'The coaches believed in us before we did'

Stefan Campbell set up Aaron McKay's goal within seconds of replacing Conor Turbitt

While still grappling with the magnitude of playing a key role in delivering Armagh the holy grail for just the second time in history, Stefan Campbell pinpointed two key moments in a long journey to the top.

Speaking seconds before hopping on the Armagh team bus and exiting Croke Park, Campbell recalled Kieran McGeeney telling him that he would become an All-Ireland winner while presenting him with a club award a decade ago.

A resounding vote of confidence from a county legend, it has clearly stayed with Campbell.

And while most would point to this year's Ulster final loss to Donegal on penalties as the turning point in this Armagh tale, he argued that the Division Two defeat by the same opponent earlier in the season had a deeper impact on the squad.

"We sat in those changing rooms after a one-point defeat, we huddled up and made the promise to ourselves that we weren't going to lose another championship game at Croke Park this year," said Campbell, who set up Aaron McKay's goal in Sunday's All-Ireland final win over Galway within seconds of coming off the bench.

"The goal was to get back to Croke Park in the quarter-final. Once we got here, we knew we were coming back to lift Sam.

"We promised each other and we delivered."

While the league final loss may stick out more to Campbell, it was in the wake of their gut-wrenching shootout loss to Jim McGuinness' side at Clones that most onlookers discarded Armagh's chances.

Armagh, however, were not about to abandon their dream.

"This management team believed in us before we did," added Campbell, who spent a year away from the Armagh panel before returning in 2019.

"I make no qualms about that. Geezer's [Kieran McGeeney] been telling us for 10 years we'd climb the steps one day. Especially since 2019 when we got the solid group back, the deeper panel started to come. There was nobody leaving the group.

"When Star [Kerry legend Kieran Donaghy] came in [to the backroom team], he said he wasn't coming down the road for the craic, you know? From 2019 onwards, you can really judge Kieran from there and look at our record. We could easily be going for three-in-a-row in Ulster.

"Two or three semi-finals and there's Sam coming home with us. It's unbelievable."

Having made his debut against Wicklow 11 years ago, Campbell is one of Armagh's seasoned campaigners along with the likes of skipper Aidan Forker and Rory Grugan.

No longer a guaranteed starter, he has embraced his role as an impact player to help drive Armagh to success, scoring two points off the bench in their quarter and semi-final wins over Roscommon and Kerry before creating McKay's goal on Sunday.

While some players would not accept starting on the bench, Campbell says he is "forever indebted" to McGeeney.

"If he's telling you, 'the best chance of winning is coming down the stretch' you're going to believe him," added the Clan na Gael club-man.

"I've known him a long time. He came to my club nine or 10 years ago to present me the player of the year award and he told me that night that I was going to win the Sam Maguire.

"I'll be forever indebted to him because as Aidan said on the steps, we couldn't have done it without him."