Skipper Aidan Nugent admits Armagh have tried to hit the reset button so they can get their scoring boots on for the Ulster Championship.
To many people outside the camp, Armagh appeared to retreat into a defensive shell and lose their way in the middle of a league campaign that resulted in relegation from Division One.
Nugent insists people will see a different Armagh come the championship – starting with tonight’s Ulster preliminary round opener against Antrim in the Athletic Grounds.
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“I suppose we are trying to get back to basics and just moving the ball forward as fast as we can,” says Nugent.
“The game has gone a wee bit more defensive and when teams are set up defensively against you, it’s not as easy to kick the 17 or 18 points a game.”
The attractive kicking game that helped Armagh reach an All-Ireland quarter-final last year seemed a distant memory when they got bogged down in some league games this year.
They scored 0-12 against Roscommon, 0-11 against Kerry and 1-6 against Galway, losing all three games, while a modest total of 0-13 was enough to beat Donegal.
Yet Nugent claims: “We didn’t change our play - we just weren’t clicking as much up top”.
“Ideally we want to get back to kicking 16, 17 or 18 points a game especially in the latter stages of the Ulster championship.
“We know 12 or 13 points a game doesn’t really cut it.
“A few of the games we didn’t click as much as we did last year and a few injuries set us back but all in all, yes we got relegated, but it doesn’t change our goals for the Ulster championship.
“We will worry about Division Two next year.”
Nugent is glad to be back fit again after missing a chunk of the league with a hamstring injury picked up in the opening round win over Monaghan.
He was glad to get some minutes into the legs when he returned for the final league clash against Tyrone, when Armagh produced one of their best displays of the season despite losing.
“If you’re looking for an open game of football, that game (against Tyrone) was one of our better games in the league.
“I was a bit off the pace after being out for six or seven weeks.
“That’s the thing about this condensed schedule, it’s great when you’re fit but if you pick up a wee niggle you could miss three or four big games, so it’s a tricky one but you just have to roll with it.”
Antrim had a really mixed bag of results in Division Three, losing by 31 points to Westmeath yet beating the division’s champions Cavan.
Andy McEntee’s side will travel in hope more than expectation, with the Antrim boss admitting they could on the receiving end if Armagh set about proving a point after their relegation.
But there is no pressure on Antrim, while there is certainly pressure on Armagh from both within and outside the county.
Armagh fans are impatient for a first Ulster title since 2008 and having watched on as Derry stormed to a first Ulster title in 24 years last summer, they will want a lot more from their side.
However Nugent attempted to take the heat off his own team insisting: “it’s not the be all and end all if you don’t win Ulster because the season is not over”.
“Of course when you’re in it you want to win.
“It is important but there are better things to look forward to if you don’t win it, that would be my outlook on it.”
Armagh have been drawing huge support this year and Nugent says their buzz has helped the team feel at home even when they’re playing away.
Cavan will play the winners of tonight’s game in Breffni Park in two weeks time and are chasing the all-important key word - momentum.
“That’s it, all we need is one win to get the ball rolling and the narrative about the team will have changed,” added Nugent.
“I think everyone outside the camp does get (carried away) after a loss,
“But we are focused on the way we want to play. We know the way we want to play and that is all that matters.”
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