an infrequent rivalry

Over playing and management careers with their native counties that, when combined, comes up just short of half a century, Armagh's Kieran McGeeney and Dublin’s Dessie Farrell have come into championship opposition for a scant 140 minutes plus change.

The two bosses, who formed a faithful bond as former Na Fianna team-mates and early GPA representatives, will do battle in the All-Ireland round-robin today in Croke Park in what will be just the sixth championship meeting between the counties.

It's perhaps not too surprising given Dublin’s standing as a GAA giant and Armagh’s as a footballing half pint – until recent times anyway – but a low figure nonetheless with the Orchard County’s few peaks aligning with the Metropolitans’ few troughs.

Prior to 2001, when backdoor football came into the equation, Armagh had nine runs in the All-Ireland series and only twice did Dublin triumph in Leinster in the same year.

That led to the first of their championship clashes as both won provincial championships in 1902 but things were never simple back then.

The match itself was only played in June 1904 and Dublin were represented by Wicklow outfit Bray Emmets, who had co-opted in the best club players from the capital.

Hosted in Drogheda, the Armagh team were accompanied by bands and pipers but it would have been laments on the special train home as Dublin eased to victory.

Stephen Cluxton was sent off in a 2003 qualifier loss to Armagh

Some 75 years would pass before their championship paths crossed again, this time in the 1977 All-Ireland final. Another mismatch, Joe Kernan’s two fine goals taking some of the embarrassment off the scoreline for the Ulster side.

Kernan’s championship history with Dublin wasn’t finished there and he oversaw Armagh’s first win in the fixture – a seminal 2002 All-Ireland semi-final win.

Croke Park manager Peter McKenna had estimated 120,000 tickets could have been sold for the game and in an unusual move, after pressure from the Ulster side and approval from Gardaí, 10% of Armagh’s 20,000 allocation was for Hill 16 with a visible orange swathe splitting the usual sky blue print.

Level at the break, Cavan’s Gearoid McKiernan amongst the youngsters participating in the half-time Go Games, Kernan whipped out his 1977 All-Ireland final jersey and asked his squad did they want one for themselves.

Kernan always felt a jersey was a special thing and swapping it with an opponent turned his stomach.

"I see it like a Western; I’m not going to give my scalp to f***ing someone else," he said in a book 20 years later.

Paddy McKeever and Ciaran Whelan exchanged goals inside a minute in a manic second half before Ray Cosgrove’s late free into the Hill rebounded off the post and Armagh were on their way to Sam.

An Armagh fan on Hill 16 in the last championship meeting between the counties in 2010

The following year, as champions, they returned to Croke Park and ended Dublin’s season with a 0-15 to 0-11 qualifier win making it two wins for two for McGeeney against Farrell and co.

McKeever was sent off early in the second half when Dublin led by four, but a red card for Stephen Cluxton for petulantly kicking out at Stevie McDonnell swung momentum back Armagh’s way.

Afterwards, Dublin manager Tommy Lyons took aim at his goalkeeper and it was reported Cluxton was close to walking away with a number of League of Ireland clubs circling. How GAA history may have changed if he had followed through on those thoughts.

The last meeting of the counties came back in 2010.

Down legend Paddy O’Rourke was managing Armagh but was never really accepted, while Dublin were trying to bounce back from their "startled earwigs" loss to Kerry the year before.

Bernard Brogan’s nine points proved decisive in his breakout season with Brian Mallon’s goal chance cleared off the line with nine minutes to go when Armagh were just a point behind. A dull enough affair for a rivalry that has had plenty of spark and sparkle despite its small sample size.

Championship games may be few and far between but McGeeney and Farrell have used their close kinship to regularly arrange challenge games between the counties. The latter wasn't in charge in an infamous challenge game in 2016 that saw Dublin's Davy Byrne suffer a broken nose prior to throw in.

At Croke Park on Sunday, the stakes will be ramped up and there could be fireworks on the field. Just don’t expect them on the sideline.

Watch Dublin v Armagh in the All-Ireland Football Championship on Sunday from 3.30pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player. Follow a live blog on rte.ie/sport and the RTÉ News app and listen to Sunday Sport on RTÉ Radio 1. Highlights on The Sunday Game at 9.30pm

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