Justin McNulty says that Kieran McGeeney deserves praise for proving his critics wrong and sticking with Armagh for a decade.
The Orchard County will play in the biggest game in Gaelic football for just the fifth time in their history on Sunday when they take on Galway.
As recently as last August the manager, affectionately known as 'Geezer', survived a vote by clubs in the county to remain in the job for this season.
And it has worked out so far, with Armagh securing Allianz League promotion in the spring, and following it up with a run to the decider, which has included topping their All-Ireland group and seeing off Kerry after extra-time in the semis.
And for McNulty, who was on the field for the county's greatest afternoon - their 2002 All-Ireland triumph over the Kingdom - McGeeney has always stood out as a leader of people.
"I played at the same club [Mullaghbawn] as Geezer and we're friends a very long time," he said at the launch of the AIB Volunteer VIP competition.
"I'm honoured to call him my friend.
"I can remember coming back to the Regency Hotel for the post-match banquet after the minors were defeated in 1992. I was in the Armagh squad and my twin brother was playing.
"We were back at the hotel after being defeated in a heart-breaking manner against Meath and a senior Armagh player came to speak to us minors after that match.
"We were waiting for the meal to be served and he called us into a room and that senior player was Kieran McGeeney.
"He called us together to say that he knew we were hurting and the pain is horrendous but let's build on it. That was Kieran McGeeney and Damien Horisk, both senior county players at the time.
"For him to have done that as a senior inter-county footballer, coming and meeting minors and talking about the future, and building from that...
"The number of players who went from that minor team and won the All-Ireland [in 2002] was significant.
"He's the ultimate competitor, the ultimate warrior. For him to have held that dressing room for 10 years despite the doubters, despite the negativity that was directed towards him from numerous quarters, it's just extraordinary.
"The strength, the resilience, the mental toughness is reflected in the team and the squad he has built.
"Hopefully it will be good enough to get him over the line on Sunday, but there are no guarantees."
McNulty and McGeeney were on the field together in 2002 with both now being involved in the management sphere; the latter having taken Laois to the final of the Tailteann Cup earlier this summer.
It gives McNulty a greater insight into what goes into studying opposition sides, and Galway and Armagh couldn't be much more evenly matched in recent seasons.
In 2022, the Tribesmen emerged victorious from the counties' meeting but only after a penalty shootout.
Last year, Armagh gained revenge with a one-point victory in the All-Ireland group stages, while the pair drew at the same stage of the competition earlier this summer.
Throw a two-point Allianz League win for Galway into the mix from 2023, and it seems to suggest the tightest of football finals on Sunday, following on from hurling's decider going to extra time last weekend.
"It makes it more exciting," he said of the close recent games between the counties.
"Each coaching team are looking for an edge. It might be on kickout press or a goalkeeper contributing the play upfield.
"There are little nuances of improvement that each team will be seeking. That could be the difference between winning and losing on Sunday.
"It'd be hugely exciting to be involved in either coaching team knowing so little separates them and this will go down to the wire."
McNulty has been involved in politics in recent years, working as an MLA in the Assembly in the north, and he was certainly keeping it conciliatory when asked which captain he saw going up the steps of the Hogan Stand on Sunday.
"They're both going to be defensively structured and organised," he began.
"They're such good ball players on both sides that they can still play their game. They're accurate, clinical, effective at creating spaces and passing opportunities, and getting pockets to get shots off.
"It'll be defensive but open at the same time - it's almost a contradiction! It will be high scoring with lots of great scores because the capability and capability of both sets of teams to score from range, or from anywhere, is phenomenal. It makes it so exciting and it's a toss of a coin game. I'm expecting it to go all the way to the wire.
"If I was calling it, I'd say draw game. These teams are so evenly matched. It's poised for a draw game after extra time."
Watch the All-Ireland Football Championship final, Armagh v Galway, on Sunday from 2.15pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player. Follow a live blog on rte.ie/sport and the RTÉ News app and listen to commentary on RTÉ Radio 1
