'No skill, pure piggery' - McGeeney on kickout battles
Armagh manager Kieran McGeeney feels the battle to win kickouts has little to do with skill and everything to do with intent.
The Orchard County fell to a three-point defeat to Roscommon, a second-half rally not enough to prevent the Rossies a second win of their Division 1 campaign.
The hosts paved the way for success by notching 2-06 in the opening 12 minutes as the Armagh kickout unravelled, with Blaine Hughes struggling to find any of his team-mates playing into a stiff breeze.
It was in stark contrast to the second period when the 2024 All-Ireland champions picked off 13 of Roscommon's restarts as they made inroads into the deficit.
Speaking after the game at Dr Hyde Park, McGeeney was asked for his thoughts on the battleground around the middle.
"It’s that 50-50 game that everybody wants," he said. "There is no skill in it, it’s just pure piggery. It depends on what way the momentum is going. It’s hard to shake that when it is going against you.
"People find it exciting, so I can’t see it changing.
"I thought our kickouts were poor in the first half. We competed well in the second half, but Blaine himself knew he skewed a few. It’s not like him. In the second half he was himself. It’s a good sign that he can turn it around like that, he didn’t let it get in on top of him."
A key moment occurred during the second half when Ross McQuillan fired to the back of the Roscommon net.
However, for the second successive game, a breach call against Armagh proved crucial, with the goal chalked off for the visitors failing to keep four players within their own half.
McGeeney was highly critical when his side were punished for a breach against Galway last time out, but admitted he couldn’t tell if a breach had occurred this time around.
"If we breached, we breached. I don’t know."
Tipped by many to make a swift return to Division 2, Roscommon sit on four points and are in a strong position to avoid the drop.
Manager Mark Dowd was pleased to get another win on the board.
"It is a big win," he told RTÉ Sport. "We got our performance at times, especially in the first quarter, but there are aspects of it we definitely need working on."
