Cometh the hour, cometh the man. He has been Armagh’s go-to man on many occasions in recent seasons and Rian O’Neill stepped up to the mark again on Sunday afternoon.
With the Orchard County staring down the barrel of a home defeat in front of 14,113 spectators at the Box-It Athletic Grounds, O’Neill landed three stoppage-time points (two frees and a 45) as Armagh claimed an unlikely draw against Kevin McStay’s men.
The deficit had been five points with 67 minutes played with Rory Grugan and Conor Turbitt also converting late frees for the Orchard men.
Read more: Armagh vs Mayo recap as Rian O'Neill claims a share of the spoils for the Orchard County
Speaking after the game, Armagh coach Kieran Donaghy hailed O’Neill’s composure under pressure and his leadership qualities.
“He shows great leadership, whether it be competing in the middle third for kick-outs to try and get us possession,” said Donaghy.
“I was surprised he missed his first free, as a free-taker when you miss a relatively easy first one it can throw a lot of fellas, but top-class free-takers will find a way to bring themselves around and he has to be given huge credit because the way the breeze was blowing across it was a slightly trickier kick than it looked.
“Huge credit to him for kicking that and it was very important too because, even though it was a draw, the game had gone so far away from us, it’s worth more than a draw.”
Mayo might feel slightly aggrieved with the decision to award the Crossmaglen ace the equalising point, but referee Fergal Kelly also awarded some soft frees to the Connacht side during the course of a hard-hitting encounter.
Wing-back Enda Hession was also fortunate to escape a black card after hauling down Turbitt along the far sideline.
Donaghy had no complaints with the referee, however, but he admitted he’d mixed feelings after the result.
“It’s hard to put words on it because you’re a bit disappointed with some parts of the play – some of the skill errors and dropped balls – but then you’re just proud of the way the boys showed real determination and passion to keep going to the very end, even when it was lost,” stated Donaghy.
“Three minutes’ to go we were down five points. It was frustrating to be in the position because I felt we had skill errors that aren’t like us but we showed huge character.
“The energy that the subs gave us off the bench – Jason Duffy, Niall Grimley, Callum Cumiskey with that clearance off the line… Ross McQuillan made a few vital interceptions late on and great credit to them for bringing that energy because that’s what we’re looking for coming into a game like that.
“So it’s hard to put in words but I’m proud of the group the way they kept going even when they weren’t functioning at their best.”
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