Ulster Champions
It’s been six years since Caroline O’Hanlon climbed the steps of Clones and announced Armagh as Ulster Champions.
Back then, it was Monaghan who the Orchard County fought off in the decider, just like they had to do last Saturday.
This time around it was Kelly Mallon who got her hands on the trophy after a hard-fought victory over the hosts.
Armagh started their campaign with a convincing 4-14 to 1-10 win over Tyrone in Crossmaglen almost two months ago.
Great end to the year
2020 has been a positive year for Ronan Murphy’s side, winning four of their five championship encounters.
Their one loss of course came to four in-a-row chasers Dublin, although Armagh did push the Dubs all the way.
While the girls in orange and white would have been bitterly disappointed by that result, they still ended the season on a good note.
Any time you get some silverware in the season is a good one and Armagh will now hope to build on the quality they displayed this year.
Youth
While Armagh have displayed serious quality throughout their ranks this season, they continue to produce eye-catching attacking quality.
Aimee Mackin is renowned as perhaps the best ladies footballer in the county and she will hope to continue to improve with age.
Armagh showed a glimpse of what the future could hold with another attacking ace thrown into the mix against Monaghan, Alex Clarke.
Sister of Jamie, Alex could have had a goal with her first touch on Saturday with a skilful shot on target, but the woodwork denied her what would have been an awesome three-pointer.
Clodagh McCambridge
So much has been said and written about Armagh’s attacking force, even from deep with the likes of Blaithin Mackin and Tiarna Grimes constantly bombing forward.
However, that’s much easier to do when you know the house is safe, and there’s no one better at guarding the defence than Clodagh McCambridge.
She has really made the number three position her own and was extremely unlucky not to pick up the Player of the Match award the last day out.
The Clann Eireann lady should be a shoo-in for an All-Star this year after several top-drawer performances.
Future
With the season now over, the ladies attention will immediately turn to next season and what they can achieve.
Promotion will be the first thought in their minds as they will look to push out of the second division and play amongst the top teams on a regular basis.
They’ll head into 2021 as Ulster champions and will certainly want to hold onto that title for as long as possible.
They’ve shown they can compete at the top and surely a target next year will be to go one step further and reach the All-Ireland final.
