Kelly Mallon will lead the Armagh Ladies into Croke Park on Sunday, but she’s by no means the only leader in the team.
The Orchard County are preparing for a Division Two National League final, with Laois standing between them and promotion.
Mallon was injured when Armagh reached the same stage of the competition last season, losing to Kerry by three-points.
But Shane McCormack’s side have carried that hurt into the 2023 season and are in fantastic form at the moment.
Armagh won all of their seven league outings, including a 0-10 to 0-5 victory over Saturday’s opponents Laois.
That proved to be the only game that Armagh failed to hit the net, while their defensive record has been impressive as well.
In seven games, Armagh conceded just three goals, coming against Monaghan, Tyrone and Westmeath.
Mallon puts their performances down to the leaders that have in the group, that have been together for a number of years now.
Leaders
“We are lucky that we have leaders in every line of the pitch and then leaders throughout the whole panel,” said the Armagh Harps sharpshooter.
“We’re lucky to have that but those girls have developed over a few seasons now. We’ve really come together and obviously you have people in and out (of the squad).
“But I feel that over the past three years we’ve had a good bit of continuity with those girls and there’s certainly plenty of leaders throughout the pitch.
“Even Blaithin (Mackin) and Aimee (Mackin) and Aoife McCoy and girls like that. They’re brilliant leaders, brilliant footballers.
“It’s not me and Aimee as captain and vice-captain pulling everybody through, they’re the ones getting us through.
“Everybody is putting their shoulder to the wheel and getting over the line as a collective. It’s great and it’s maybe something that we have lacked in previous years.”
