Armagh’s match-winner Rory Grugan spoke to us post-match today, and he praised the impact of Armagh’s bench as they wrestled the game from Tyrone in the dying minutes.
00:00It's fair to say you needed ice in your veins. Last kick of the game, it must be a great way to win.
00:04Yeah, it was pretty dramatic there at the finish.
00:07I suppose the whole thing now is the hooter going where there's a play after that.
00:10You know it's about who can have possession and we managed to get a brilliant turnover.
00:14Jolly Oak won a brilliant ball in the middle.
00:16And you know the ball to your hands in these scenarios, you work on so much in training trying to work a high percentage thing.
00:21Turbo made a brilliant run, I put it in his path and he did really well to hold on to the ball and win it free.
00:26So as free kicks go, it wasn't the worst one in the world but there's still something in the back of your mind maybe in your worst nightmares thinking you've missed those ones but thankfully it goes over.
00:34Yeah and especially look on a day like this, 20,000 in Clonus, these are the games that you must love to play in them.
00:40Yeah we actually said that before the match, like to soak it in because you know it doesn't come around always and it doesn't last forever either.
00:48Especially for us older boys so we're very conscious of soaking it in and the app is cleared all there at the end.
00:52Going both ways when Jerome were coming back at us and their couple of big scores with the two fighters and stuff it looked like they had all the momentum we were going to kick on.
00:58And we responded really well again.
01:00There was a brilliant turnover, someone got on Derek Hannivan through the D, it was a massive lift, the crowd roared.
01:05Soupy did what Soupy does with a score and we managed to see it out.
01:10Look probably in previous seasons you know all too well, penalties, shootouts, draws, just not quite getting over the line but of course on the run to winning the All-Ireland last year you just about won them tight games.
01:19Is that now carried into this season, there today something similar where you've maybe learned from the past and you're able, you have that in use now to win these one point games?
01:26I really like to think that you've learned something and the confidence that comes with winning the All-Ireland and winning close games.
01:31Because like you say so often we didn't see it out and you're maybe going to extra time in penalties where this time we kept a composure and like you need a wee bit of luck as well.
01:39Like don't get me wrong like sometimes we've been on the wrong side of it today, we're on the right side of it.
01:42And you can look back and say yeah we did a bit better in a close game but it's just nice to come out on the right side of it.
01:47Yeah and I feel like every time I do an interview with an RMAS player I always talk about the bench and the depth of the squad but once again those last 5-10 minutes the boys that came in off the bench were massive weren't they?
01:55Yeah like you see the influence like the likes of Cian McConville and Jamar Hall have been absolutely flying and training like and for them to come in and have that impact and I've already mentioned Supi, Turbo's influence again.
02:04Like the lift that it gives you when you're on the pitch and you see those boys coming in is unbelievable like all-star nominees, all-stars you know like it's just it's a brilliant lift for us to see that we've built that squad and the boys coming in to finish the game.
02:15Yeah and then last one for me Ulster final upcoming third in a row, you're gonna look to get over the line this year aren't you?
02:20Yeah it's great to be back in it, the only thing I would say is that I wish it was here, I see there was a lot of talk during the week and I suppose we just had to focus on today we couldn't talk too much about it but now that we're there and the kind of talk that if it happened to be us in Donegal that it would maybe be the Crook Park I don't necessarily agree with but that's the way it goes, we'll play it whatever it is and hopefully it's a case of third time looking.
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