Three years after a fiery encounter marred by red cards, Tyrone faces Armagh in a League fixture. The match reignites a rivalry that peaked in the mid-2000s, marked by intense battles and off-field controversies.
Three years after one of their most infamous encounters, Tyrone returns to Armagh for a League fixture for the first time since 2022. Back then, Tyrone , the reigning All-Ireland champions, faced off against Armagh in a round two Allianz Football League Division One tie. Armagh emerged victorious with a six-point margin in front of a crowd exceeding 14,000, a victory that set the tone for Tyrone 's season.
However, the narrative of the game wasn't defined by the win or loss but by the five red cards flashed by referee David Gough, four of which were shown to Tyrone players: Michael McKernan, Kieran McGeary, Peter Harte, and Padraig Hampsey, alongside Armagh's Greg McCabe.The incident reignited a rivalry that, while not extinguished, had simmered for over a decade. The peak of this rivalry was in 2005, when the two counties clashed thrice in the Championship, resulting in a draw and a win each for both sides. Tyrone ultimately triumphed, eliminating their neighbors in a classic All-Ireland semi-final. That year's Ulster final replay witnessed Tyrone duo Peter Canavan and Stephen O'Neill receiving red cards, only to have them rescinded, alongside Armagh's Ciaran McKeever. McKeever and his teammate Paul McGrane subsequently faced bans upon review, along with Tyrone's Ryan McMenamin. McMenamin, cited for kneeling on John McEntee's chest, had his eight-week suspension overturned by the DRA, aided by a letter from the Armagh player. Such conciliatory gestures were rare between the two counties at the time, and McMenamin played as Tyrone knocked Armagh out a few weeks later. There's still a lingering bitterness in Armagh over Diarmaid Marsden's sending off in the All-Ireland final two years prior, also subsequently rescinded, which Joe Kernan insisted cost his side a two-in-a-row. However, after 2005, the rivalry cooled, largely due to Armagh's decline. While Tyrone might not have been as dominant in the latter stages of the Championship in the 2010s as they were in the 2000s, they continued to reach the finals and secure Ulster titles. Armagh secured an unexpected victory in a 2014 qualifier when Mattie Donnelly was dismissed for Tyrone, but Championship encounters between the counties became scarce. The Red Hands won a relatively rare meeting in the 2017 All-Ireland quarter-final by a commanding 18 points. But the intensity returned on that fiery afternoon in February 2022. Tyrone returned to the Athletic Grounds for a qualifier tie later that summer, but their reign was abruptly ended as Armagh knocked them out in a shocking exit for the reigning champions. There was a measure of revenge the following year as a final-day victory in Omagh relegated Armagh from Division One, repeating the feat in an All-Ireland series group game that summer, an evening where Rian O'Neill, currently absent from the Orchard squad, received a red card. Remarkably, this stands as the only defeat Armagh has suffered in their last 70 minutes of play across their last 20 Championship games. After Armagh's elimination three years ago, then joint Tyrone manager Feargal Logan remarked, 'Dealing with success, it's not easy and we saw it all year really.' Already, there are signs of this in Armagh this year. A win on Saturday could solidify their position, but if they falter, Tyrone will be eager to hasten their downfall
Tyrone Armagh Gaelic Football Rivalry Red Cards League Fixture Championship Athletic Grounds
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