. If you're asking what is wilted or choked, if you're playing well all season and it comes to the points Sean made about key areas, putting up their hands and kicking massive scores, Kerry weren't doing it all year.
They haven't played to a standard all year. We hoped we would see it against Derry.
Cavanagh: We have seen it all year.
Ó Sé: Hold on now one second. What teams did we beat in the championship by ten points?
Cavanagh: Meath, all those Munster teams.
Ó Sé: They beat Cork by three points.
Cavanagh: They beat Derry by five points?
Ó Sé: There was no convincing Kerry this year. We waiting to see against Derry, it didn't happen. Look at the game yesterday, yes Armagh won it and won it coming down the tracks at the end. Kerry should have won that game yesterday.
Cavanagh: A Tomás, come on.
Ó Sé: One second. They were four points up at halftime and in control. They had two goal chances, and these are the areas they will look back on, and I agree with you that they didn't have the men to take the chances. Fully agree with that...
There were a lot of lads whose form throughout the season wasn't good enough, and it still wasn't good enough yesterday.
You could certainly argue that Kerry should have won the game in normal time had they performed to a decent level, but there is no doubting that Armagh deserved their victory on the day.
They will take some stopping in the All-Ireland final.
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