GAA: Armagh rediscovered their form in unbelievable fashion against Kildare, says Peter Canavan

Just a few weeks ago Armagh were down on their luck. Would they have felt lower than most teams in the Championship? They would.

They failed to gain promotion to Division Two of the NFL in the last seconds of their last game against Tipperary and then they lost to Down in the Ulster Championship.

Kieran McGeeney was under pressure and the players must really have wondered where they were going.

Well, they have turned it around, and they have turned it around in unbelievable fashion, really.

Last weekend's game against Kildare was so clinical in many ways. They had heroes in James Morgan at the back and Jamie Clarke in attack but, for me, Brendan Donaghy was the reason they won this game.

Brendy has been around for some time. He caught ball after ball in the middle. At one stage Armagh had won 13 of their own 15 kick-outs. I think they won another five or six as the game neared its end.

This was in an area that Kildare were supposed to dominate, with the fetching ability of players like Kevin Feely.

But they didn't dominate at all. They stood off Armagh, they were ponderous going forward, they moved the ball across the field too much and in the heel of the hunt Armagh were hungrier.

That Kildare put three different men on Clarke tells you all that you need to know about the game that boy had.

People wondered of he would be able to produce it consistently at intercounty level anymore but his display on Saturday night was timeless. He floated around Croke Park.

Their bench made a difference too - they brought on plenty of experienced hands to help get over the line, and the likes of Ethan Rafferty made a huge difference. Rafferty's point, that booming rocket, was a thing of beauty. Maybe that dropped Kildare heads even further.

It's a huge wake-up call for this Kildare team. They have Division One football to count upon next year but they need to get more quality on the bench to cope with injuries and suspensions.

They really missed Eoin Doyle at centre-back and their kick-outs didn't yield any possession or traction. When they did get their hands on a kick-out, Paddy Brophy got a fine point.

They have a long winter now to ponder over a game they would have felt they should have won.

The Monaghan and Down game was a bit more clear cut. Monaghan look like they are getting back to the form they are capable of.

Conor McManus was unerring from frees and that is an invaluable asset going forward into the business end of any championship.

Kieran Hughes worked tirelessly too and he gave the Down midfield a tough time, always looking for the ball and pulling all the strings, making things happen.

I think, too, that their bench is stronger than it ever has been. Malachy O'Rourke said as much recently and they were able to bring players like Jack McCarron on and that can only be a good thing because they lacked that strength in depth in recent seasons.

I think when they look back on the year, Down will do so with a sense of pride.

They were in a rut. A losing rut. Eamon Burns was under pressure and must have wondered why he actually took the job. But they beat Armagh, beat Monaghan, reached the Ulster final and wrapped up the season with their pride still intact.

They came to Croke Park and they played well. The likes of Connaire Harrison played some great stuff.

It was only when Monaghan pushed up on the Down kick-out and hunted them that they got the upper hand.

Down will be disappointed to have lost that game but a proud county has had its pride restored and well done to Eamon and the team for doing that.

As for Roscommon and Mayo? Well, where do you start. The poor Mayo supporters go through unbelievable highs and incredible lows every time they watch their team play.

On Sunday last Mayo were good, bad and indifferent. They should have finished the game off with all the chances that they had. But Roscommon are a good, young side and they will benefit hugely from the experience of playing in Croke Park, as only one of them had done so previously.

I think the tactic of playing Enda Smith in the inside forward line was a masterstroke from Kevin McStay who kept Keegan out of the game following his 1-3 burst.

Enda Smith only got to show flashes of potential but at least they reduced Keegan's scoring potential.

The replay should be fascinating. I think Mayo have more room to improve.

Finally, Kerry and Galway went the way everyone expected - the Kerry full-forward line had the measure of the Galway full-back line.

Kerry moved Donaghy out as the game went on and while they coughed up four goal chances -that they should be worried about - I think they just about did enough.

Galway were never in danger of pushing Kerry all the way and with those four clear cut goal chances going abegging they didn't give themselves the chance of claiming a famous win.

Sky Sports live GAA coverage continues on Saturday with the All-Ireland SFC quarter-finals. Tyrone v Armagh, live on Sky Sports Arena from 3pm and Sky Sports Main Event from 3.15pm followed by Dublin v Monaghan, live on Sky Sports Arena from 6pm.

For those on the move you can get updates via our live blog at www.skysports.com/GAA or @SkySportsGAA