Callum O’Neill is back in the Armagh squad for Saturday’s visit of Derry, giving Kieran McGeeney another option as he prepares his side for a game that now carries a sharper edge for supporters checking football on tv today. O’Neill has been named among the substitutes after missing out since the Ulster opener against Tyrone because of injury.
The return matters because Armagh have made only one change to the listed starting 15 since the Ulster final, with Gareth Murphy listed ahead of Paddy Burns. That leaves McGeeney’s selection looking settled in most places, even as O’Neill’s comeback offers a sign that the squad is beginning to get pieces back after a spell of disruption.
Armagh’s named 15 includes Blaine Hughes, Peter McGrane, Aaron McKay, Gareth Murphy, Joe McElroy, Tiernan Kelly, Greg McCabe, Jarly Óg Burns, Andrew Murnin, Cian McConville, Darragh McMullen, Tomás McCormack, Conor Turbitt, Jason Duffy and Oisin Conaty. The substitutes list also features Ethan Rafferty, Barry McCambridge, Ryan Duffy, Ross McQuillan, Oisin O’Neill, Daniel Magee, Aidan Forker, Aaron O’Neill, Callum O’Neill, Rory Grugan, Tomás Galvin, Ruairí McDonald, Fionn Downey and Eoin Duffy.
The wrinkle is that O’Neill’s return does not yet tell the full story. He picked up the injury the same week as Ben Crealey and had not played again since the Tyrone game, so his inclusion against Derry confirms availability rather than a guaranteed starting place. For McGeeney, that is still useful: a recovered player on the bench is a choice he did not have a week ago.
Armagh now move into Saturday with a squad that has one visible tweak at the top and a familiar name back in the mix. Whether O’Neill is used from the start or kept in reserve, his return is the clear change in the build-up to Derry and the one supporters will watch most closely.
