I DON A JOB ON THE KINGDOM

“The sacrifices these boys have made over the last three years are huge, the time they took off work. One or two had to take time off to deal specifically with injuries, and there was their clubs. It was practically impossible for them to commit so while it’s disappointing, people have to earn a living and employers can only take so much.”

Aidan O’shea of Mayo will captain the team with Conor Mcmanus, the former Monaghan captain, handed the vice-captaincy.

Kernan said that his team will play a traditional style during the tests.

The 2002 All-ireland winning Armagh manager said: “We are going man to man, there’s no marking spaces. We are going to win the ball and we’re going to get it up the field as quick as possible.” AIDAN O’SHEA has stood over his unlikely switch to full-back during the Championship.

The big centre-forward was moved to the edge of the square against Kerry in the All-ireland semi-finals and detailed to man mark Kieran Donaghy (right).

While Donaghy had a hand in around

2-5 in the drawn semi-final, Mayo came out on top in the replay.

O’shea said: “I thought for us, both days, it worked in terms of what our objective was out of it. We conceded two bad goals, nothing to do with me playing full-back, the first day. We took them out the second day and we won comfortably.

O’shea added: “I wouldn’t enjoy being a defender in general. I enjoyed the challenge,

I enjoyed that to a certain extent.”