1. Armagh and Galway are arguably the two most physical teams in football. How does this impact the game?
Frank Roche: Kickout strategies will be fascinating given the aerial strength of both, Galway even more so. Conor Gleeson loves going long, but will Armagh press up or give up the short kickout?
Donnchadh Boyle: A classic to follow the hurling would be great but styles make fights and given the similar profile of the teams there’s a danger they could cancel each other out for long periods.
Dermot Crowe: Galway carry a powerful middle third, profiting from going long against Donegal. While Armagh may play short, they have Ben Crealey and Niall Grimley primed for the aerial battles.
Michael Verney: Expect a bruising encounter with both sides paying close attention to the leniency, or lack thereof, afforded by referee Sean Hurson. Any element of hesitancy from either side will be brutally exposed.
Conor McKeon: Don’t expect goals. All three goals scored across the two All-Ireland semifinals came from various forms of mistake or miscue. These two have 14 clean sheets between them from 17 games.
Colm Keys: Both are able to apply of pressure on the player in possession but do it on the edge. Galway’s size advantage allows them to go long off kick-outs but Armagh are among the best to attack opposing kick-outs.
Sean McGoldrick: Neither team will want to take the ball into contact which suggests the game will be tactical and probably a boring spectacle for at least an hour unless either manager opts for a surprise and goes for goes for broke.
Dick Clerkin: Midfield is an area both teams would see as an area of strength that has won them previous games. Who wins the physical battle here will have a big impact on the result.
Philly McMahon: Very little. Teams being physical is a perception as much as anything else. When they get things right, they look fitter, faster and stronger. But rarely is it down to physicality.
2. How does Galway’s 2022 final experience shape their preparations now?
FR: You can’t buy that experience, and they are less likely to play the occasion. Pádraic Joyce has seriously beefed up his bench; he will expect a greater impact this time.
DB: One of the few areas where one side has a clear advantage over the other. Galway’s players, managers and supporters have all been here before. Armagh have to manage the occasion and ensure they didn’t play their final against Kerry.
DC: Almost like a dress rehearsal, the 2022 final has to be advantageous to Galway. Yet being a novice didn’t stop Armagh in 2002 against serial finalists Kerry.
MV: It always helps to have the muscle memory of performing well in a final and that’s an area where Galway have a clear advantage as no Armagh player has experienced All-Ireland SFC final day.
CMcK: Different circumstances. They aren’t as reliant on Walsh and Comer, for one. They have a far, far better bench too. They will feel a far more complete outfit now than they were then.
CK: They lost it down the home stretch when Kerry scored the last four points. Now though, they have better reserves and better management of this crucial period, as the games against Mayo, Dublin and Donegal especially illustrate.
SMcG: The two sides are very disciplined at the back. Galway have conceded one goal in the championship (against Armagh) and Armagh three.
DC: Running Kerry so close in 2022 will give Galway a confidence that All-Ireland Sunday is somewhere they belong. I expect hype has been sidelined with an assured preparation for a game they feel ready to win.
PMcM: Massively. They know everything about the day. There is no guess work. There are no surprises. They won’t be thinking about the aftermath. They won’t have outcome-based thoughts.
3. Do Armagh’s back-to-back Ulster final experiences have a negative or positive impact here?
FR: Depends on how they rationalise those traumas. They should accentuate the positives: “We are all-but-unbeatable over 70 minutes, and so resilient that we never back down.”
DB: The win over Kerry and the nature of it where they looked the stronger team in extra time will have washed away much of the fallout from those games. However, it may be a factor if there was a replay and it went to penalties!
DC: Positive in that it will reinforce the belief that the team has an unbreakable spirit and stubborn defiance that prepares them for any adversity.
MV: Both were on penalties so I don’t see any negative element. If anything, the heartbreak of those final defeats should drive them on when the game is in the melting pot.
CMcK: Can only be a good thing. Clones on Ulster final day is every bit as pressurised, maybe more atmospheric than an All-Ireland final. They drew both those games and we can’t have penalties tomorrow.
CK: Armagh, like the Clare hurlers, have been able to detach provincial heartbreak from the All-Ireland series to create a new season, a new mindset. It can only be seen in a positive light, fortifying resolve.
SMcG: Armagh do not have to fret about penalty shoot-outs, so they can take the positives out of those Ulster finals. They haven’t been beaten in championship game in regulation time since losing to Donegal in the 2022.
DC: Positive in the sense that these are games that bring players on in terms of development and experience, but only if they learn from why they ultimately fell short. It can’t all be down to bad luck.
PMcM: If they hadn’t got to this final, I’d say negatively. But they have, so they’ve proved themselves to be resilient. This is a team that bounces back. You get energy from that.
4. Who should the chief markers, Armagh’s Barry McCambridge and Galway’s Liam Silke, be detailed to track?
FR: McCambridge will surely start on Shane Walsh (as happened in Sligo). Silke could well track Rian O’Neill again; the intriguing crux is whether he follows if O’Neill roams to 14.
DB: None of Armagh’s full forward line really fired against Kerry with Conor Turbitt doing his best work after being reintroduced and that might be Silke’s assignment. McCambridge might be on Shane Walsh duty.
DC: McCambridge has managed to stymie David Clifford and looks ready for Shane Walsh. Silke, fresh from an eventful time on Oisin Gallen, may have Rian O’Neill in his crosshairs.
MV: There are a few fires which Silke could fight and Conor Turbitt and Rian O’Neill will be top of his list with preference for the latter while the in-form McCambridge looks tailor-made for Damien Comer.
CMcK: McCambridge took Shane Walsh when they played in the group stages and should do so again here. Ditto Silke on Rian O’Neill.
CK: Since the All-Ireland series McCambridge has picked up tough tasks, including Shane Walsh who took two points off him in Sligo but they’ll match up again. For Liam Silke, Rian O’Neill is the likely target.
SMcG: McCambridge is likely to take Shane Walsh whose match-fitness has been suspect all season will expend valuable energy chasing him. Silke might take Conor Turbitt who kicked five points (three frees) against Kerry.
DC: McCambridge will likely pick up Comer, but can expect a different proposition than a lethargic Clifford the last day out. Silke could pick up a roving Rian O’Neill and put him on the back foot.
PMcM: Shane Walsh and Rian O’Neill.
5. Which team gets more out of their bench?
FR: The Galway subs were pivotal against Dublin, less impactful against Donegal. As Kerry discovered, Armagh’s depth of options can hurt you in myriad ways. Geezer’s Plan B, marginally.
DB: Again it’s marginal but you could only be impressed with what Armagh got from their bench against Kerry. Jarly Og Burns, Oisin O’Neill, Stefan Campbell and Ross McQuillan are effective so Armagh can finish strong.
DC: Both have benefited from bench press, Galway notably against Dublin, and Armagh in the win over Kerry. Not much clear advantage either way; if there is, it is slightly towards Armagh.
MV: Armagh. Galway’s bench tipped the scales against Dublin but less so over Donegal whereas Stefan Campbell, Ross McQuillan, Oisin O’Neill and Jarly Óg Burns have all made massive contributions when called upon.
CMcK: It’s very tight. Marginally Galway, if Seán Kelly is on it. But Stefan Campbell, Ross McQuillan and maybe Jarly Óg Burns all bring different energy for Armagh.
CK: Armagh, just. Ross McQuillian and Oisn O’Neill have had an impact in every game and Armagh lose nothing in making the changes. John Daly and Johnny Heaney bring experience and calm to Galway, but Armagh’s pace boost is significant.
SMcG: Against Dublin the Galway subs were key in getting them over the line with Céin D’Arcy, Johnny Heaney and Tomo Culhane all hitting points. But Stefan Campbell, Ross McQuillan and Jarly Óg Burns make Armagh’s bench formidable.
DC: Timing of subs will be more decisive than the quality of the respective benches. How soon Armagh’s Stefan Campbell, pick of the subs, is introduced will tell you a lot about how they’re performing.
PMcM: Armagh. Particularly with Stefan Campbell, Jason Duffy and Aidan Nugent.
6. Sum up how the game will play out, who will win and what the score will be?
FR: Expect all kinds of everything. Initial caginess mixed with huge collisions, the scoreboard tilting both ways. There will be goal chances, but not many. Whoever converts will prevail. Galway 1-15 Armagh 0-17
DB: We could see an edgy start with the game opening up as legs begin to tire. Extra time a possibility and, given defensive set-ups on both sides, we might only see one green flag and that could be the difference. Galway 1-15 Armagh 0-16
DC: Extremely close as in their recent matches. A bit of stardust from Shane Walsh or a Damien Comer goal may tilt it off balance. Galway 1-16 Armagh 1-15
MV: Tight and tense with scores hard-earned. I’d expect Galway to set the pace and a have a small buffer for long stages before Armagh unload the bench. A one-score game but the Tribe can prevail. Galway 1-16 Armagh 0-17
CMcK: With Galway shading it, quite possibly after extra-time, getting marginally more out Walsh, Comer, Finnerty and McDaid than Armagh do out of O’Neill, Turbitt, Grugan and Murnin. Galway 1-15 Armagh 0-17
CK: Tense with outbreaks of good football, as it has been in their last three games. There’ll be moments of class from Shane Walsh, Cillian McDaid, Rian O’Neill and Stefan Campbell but Galway might make less mistakes. Galway 1-13 Armagh 0-14
SMcG: It is likely to be a cagey affair with both likely to keep the handbrake on until late. The fitness of Damien Comer and Walsh is critical to the Tribe who may be better equipped to handle the demands of an All-Ireland final. Galway 0-19 Armagh 0-17
DC: Galway have a great balance about their team, that has stood to them in tight games, even with key players injured. Armagh need their key men firing otherwise they can look ordinary. Galway 1-14 Armagh 0-15
PMcM: Very similar to the All-Ireland hurling final. Two teams initially sussing each other out. Intermittent periods of dominance. Don’t be surprised if both teams concede the kick out. A draw. Galway 0-16 Armagh 0-16
