Armagh legend Aaron Kernan previews this weekend's Ulster final
Armagh’s Aaron Kernan won three Ulster titles with the Orchard County, and he says that the current generation of Armagh players are inspiring the children who look up to them by reaching this weekend’s final.
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00:00 Zarin, obviously a huge game on Sunday, what way do you see it going?
00:03 Yeah, I suppose just the way the weather has gone this week and the whole build up, it
00:07 probably was a bit calmer and a bit quieter compared to last year. But the closer we get
00:13 to the game, the more confident I'm starting to become. It's any game against a gym against
00:20 Stoney Galle, there's never going to be a whole pile in it. But I think the fact that
00:24 we've played them twice this year, well it offers a great opportunity to get some sort
00:30 of an insight into them, to learn from it and to get one over them. So, I said after
00:35 the league final, if there was lessons that could be learned, that would always improve.
00:41 Beneficial to us whenever it really matters, we'll take that day. So, the day has now come
00:46 that the stand-off has to be done and a two-point win for ourselves on Sunday.
00:52 You say you're getting more confident as it gets closer, the team was released last night,
00:56 it looks like a strong squad, strong bench, is that part of it? Do you think Armagh's
00:59 bench, if the game is closed maybe 15-20 minutes to go can make a difference?
01:03 Absolutely, and that's all across the field, whether it is in defence, midfield or attack.
01:09 I think we've had a good run this year, probably having a great run with injuries for a number
01:14 of years where we seem like we've had a good run and everything seems to be falling in
01:17 place. Hopefully that's that extra wee ingredient that we need to go one step further than we have.
01:23 In terms of Armagh, the last day against Down, it wasn't a great practical probably fair
01:29 to say, Armagh probably didn't play at their best, but they got over the line. Is that
01:33 a good thing, the fact that it was tight, they're trailing two points late on but they
01:37 actually dug it out?
01:38 Absolutely, and the manner that they did it, how they worked that last goal was hugely
01:42 important, given the narrow defeats or going to the extra time in penalties this past
01:46 few years. To have that in your mind as a player on the field, whenever you know it's
01:51 coming down to the wire, that's massive. I think another huge positive will be how
01:57 Down set up. It's not going to be a huge shock to the boys if it happens again this
02:01 weekend. Then obviously just the small things like the concession of the two goals that
02:06 we had, hasn't happened all year, but it wasn't a brilliant that it happened then.
02:11 Management can then sit down, go through analysis, why did it happen, cut that out
02:16 again. Particularly against Donegal, who thrive on those goals, it was a massive learning
02:22 for us again, just to get back to good habits. Maybe was it a mindset thing, I don't know.
02:28 The players and the managers themselves would know, but it would far rather it happened
02:32 then than what's coming down the track on Sunday.
02:35 And then final one for me, from your playing days, when you're going into a big game
02:38 like this as a player, can you block out the noise? I'm sure people, wherever they go,
02:42 if they're going to the shop, people of course will want to talk about the game, but they're
02:44 just I'm sure itching to go for Sunday, counting down the minutes.
02:47 It couldn't come quick enough. It was always like that. I think that's the joy of your
02:51 two week break between games, where you get a chance to come down after the other game,
02:56 reassess, see what went right, what went wrong, and then you don't have to wait too long
03:00 for it to build up. But all week, let's be honest, there's a nervous energy, everyone
03:05 at home wants to talk to you about it, everyone wherever you want to go. But that's part
03:08 and parcel. I think that's the unique bit about the GAA, is that you do get to interact
03:13 with family and friends, and everyone that you would generally bump into wherever you're
03:16 from, have the same common goal and buy-in that you maybe just don't have in professional
03:21 sports. So you don't want to get involved in it too much, but definitely something that
03:25 you just have to embrace, because this is the, like what they're doing now is something
03:29 that they've dreamt of doing from their childhood, and then they're inspiring a crowd of kids
03:34 who go there this weekend, hoping that one day this is who they want to emulate and try
03:38 and replicate. So special games, particularly for the players and managers who are involved.