Arva 0-13 Listowel Emmets 0-10
What must have seemed like a nightmare AIB All-Ireland club junior football championship final for Arva at half-time ended with a landmark title success.
Trailing by three points at Croke Park, and having hit just four points and a series of bad wides, it seemed at that stage that the Cavan and Ulster champions were destined to defeat.
But a much-improved second-half performance, and an individual display from captain Ciaran Brady that ranks up there with some of his best work for Cavan over the years, turned a near lost cause into a most memorable afternoon.
Brady, who scored 0-04 from play, operated at midfield beside Tristan Noack Hofmann, another Cavan panel member from 2023, and the pair lorded it in a surprisingly one-sided second-half.
Arva would have kicked themselves if they'd let victory slip because they struck 12 wides on the afternoon and wasted several more decent chances.
They were boosted by the 46th minute black card handed to Listowel’s Ger McCarthy as well as the decision by referee Anthony Nolan in stoppage time to rule out a Listowel goal for a build earlier in the buildup.
Arva were also helped beforehand by the availability of Conal Sheridan and Thomas Partington, both of whom were doubtful following injuries in last weekend’s semi-final defeat of Kildare and Leinster champions Milltown.
Finbarr O’Reilly’s side kicked the first two points too, from skipper Brady, who was played in by midfield colleague Noack Hofmann, and then Peter Morris.
But the Ulster side, a senior outfit as recently as 2017, paid a high price for a series of poor wides after that with Morris, Sheridan and free-taker Kevin Bouchier all missing from reasonably straightforward positions.
Eddie Healy did something similar at the other end after a terrific solo run up the field for Listowel who didn’t score themselves until the 14th minute when Cormac Mulvihill finally split the posts.
That score seemed to ignite the Kerry men who enjoyed a strong second quarter, outscoring Arva by 0-07 to 0-02 from the 14th minute until half-time.
Mulvihill and free-taker David Keane accounted for a brace of points apiece.
Arva were under pressure and it was only momentarily relieved when Hofmann, the former Irish underage soccer international and League of Ireland player, clipped over a tidy 19th minute point.
The Ulster champions, who defeated Ballymaguigan, Lisnaskea and Blackhill to claim their provincial title, must have known that scores were going to be hard to come by.
Listowel had only conceded 2-02, 1-02 and 0-03 tallies in their three games since collecting the Kerry junior title by beating Ballymacelligott after extra-time.
With former Cork senior footballer Joe Grimes at midfield, and captain Niall Collins spinning over a beauty on the run from the left wing, Listowel were full value for their 0-07 to 0-04 half-time lead.
There was an intriguing few minutes immediately after the restart as Arva returned reinvigorated and piled on the pressure but, true to the pattern of the first-half, their wasteful play cost them.
They carved out five scoring changes in the first five minutes of the second-half but only Brady and Bouchier converted with Partington striking a couple of poor wides and Noack Hofmann hitting the post with a free.
Listowel weren’t in a position to capitalise on those misses and when they did launch a heart-raising breakaway at the other end, Arva full-back James Morris came flying from nowhere to block Bryan Sweeney’s shot.
A real barnburner was in full flow now and after fighting back to level terms at 0-08 and 0-09 apiece, Arva took the lead for the first time through Bouchier in the 47th minute.
They were a man up at that stage as Listowel lost McCarthy to a black card sin-binning for a lunge at Noack Hofmann.
Arva continued to be wasteful and spurned a couple more decent chances but still stretched the gap to two and then three points with scores from Bouchier and Peter Morris.
When Brady put them four ahead in stoppage time they were in dreamland with the finishing line close at hand.
Grimes struck to the net for Listowel in the 63rd minute and while there was controversy as it was ruled out for a free in the build up, it would have been only consolation anyway.
Arva: Cian O’Hara; Charlie Madden, James Morris, Dylan Maguire; Thomas Partington, Stephen Sheridan, Finbar McAvinue; Ciaran Brady (0-04), Tristan Noack Hofmann (0-02); Jonathan McCabe, Barry Donnelly, Danny Ellis; Peter Morris (0-03), Conal Sheridan, Kevin Bouchier (0-04, 0-04f).
Subs: Ciaran Stanley for Ellis 41, Thomas Brady for C Sheridan 56, Paul Cassidy for P Morris 61.
Listowel Emmets: Cathal Keane; Niall Collins (0-01), Jack McElligott, Ciaran Pierse; Eddie Browne, Eddie Healy (0-01), Micheal Kennedy; Joe Joe Grimes, Darragh Leahy; Sean Keane (0-02, 0-01f), Ger McCarthy, Jamie McVeigh; Cormac Mulvihill (0-02), Bryan Sweeney, David Keane (0-03, 0-03f).
Subs: Darragh Lynch for Leahy h/t, Sam Tarrant (0-01) for D Keane 49, Adam O’Rourke for Sweeney 56, Jake Moriarty for McCarthy 56, Cillian Holly for McVeigh 58.
Referee: Anthony Nolan (Wicklow).
