Niall Grimley made a telling impact off the bench on Saturday evening as Armagh opened their league account with a win.
Grimley, who made his 83rd Armagh appearance on Saturday evening, fetched an important kickout towards the end of the game to help relieve some of the pressure on Armagh.
The Orchard County had raced into a six-point lead midway through the second period, but Monaghan produced a hard-fought comeback.
A second half penalty helped the hosts reduce the gap to one, but Armagh held on for an important two-point win.
Grimley missed out on Armagh’s run to the last eight last season having suffered a serious neck injury in training.
He lined out for Kieran McGeeney’s side for their championship opener against Donegal in Ballybofey but missed the remainder of the season.
The Madden midfielder missed the entire club championship but made his comeback against Antrim in the McKenna Cup.
Speaking after the Saturday night’s game, forwards coach Kieran Donaghy praised the bravery Grimley has shown in his comeback from injury.
Brave
“Another guy who came in and had a handling error but caught a great kick-out late on,” said the former Kerry full forward.
“He had a really scary injury last year and he has actually amazed me at the start of league training with where he was at.
“Catching ball going backward after that type of an injury shows huge bravery. Massive credit to him, he’s had a busy few weeks in his life, and we’re delighted for him on all fronts.
“He’s a tremendous young lad, and that catch really lifted us when we needed it because they had it back to a point at that stage.”
With Mayo up next, this Sunday in the Box-It Athletic Grounds, Grimley will be a huge addition around the middle of the field.
