Armagh turn sad songs into joyful final chorus

This was a fiery orange refusal to accept  another sorrowful mystery.

CORNERED: Galway’s Damien Comer is challenged by Paddy Burns and Aaron McKay of Armagh. Pic: Tom Maher

All-Ireland SFC final: Armagh 1-11 Galway 0-13 

The hard luck story that has been Armagh football these last few seasons is no more.

The tears of close-run Ulster finals and the pain of being punished by penalties over and over again dried with this fiery orange refusal to accept this was going to be another one of those sorrowful mysteries.

Going back to his Kildare days, Kieran McGeeney was a manager who had been pitied, such was his lack of fortune. A rule change was brought in on the back of an unfair square ball goal that went against him in a 2010 All-Ireland semi-final.

Without championship silverware in 10 seasons in charge of his native county, most anticipated that this would be another day of pain. That Galway would have learned their lessons from two years ago and applied them to an Armagh side green on big day experience.

That didn’t transpire for a host of reasons but chiefly Armagh’s control of how this game was played and Galway’s acquiescence. 

The lowest-scoring All-Ireland final since the drenched decider between Dublin and Kerry in 2015, it felt formulaic and overly methodical for long swathes but Galway agreed to those terms, believing their opponents would relent.

They didn’t, partly because of how resolute they were for most of the game but also because of the poor quality of Galway’s kicks towards goal in the final quarter and additional time. McGeeney knew luck was with him this time.

For all that Shane Walsh and Dylan McHugh have given the county, Pádraic Joyce wasn’t going to hang this defeat on them. But no team with a conversion rate just over 50% has any right to claim an All-Ireland.

“We had chance after chance after chance and it’s going to be hard to take,” said the Galway manager.

“We’ll stick together in Galway football — we’ve come a long way from where we were — we are devastated today but football in Galway has improved. At least we’re back up at the top table as such.”

As much as those late wides, Aaron McKay’s 47th-minute goal, only the second Galway had coughed up this championship (both to Armagh) made a world of difference.

Up to conceding the goal, Galway lost seven leads but didn’t go behind until that 47th minute when Stefan Campbell made an instant impact off the bench, squaring a handpass for McKay to palm to the net.

It gave Armagh a two-point cushion, having found themselves two points behind in the opening minutes of the second half. As the game opened up, Rian O’Neill and Walsh, after iffy first halves, had announced themselves. O’Neill’s beauty in the 41st minute was followed by a gorgeous Walsh effort in the next minute.

Walsh, with a free, cancelled out a Tiernan Kelly point just before McKay’s goal. Cein Darcy’s third point of the game cut the difference to two but Armagh stretched their lead to three with a terrific Niall Grimley point and then an Oisín O’Neill strike in the 64th minute, the last score of the game.

Galway, despite their erratic shooting, were within a point in the penultimate minute of normal time as Matthew Tierney and Cillian McDaid hit their range. However, there were no further scores. Walsh’s long-range free dropped short and McHugh’s outside-of-the-boot attempt struck the post and went wide.

The teams were level five times in a first half which finished 0-6 apiece, Galway going ahead the same amount of times and being pulled back each time. It was a largely forgettable period, only memorable for the shot-taking of midfielders Paul Conroy and Ben Crealey, who each stepped up with a brace, and perhaps the welfare of a lame seagull who laboured around the field.

The teams’ respective stars were conspicuous by their absence. Walsh, who put two frees wide, and O’Neill were outscored by their markers Barry McCambridge and Liam Silke.

Conor Turbitt, who himself sent a free wide and should have made more of a darting Conaty pass later in the half, wasn’t performing either. Nor was Damien Comer, although he did some great spadework to feed John Maher for a 26th-minute point.

Galway led by two points for less than a minute early on but were reeled back to level terms within four minutes. After that, Rob Finnerty had to leave the field with a leg injury. Finnerty had taken a blow five minutes earlier in winning a free he sent over.

Galway’s scores were largely the product of deliberate build-up play, while Armagh’s came as either returning fire or in flashes. Darcy’s 20th-minute point was an exception as Galway put together a slick move, having won a free from a kick-out.

Five minutes afterwards, Armagh captain Aidan Forker resurrected an attack that appeared to be running out of gas, with a smashing point to bring his men level once more.

Maher and McCambridge exchanged points and after another beautiful Conroy effort, Crealey equalled it in the final minute of additional time.

On two further occasions, Armagh had to come back to level before McKay’s goal changed the complexion of the game utterly.

Like Clare seven days earlier, another side associated with the bridesmaid tag, Armagh stayed the course.

As they scrambled and stretched to stop Galway, McGeeney saw all the hurt from that catalogue of close-run things.

“In those moments that we lost on penalties and those moments where we sat in there with our heads in our hands, did that have an impact on the last five minutes? Definitely.”

Like Clare, the sad verse made them but it wasn’t going to define them.

Scorers for Armagh: O Conaty (0-3); A McKay (1-0); B Crealey (0-2); A Forker, B McCambridge, R O’Neill, T Kelly, N Grimley, O O’Neill (0-1 each).

Scorers for Galway: P Conroy, C Darcy (0-3 each); S Walsh (1 free), C McDaid (0-2 each); L Silke, R Finnerty (free), J Maher (0-1 each).

ARMAGH: B Hughes; B McCambridge, A McKay, P Burns; C Mackin, T Kelly, A Forker (c); N Grimley, B Crealey; O Conaty, R O’Neill, J McElroy; R Grugan, A Murnin, C Turbitt.

Subs: S Campbell for C Turbitt, R McQuillan for T Kelly (both 46); O O’Neill for R Grugan (inj 51); J Burns for C Mackin (59); J Duffy for A Forker (70+5).

GALWAY: C Gleeson; J McGrath, S Fitzgerald, J Glynn; D McHugh, L Silke, S Ó Maoilchiaráin; P Conroy, J Maher; M Tierney (c), C Darcy, C McDaid; R Finnerty, D Comer, S Walsh.

Subs: J Heaney for R Finnerty (inj 11); S Kelly for J Glynn (45); T. Culhane for D Comer, D O’Flaherty for M Tierney (both 66); K Molloy for J Heaney (70+5).

Referee: S Hurson (Tyrone).