‘Niall Grimley is an incredible man’ says Armagh coach Ciaran McKeever
Armagh coach Ciaran McKeever has lauded midfielder Niall Grimley, as the Madden man has bounced back from two difficult years in his personal life to put in some of the best performances of his career, helping his county to reach the All-Ireland final.
On the field of play, Grimley’s football career almost came to an abrupt end in May 2022 when he suffered a broken neck injury in training.
However, off the field football was put into perspective in November of last year, when he lost his brother Paddy, sister-in-law Ciera and friend Ciara McElvanna in a tragic road traffic collision.
“Niall Grimley is just an incredible man,” said McKeever.
“He's been through a lot this year; he's been through a lot these past couple of years with injuries and then what happened at home with his brother and his sister-in-law and Kevin McElvanna’s wife.”
Having failed to register a minute in the league, one could be forgiven for thinking Grimley’s days in the orange and white could be coming to an end. However, he was trusted by Kieran McGeeney and the management team with a start against Derry in the All-Ireland Series, and he rewarded them in spades with a wonderful performance, dominating the skies in midfield.
Then came the iconic – although it didn’t stand – feat of athleticism against Roscommon, where Grimley managed to catch a ball well over his head, land with possession of it on the field of play and get his hand up for a mark.
But Saturday’s display was something else entirely.
Taking on the mighty Kingdom of Kerry, Grimley was determined to leave his mark on the game, and he did that by getting on the ball, fighting for every 50-50 and kicking two points from play.
Grimley is a consummate professional, and McKeever was full of praise for his number eight’s attitude.
“He's been through a lot and the whole of the Madden community has been through a lot, but Niall Grimley probably just typifies what this squad of Armagh players is about. He turns in every night, he applies himself properly, and he ticks all the small boxes.
“He comes, he looks for advice, he goes and builds on that, tries to get better. He got no league game time and then his opportunity came against Derry in the Super 16s and he took it and nobody is putting him out of the team at the present minute.
“And that just typifies that it all comes back to how you apply yourself and he does. He applies himself every single night, every day, he lives it and he's got his rewards and he's in a really good stead leading into the next few weeks.”