Armagh to remain a top team despite losing 12 players from 2024 All-Ireland winning squad
Despite losing 12 players from the 2024 All-Ireland winning squad, Armagh is expected to remain one of the top teams in the country, with a strong panel and improved success at minor and U20 levels.
It’s recruitment time again for the Armagh senior football panel, with 12 members of the 2024 All-Ireland winning squad now gone.
Winning captain Aidan Forker and goalkeeper Ethan Rafferty are the latest to have announced their retirement from the inter-county game, adding to the growing list of Rory Grugan, James Morgan, Niall Grimley, Stefan Campbell, Ciaron O’Hanlon, Jemar Hall, Mark Shields, Fergal Rowland, Ciaran Higgins, and Shane McPartlan.
Armagh had been operating with a squad of around 40 players, so a number of new faces are expected for the forthcoming 2027 season, which starts with the Dr McKenna Cup in January and, as per usual, will be used by manager Kieran McGeeney to try out new blood.
However, the Orchard is far from bare, with much-improved success at both minor and U20 levels in recent years. And with the three major local championships—junior, intermediate, and senior levels—now complete, the new panel should soon be finalised.
On the surface, losing so many loyal servants would be sufficient to set alarm bells ringing, but beneath the surface, the amount of talent around augurs well for the future. Retirements aside, Armagh will still be rated one of the top teams in the country, and with the return of Rian O’Neill, who had taken time out, and the likes of Ben Crealey, Barry McCambridge, and Ciaran Mackin back from long-term injury, there is a lot to be hopeful about.
It’s interesting to note that from the aforementioned list, only three actually started the 2024 All-Ireland against Galway—Forker, Grimley, and Grugan—whilst Campbell was introduced as a second-half substitute.
As for McGeeney himself, the only person to have won both All-Ireland and Provincial championships as a player and manager, his stint has been extended by another year after being ratified unanimously for the 2027 season. He joined Paul Grimley’s management team for the 2014 season before being installed as manager for the following year. He has now become the longest-serving manager in inter-county football.
His 12th season in charge of the side yielded a long-awaited Ulster title—the county’s first since 2008, bridging an 18-year gap which included three consecutive final defeats, two of them in penalty shoot-outs against Derry and Donegal.
However, their 2026 All-Ireland campaign ended prior to the quarter-final stage, following a shock defeat by Louth in Round 2A before losing heavily to Kerry in Killarney the following week.