Armagh are facing “the best of the best” in their next two championship outings, according to their manager Kieran McGeeney.
The Orchard County travel to Omagh this weekend to take on Tyrone before meeting Galway in the final round of the All-Ireland series.
Armagh’s victory over Westmeath more or less secured their place in the knockout stages of the competition.
But Kieran McGeeney wants his team to push on in the next two games and aim for that top spot and a guaranteed place in the All-Ireland quarter-finals.
“You’re up against the best of the best now,” said McGeeney after his side overcame Westmeath by one-point.
“Whether people like it or not, the 16 best teams in the country are in this competition and that’s the reality so there’s no bad games.
“This is no respect to anybody else but every time you go out you have to perform, and you have to perform at the highest level.
“Our boys are capable of doing that, they are, but at the minute, unless things change, they have a good chance of at least making a playoff.
“The thing about it is if they want to sit and rely on that then we don’t deserve to go any further.
“If they want to push on, they have two teams now in front of them that they can challenge and give us something out of it.”
Frustration
The 2002 All-Ireland winning captain was frustrated by his sides performance, despite coming out on top.
“We got the win but to me you still have to perform,” added McGeeney, now in his ninth year in charge.
“They’re better than that, they’re a great team and when you’re good at something that’s what you have to do.
“You have to be good every day, that’s what it takes to win stuff. I’m very frustrated with it and they’re very frustrated in there.
“I suppose that maybe shows how far those fellas have come that when they’re winning games now in the championship that they’re not happy. But they’re going to have a good test next week and they’re going to have to be up for it.”
