Down manager Conor Laverty didn't mince words after Sunday's devastating 28-point Ulster SFC semi-final loss to Armagh, admitting the Orchard County dominated his side in "every facet of the game." What started as a promising afternoon for the Mourne men quickly turned into a championship nightmare at Clones.

Fresh off a stunning victory over Donegal in Letterkenny just a week earlier, Down burst out of the gates with confidence, racing to a 0-5 to 0-2 lead. But then the Armagh machine kicked into gear—and never stopped. The final scoreline read 3-33 to 0-14, a demolition that left Laverty visibly crestfallen and searching for answers.

"We actually started the game well and went 0-5 to 0-2 up, but after that it was one-way traffic," Laverty reflected. "That was a big turning point. I felt if the break of the ball went our way, we were on the attacking side of it. It fell to them and they ended up getting the goal."

The contrast from the jubilant scenes at O'Donnell Park the previous week couldn't have been starker. Armagh, the reigning All-Ireland champions, showed exactly why they're the team to beat. Tomas McCormack and Conor Turbitt found the net before halftime, giving Armagh a commanding 2-12 to 0-7 lead at the break.

Laverty tried to stem the tide, introducing Jamie Doran at halftime after already bringing on Liam Kerr in the first half. But Armagh kept their foot firmly on the pedal, storming into a fourth successive Ulster final with relentless intensity.

"The second half was a difficult place to be," Laverty admitted. "We had five subs used in the middle of the second half, we tried to make changes on different personnel, but we just couldn't get to grips with it after the first goal. We didn't get to grips with them at all."

Despite the brutal defeat, Laverty dismissed any suggestion that last week's emotional victory over Donegal had drained his squad. "We actually didn't do a massive pile on grass. We trained Wednesday night and Friday, but very light and trying to get the bodies right," he explained. "We prepared very well and we thought they were fresh coming in. But when Armagh got their tails up, they were a machine."

For Down, it's back to the drawing board. For Armagh, the machine rolls on toward another Ulster final appearance.