Cautious Armagh in need of a spark to evolve - Tomás Ó Sé

Armagh bounced back from their latest penalty shootout heartache to see off Westmeath on Sunday, but Kieran McGeeney's side need to let up the handbrake if they are to make meaningful progress, according to Tomás Ó Sé.

Minus the services of Rian O’Neill, the Orchard County put the Ulster final disappointment behind them to open their All-Ireland series account with a five-point victory on home turf at the Athletic Grounds.

Speaking on the RTÉ GAA podcast, former Kerry player Sé reflected on the win, a game he felt illustrated both the best, and perhaps, most frustrating elements of the team’s style of play.

Having rattled off the first four points of the second half to effectively put the game to bed, Armagh failed to kick on and put the visitors to the sword.

Instead, according to the five-time All-Ireland winner, they resorted to a possession-based, cautious approach.

The conservative criticism that has been used against McGeeney in recent years, with his side just failing to get over the line in big games, could again be levelled at his team – notwithstanding that the encounter against a Westmeath side that pushed them all the way 12 months previous fails to come into that category.

However, It does suggest a pattern, and Ó Sé believes that while something needs to change, the Orchard men are still nestled in football’s chasing pack.

"Armagh really, really wanted that Ulster Championship," he said.

"If they had won that final, I think it would have given them a boost in confidence, not that they badly needed, but would have brought them on into another tier.

"They have lost big games like that in the near past and haven’t had the chance to rectify it as soon as this.

"They know that from the last two years, they are not a