Armagh 1-11; Galway 0-13
It wasn’t pretty but it sure was pretty intense as Kieran McGeeney’s Armagh out-toughed Galway to the delight of a huge orange-clad following at Croke Park on Sunday afternoon.
The final that nobody predicted became a final that few will remember outside of the Orchard county as they achieved their second ever collection of Sam Maguire, presented by new GAA President Jarlath Burns, a proud Armagh man undertaking the most enjoyable duty he will ever have during his tenure in office.
No one expected a score-fest as the two sides set up concentrating mostly on defensive strength with the ambition to turn over their opponents and try to take advantage on offensive forays.
The two teams had gone tit-for-tat in the first half where Galway tried to gain an advantage but invariably were pegged back when they managed to get two points in the lead.
This half saw a number of players put their hands up for personal honors later, with Man of the Match Oisin Conaty scoring three points for Armagh while Paul Conroy and Cein D’Arcy would end with three apiece from the midfield sector.
Level at the break thanks to the second of Ben Crealey’s kicks, it was all to play for as the two teams began the second half. When Conroy landed his third with a thunderous kick and McDaid followed up to double the lead, it looked like Galway were going to dictate the game with those early second-half scores.
We knew the benches would be important and there was a huge release of Armagh energy in the crowd when Stefan “Soupy” Campbell was unleashed by McGeeney.
Within half a minute, he was in possession and motoring towards goal.
Ultimately, the game was decided by a goal which to most appeared to be a failed point by Campbell, whose left sided punch for a point instead strayed across the Galway goal. Full-back Aaron McKay arrived like an express train to flick the ball past the helpless Connor Gleeson.
Regardless of the intent, Campbell has been a game-changer when introduced in every match this season and while he didn’t score on this occasion, there is no doubt that his assist on 46 minutes in making the goal was the difference between the two teams in the end.
Poor Galway, they came in as hot favorites to make up for their loss to Kerry two years ago but left empty-handed again. Even worse, they know that a series of poor kicking from marquee players like Shane Walsh and McDaid left them chasing the game when they should have been comfortably ahead.
Add to such misfortune was the early withdrawal of sharpshooter Rob Finnerty with a knee injury. His loss was incalculable as Walsh missed a number of frees that his fellow inside forward would have kicked over with his eyes shut.
Proof that Lady Luck had overflown Connacht on the day came when Dylan McHugh, a keen contestant for Footballer of the Year, came forward in search of an equalizer but his effort off the outside of his right boot hit the upright and limped harmlessly wide.
Earlier when Niall Grimley and another supersub Oisín O’Neill kicked two monster scores from way out, you got the feeling that the gods had decided to side with the Ulstermen after a titanic war of attrition.
That had put them three points up but a third point from D’Arcy and another by McDaid reduced the deficit to the minimum as six minutes of added time was being played.
With Walsh obviously carrying an injury which reduced his length and accuracy from placed balls, it was only the stubbornness of the loser’s midfield of Conroy and D’Arcy which kept them in the game as they kicked six points between them.
Add in McDaid’s brace for a third midfielder’s role at wing forward and you see how little the supposed scoring forwards had to offer the maroons on the day.
Walsh, aside from a free and a delightful left-footed second half point from play, functioned in the periphery; Damien Comer was non-existent for the second time in an All Ireland final and was replaced with 10 minutes to go. With Finnerty gone after 11 minutes due to injury, those taking on the shooting were not of sufficient class to get the vital scores as is evidenced from the fact that 12 shots were missed on the day.
When referee Sean Hurson blew the final whistle, it was fitting that who should have possession of the ball but sub Jarly Óg Burns, son of the GAA President who gave another inspiring speech before presenting Sam to Armagh skipper Aidan Forker.
Armagh: B Hughes; P Burns, A Forker (0-1), B McCambridge (0-1); Connaire Mackin, T Kelly (0-1), A McKay (1-0) ; N Grimley (0-1), B Crealey (0-2); J McElroy, R O’Neill (0-1), O Conaty (0-3); R Grugan, A Murnin, C Turbitt Subs: S Campbell for Turbitt and R McQuillan for Kelly (both 46), O O'Neill (0-1) for Grugan inj (51), J Burns for Mackin (59), J Duffy for Forker (75).
Galway: C Gleeson; J McGrath, S Fitzgerald, J Glynn; D McHugh, L Silke (0-1), S Mulkerrin; P Conroy (0-3), M Tierney; J Maher (0-1), D Comer, C Darcy (0-3); R Finnerty (0-1f), S Walsh (0-2, 0-1f), C McDaid (0-2) Subs: J Heaney for Finnerty injured (11), S Kelly for Glynn (45), T Culhane for Comer and D O'Flaherty for Tierney (both 66), K Molloy for Heaney (75).
Ref: S Hurson (Tyrone)
What they said:
Just ask Kieran McGeeney and Pádraic Joyce this week if they agree with the old adage that victory spawns a thousand fathers while defeat is an orphan.
After efforts by fans and some members of the county board to run McGeeney out of the job last fall, this week he was the toast of the orchard county thanks to his success in bringing Sam Maguire across the border for only the second time to Armagh.
For Joyce there was no hiding place, a second loss in three finals, and a day to forget as his kickers left their shooting boots at home.
Here’s how both viewed the twin imposters of victory and defeat.
McGeeney, aka “Geezer,” was fulsome in his praise of his charges for the way they have gone all year about their business.
“The fellas have been amazing, I couldn't say enough about them. When you keep getting knocked back and knocked back, and people tell you can't do something and you can't do something, it takes a special bunch to keep coming back and looking for it. Today all that came to fruition.
“At times we weren't playing at our best but you have to hand it to them, they never stopped, they never quit. It takes time in a small county. In the modern world, people don't like time. It's a commodity that we say we don't have enough of, but as I say it makes it sweet. It makes it very, very sweet.
“There's been a lot of knockbacks and negative things, but to me today the boys were digging deep, they stuck to the plan, we knew it was going to be hard to break down Galway but even when things weren't working they stuck to the plan.”
The Armagh boss remembered his opposite number Pádraic Joyce as he had to put up with a second final defeat in three years. “It's fine margins. I feel for Joycer. He’s no different than me. It's a thin line, sliding doors as they say. He's put his life and soul into this, the same way I have, the same way those Galway players have. I suppose we'll take this one. I've been seen as a gob long enough, I suppose I'll take one day you know?"
Defeated Boss Joyce was crestfallen after suffering his second all Ireland final defeat in the last three finals.
“We’re absolutely devastated. The dressing room is in an awful state. Firstly, congratulations to Armagh and congratulations to Kieran McGeeney on the job he's done with them. You can't take that away from them. They won the game.
“We have to be realistic here. We didn't play anywhere near our potential in the second half. We probably made more mistakes in the second half than we've made in all the games all year.
“Look, it's going to be hard to take. We had 25 shots on goal and we scored 13. I'm not going to sit here and criticize players because they're great lads in Galway. The effort that they’ve put in for me all year, and the last five years, has been fantastic. It’s just hard to put your finger on how we didn't perform the way we should have performed.
“I don't think the injuries caught up. The injuries didn't kick the ball wide or take the shots. It wasn't injuries catching up with us. No one goes out to play bad. Just not enough of our players hit form.
“Rob was a big loss to us as well early on. That probably impacted most of the decisions we made as well, as regards substitutions all day. Look, it's very hard to stomach it.
“It's going to haunt us for a while. We had a great chance after a super year. Both teams did. We knew coming into it that someone was going to be disappointed and someone was going to be elated. We're going to regret it for a long time,” he stressed.
