Crossmaglen were back on a familiar stage yesterday, with the club winning their 47th Armagh senior county title with a 2-16 to 1-7 victory over Clan na Gael at the Athletic Grounds.
It was a comfortable victory for the defending champions, who were never really troubled in the game as they kept the scoreboard ticking over throughout. Rian O'Neill and Cian McConville contributed a combined 0-8 to the side, 0-7 of which came from frees. Jamie Clarke would also add a goal from the penalty spot.
In the end, that was enough to secure a third Armagh title on the spin.
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Aaron Kernan continues stunning Armagh club record in Crossmaglen win
While there are no shortage of familiar names in the current Crossmaglen side, none of them have more experience than Aaron Kernan. Now 39-years old, he started at wing back and went on to play the full 60 minutes for the team in this year's final.
It is now over nine years since Kernan retired from inter-county duties with Armagh, but he is clearly still going strong at club level.
In fact, this victory would see him continue a scarcely believable personal record.
After victory in yesterday's final, Aaron Kernan claimed his 18th senior county medal. Yes, you read the correctly.
⚫️🟠Today this man collected his 18th Senior Championship Medal
Congratulations Aaron, a true Ranger and a Warrior!@AaronKernan #proud #18 #ranger #simplythebest pic.twitter.com/8GOWFCMP2S— Crossmaglen Rangers (@crossrangers) October 22, 2023
A personal tally of 18 county medals is an absolutely farcical, with most GAA players desperate to win just one county title during their playing days.
In saying that, it's not out of the norm in Crossmaglen. Goalkeeper Paul Hearty, who was part of Armagh's All-Ireland winning side in 2003, would actually win 19 county titles during his time with the club.
Of course, this is all made possible by Crossmaglen's dominance in Armagh. They won 19 county titles out of 20 from 1996-2015. They have not quite dominated to the same degree since then, but they have still won four of the last eight editions after yesterday's triumph.
Despite turning 40 later this year, it would not be a surprise to see Aaron Kernan back in the fold and on a mission to equal Paul Hearty's tally of Armagh county medals in 2024.
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