2024 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship final: Armagh 1-11 Galway 0-13
From Brendan Crossan at Croke Park
ARMS outstretched with the ball in his left hand, staring disbelievingly into the lower deck of the Hogan stand, it was as if Jarly Og Burns was the first man to realise referee Sean Hurson had blown his whistle for the final time and that Armagh were All-Ireland champions.
Croke Park erupted. Orange flares scented Hill 16 and golden ticker tape fell from the blue skies above. Armagh had reached the holy grail for only the second time in their history.
Some Armagh players fell to the ground, others darted in different directions while Galway’s shot at glory was gone.
The big screen caught some of those precious post-match moments. GAA president Jarlath Burns hugging his son, his spectacles pushed to one side of his forehead.
If life is about moments, they don’t come better than this one for father and son.
Before handing the cup over to captain Aidan Forker, the President spoke movingly about this achievement belonging to every GAA volunteer in the Orchard County.
Talk about a man who instinctively knows the pulse of a nation.
Aidan Forker – the pride of Maghery – a foot soldier who endured many dark days in an Armagh jersey but refused to give up.
And here he was, on Sunday July 28 2024, following in the footsteps of his manager Kieran McGeeney delivering a goose-bumped victory speech worthy of the occasion.
Never give up on your dreams, Armagh’s All-Ireland winning captain beseeched the crowd.
As he roared into the microphone and the thousands of Armagh supporters roared back at him, these were tough moments for a shattered Galway team that were fancied to end their own agonising wait for an All-Ireland title.
PICTURE COLM LENAGHAN
How fit was Damien Comer? And Shane Walsh? And Rob Finnerty seemed bandaged on most days and was gone after just 11 minutes of Sunday’s final.
But in the press room afterwards, Galway boss Padraic Joyce wasn’t about to make excuses over who was fit and who wasn’t.
“The injuries were injuries. We dealt with the injuries as best we could. Sure we ended up in the last two of the year, so we obviously dealt with them okay.
“Did it have an impact on lads being fully fit as the year went on? Possibly, yeah. That’s one thing you could say but, look, we’re not looking for excuses. Congratulations to Armagh – they’re deserving winners.”
Armagh were indeed deserving winners in a chess-match of a game – and ragged at times too.
As Forker continued to rouse the crowd from the steps of Hogan, he paid a heartfelt tribute to his manager Kieran McGeeney.
Without him returning to his native county 10 years ago, Forker said, Armagh wouldn’t have become All-Ireland champions.
He was right too.
As the stadium’s big screen captured McGeeney struggling to hold it together, Armagh supporters chanted: ‘Geezer, Geezer, Geezer…’
The Mullaghbawn man is without doubt a walking, breathing parable for persistence.
In the build-up to Sunday’s epic occasion, Joe Kernan – the man who guided Armagh to their first-ever All-Ireland in 2002 – summed his former captain up better than anyone.
“For somebody to be driven for so long, it’s unbelievable,” said Kernan. “There comes a stage in management where I said: ‘I’m not as driven as I was – so it’s time to get off the ship and let somebody else do it.’
“As a player and now as a manager, Kieran has been driven for over 20 years and the players have reaped all the benefits of that.”
As the endless cavalcade of cars streamed down the M1 early on Sunday morning, well-wishers waved from the bridges above.
On one of the bridges stood a solitary figure. He was an elderly man wearing an Armagh jersey. He stood with a clenched fist. Happy. Defiant. Expectant.
It was the kind of salute to the thousands of passing motorists that suggested this was going to be Armagh’s day.
Cars beeped their horns at the gentleman above them. Around Drumcondra, Armagh fans seemed to outnumber the Galway jerseys by 12 to one.
Is there a more fanatical support in the country?
“When you’re going down the home stretch, you do get that energy from the crowd,” Armagh coach and ex-Armagh player Ciaran McKeever said earlier this month.
“It does give you a foothold and energy.”
In those difficult moments towards the end, the sea of orange all around Croke Park played a vital role.
Galway had chances to level it up in stoppage-time and maybe force extra-time – but the men in orange dived towards their opponents.
With each valiant attempt, it was enough to put off the Galway shooter.
Even Ross McQuillan’s brave punch of the ball to Jarly Og in the last seconds was crucial in denying the Tribesmen possession and, who knows, maybe one last attack.
Make no mistake: Armagh’s courageous ascent to All-Ireland glory has its roots in all those bitter disappointments over the last 10 years – and even further back.
The near-misses and penalty shoot-out heartaches – and when everyone was in their ear telling them that it would never happen for them.
And yet, here they all were hanging over the steps of Hogan waiting to get their hands on Sam.
Blaine Hughes who came back after a year away and is now an All-Ireland champion.
The hamstring tears Paddy Burns has endured over the years would be enough to drive any man into retirement. And here he was on the greatest stage of all, bouncing fit and putting out fires.
Aaron McKay and Barry McCambridge – two heroic, impassive defenders that would do anything for the cause.
And Ben Crealey – a man-of-the-match contender – and perhaps eyeing an Allstar for his true grit and surefootedness all year.
Rian O’Neill, Conor Turbitt and Oisin Conaty showing courage and class every time they played.
Rory Grugan didn’t make it to the end of Sunday’s All-Ireland final because of injury – but the Ballymacnab man is now an All-Ireland minor and senior champion.
Only 15 years separating those two achievements. Armagh’s glory goes deeper still – much deeper – than one to 15.
Ross McQuillan, Jason Duffy and Aidan Nugent won an All-Ireland with Cullyhanna at headquarters in January and left Croke Park on Sunday with another winner’s medal.
Soupy Campbell, Jarly Og. Go deeper again – Jemar Hall, Greg McCabe, young Peter McGrane. Energy givers when they dropped out of the starting team.
And if any man deserves to dream happy dreams in Armagh, it’s Niall Grimley.
It’s difficult to think of more worthy All-Ireland champions than Armagh’s class of ‘24.