Kieran McGeeney’s eyebrow raised a little after last weekend’s win over Dublin when he was asked about the importance of staying in Division One of the National Football League.
“Listen, I’ve said this before, I do find it amusing when people sort of say that teams don’t take the league seriously,” said the Armagh manager, who concluded that the suggestion is “pure horse s**t”.
With those remarks in mind, it won’t come as a surprise to learn that with just one round of games to go in Division One, McGeeney has experimented the least of all the top-flight managers.
No team in the division has been more settled, used as few players in the six games and handed out less debuts than Armagh who, as McGeeney said, have been taking things very seriously.
While Monaghan have dished out a dozen debuts so far, McGeeney’s only league debutants in 2026 are Fergal O’Brien and Dan McCarthy.
He has used only 24 players in total with two of those, Aaron McKay and Aidan Forker, only appearing for the first time in the campaign last weekend.
Ten of his players have started every single game. Injuries have been a concern for Armagh, with Barry McCambridge and Rory Grugan still to feature this year. Even allowing for this, the figures indicate a settled core of tried-and-trusted performers that McGeeney is intent on sticking with.
If Armagh slip up against Kerry on Sunday and Dublin get a result in Galway, costing the Orchard County their Division One place, the criticism will be inevitable. Shouldn’t he at least have experimented a little more?
Tyrone’s Niall Devlin is held off by Fergal O’Brien of Armagh when the counties met in the Dr McKenna Cup in January. Photograph: James Crombie/Inpho
Tyrone’s Niall Devlin is held off by Fergal O’Brien of Armagh when the counties met in the Dr McKenna Cup in January. Photograph: James Crombie/Inpho
It might be a surprise to hear Mayo are next to Armagh, in terms of minimal experimentation during the National League.
Kobe McDonald’s impact has been considerable for Mayo, as has Darragh Beirne’s, but Eoin McGreal, Séamus Howard and Sigerson Cup star Conal Dawson are the only other rookies.
Monaghan, relegated since last weekend after their sixth straight defeat, top the overall league of experimentation. Aside from the 12 players that Gabriel Bannigan has handed debuts to in Division One, Darragh Treanor and Darragh McElearney have also started in the league for the first time.
All five of Monaghan’s subs against Galway last weekend made their NFL debuts in 2026; Fionán Carolan, Ryan Duffy, Oisín McGorman, Robbie Hanratty and Eddie Walsh.
A slew of injuries forced Bannigan’s hand but using 34 players in total in just six games – the highest of any of the Division One teams – was still a large number.
“We’ve had to, both by necessity and some design, blood an awful lot of new players,” said Bannigan. “Those boys will gain from that experience and we will hopefully get a number of fellas back before our championship game against Cavan.”
After Monaghan, Dublin have fielded the most debutants in the league, 11 in total. That’s understandable given Ger Brennan is just in the door and is the manager leading the transition from golden generation to new generation.
Roscommon have doled out 10 league debuts with Donegal on eight and Kerry on seven.
Kerry's Tomás Kennedy scores a goal during his league debut against Roscommon at Fitzgerald Stadium, Killarney, in January. Photograph: Laszlo Geczo/Inpho
Kerry's Tomás Kennedy scores a goal during his league debut against Roscommon at Fitzgerald Stadium, Killarney, in January. Photograph: Laszlo Geczo/Inpho
All of those counties can claim to have uncovered a gem or two, from Kerry’s Tomás Kennedy, who struck 1-3 on his Division One debut against Roscommon, to Cuala duo Eoin Kennedy and Charlie McMorrow in Dublin, to Rob Heneghan in Roscommon, to Donegal’s Leaving Cert student Conor McCahill.
Just hours after McCahill’s league debut against Dublin at Croke Park, when he came on as a sub, he played for his school in the MacRory Cup.
No county has managed their resources as well as Galway, though.
Pádraic Joyce has spoken of a crippling injury list, partly explaining 10 players getting their league debuts. Conor Carson, who came on against Monaghan last weekend, was the latest.
Yet it’s been so much more than a gap-filling exercise. Fast-tracking has paid off, with Galway picking up big wins over Armagh and Roscommon, and drawing with both Donegal and Kerry. If they beat Dublin in Salthill on Sunday, that would be a serious body of spring work with so many new players.
The really exciting thing is that Galway’s greenhorns haven’t so much dipped their toe in the water as been thrown right in at the deep end – and thrived.
Oisín MacDonnacha has started five games, tallying 1-12. Fionn MacDonnacha clipped 1-4 on his debut, against Mayo. Shane McGrath has featured in all the games, scoring in five of them.
“They’ve stood up in the whole League,” said Joyce. “People keep asking me about the lads that are injured – I always worry about the guys that are on the pitch. They’re fighting for the jersey, they’re showing great heart for it.”
National Football League DivisionOne debutants
Monaghan (12): Jack Kiernan, Thomas Hughes, Liam McDonald, Eddie Walsh, Oisín McGorman, Ronan Boyle, Cameron Dowd, Fionán Carolan, Kian Mulligan, Ryan Mohan, Robbie Hanratty, Ryan Duffy.
Dublin (11): Páidí White, Robert Shaw, Kevin Stephenson, Jack Lundy, Liam Smith, Eoin Kennedy, Joe Quigley, Nathan Doran, Ethan Dunne, Hugh O’Sullivan, Charlie McMorrow.
Roscommon (10): Aaron Brady, Caelim Keogh, Eoin Ward, Conor Ryan, Darragh Heneghan, Eoin Colleran, Jack Tumulty, Jack Duggan, Oisín Cregg, Robert Heneghan.
Galway (10): Fionn McDonagh, Oisín MacDonnacha, Ciarán Mulhern, Shane McGrath, Shay McGlinchey, Brian Cogger, Eamon McGrath, Ryan Roche, Charlie Power, Conor Carson.
Donegal (8): Shea Malone, Kieran Gallagher, Turlough Carr, Conor McCahill, Kevin Muldoon, Paul O’Hare, Eoin McGeehin, Max Campbell.
Kerry (7): Evan Looney, Liam Smith, Tomás Kennedy, David Roche, Donagh O’Sullivan, Charlie Keating, Cathal Brosnan.
Mayo (5): Eoin McGreal, Darragh Beirne, Conal Dawson, Séamus Howard, Kobe McDonald.
Armagh (2): Fergal O’Brien, Dan McCarthy.