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'Not printable’: Rory Grugan on Armagh’s half-time blast during Championship win over Antrim

Point made: Rory Grugan was on the scoresheet in Armagh’s weekend win over Antrim

©INPHO/Laszlo Geczo

Point made: Rory Grugan was on the scoresheet in Armagh’s weekend win over Antrim

McBurney/Declan Bogue

Pictured Declan Bogue

Date: Thursday 12th April 2012

Location: BT Offices

Credit: Liam McBurney/RAZORPIX

Copyright: Liam McBurney/RAZORPIX

Liam McBurney - RAZORPIX

liammcburney@gmail.com

+44 7837 68 57 67

Declan Bogue Twitter

July 06 2021 07:00 AM

As Rory Grugan woke up yesterday morning, he would have counted the small blessings of being a teacher by trade.

Usually, he would be pointing the motor towards Monaghan, where he teaches in St Macartan’s, commonly known as ‘The Sem.’ And among his colleagues is Monaghan’s full-forward Jack McCarron.

Being off means he won’t have to run the daily gauntlet of staff room banter as Armagh prepare to face Monaghan on July 17.

If they win, it will be the first time that Armagh are back in Ulster’s showpiece day since they beat Fermanagh in the 2008 replay. Here’s a statistic for you; every county in Ulster have taken part in the final since, apart from Armagh.

And the similarities in Grugan and McCarron are uncanny from the weekend.

On Saturday, Monaghan were leading Fermanagh by two points when Kieran Duffy broke through the Erne defensive cover and unleashed a stinging drive that goalkeeper Sean McNally did well to parry.

However, McCarron was on to the loose ball like a flash, climbing high to punch to the net on 18 minutes.

It was on 11 minutes when Grugan repeated the trick on Sunday. Armagh were level with Antrim when he took delivery of an excellent Stefan Campbell pass and he buried his goal past Luke Mulholland.

It was the high point of a sticky first-half for Armagh and Grugan has some theories as to why that was the case.

“We knew what was coming,” said the Ballymacnab man.

“A lot of us would have played with the Antrim lads through University with Queen’s and Jordanstown and stuff.

“We knew the quality of players they have. They say winning is a good habit and Antrim have been winning games and winning close games so we knew coming in that they would have their tails up.

“They were saying during the week that it was a free shot for them and that the pressure was off. And we maybe weren’t at the pitch of it early on, maybe our energy getting into attack. We still had to up our game in the second-half.”

He admits that when they got into the dressing rooms at the break, the paint was coming off the walls with the ferocity of the message from management.

Examination: Jack McCarron can expect a stern test from Armaghas

©INPHO/Laszlo Geczo

Examination: Jack McCarron can expect a stern test from Armaghas

Asked about the nature of what was said at that point, he chuckles: “Not printable!”

He adds: “You know what it is like, when you are not playing to your potential.

"It is frustrating and you come out on a big day having built towards the Championship and when you are not delivering on what you had planned to do — and we were going against everything we had planned to do — which is why the frustration was there on the pitch and on the line.

“The message was got across fairly straight and we took it on board in the second-half.”

With 1,700 fans in the Athletic Grounds, he credits their presence with having an influence on the game, something not freely acknowledged in this age of teams going through their ‘process.’

“You still need the emotional energy. You get that from the likes of team talks in the changing room and the buzz of the crowd. Those things still matter,” explains Grugan.

“As much as it is methodical, gameplay, calls and systems, there is nothing like a bit of momentum in sport in a Gaelic match, when you get a score, squeeze the kickout and get another one and the crowd is with you. That’s all emotional energy and that is important.”

He was very happy to see the stands populated again.

“It’s brilliant. I said it after the Donegal game. You do thrive on it. Especially here in the Athletic Grounds, we have always had such a good crowd, a noisy crowd in the stand and you feed off that on a Championship day.

“You miss the parade and stuff but still, the roar of the crowd lifting us in the second-half.”

Grugan was fouled for a few frees converted by Armagh, but it was his involvement in the penalty that broke their opponents in the end. On 45 minutes, Antrim goalkeeper Mulholland tried a short kickout to a defender and was hesitant to go for the return pass, knowing that it is now punishable.

In the end, Grugan followed it in, was upended by Mulholland and won the penalty converted by Rian O’Neill.

For now, he believes they have to raise their performance levels for the semi-final. Armagh beat Monaghan on the first day of the league but that counts for nothing, he insists.

“Probably since the day we played them, they have been in brilliant form really,” he warns.

"Obviously, they had a tight game against Galway and came out the right side of it.

“It’s going to be a step up.

"Monaghan have been at the top table for longer than us the last eight, nine, 10 years so it is up to us.”

'Not printable’: Rory Grugan on Armagh’s half-time blast during Championship win over Antrim

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