Cuala 1-14 Ardee St Mary's 2-10
Cuala are AIB Leinster club football champions for the first time but only after an almighty scare against Ardee St Mary's at Croke Park.
The Dalkey side looked to be cruising to victory when they led by eight points early in the second half, but a brace of goals brought the Louth champions back into it.
It means history for Cuala; St Vincent's, Kilmacud and Ballyboden have all come close before, but it's the Cuala men who are the first club to win senior Leinster titles in both football and hurling.
Seán McCabe Cup will be spending Christmas in Dalkey after a mixed performance from Austin O'Malley's charges. Outsiders in Dublin before a ball was kicked, they're now just two wins away from become All-Ireland champions.
They did much of the heavy lifting in the opening 20 minutes in front of a sparse crowd at Croke Park and they needed all of that advantage in an incredible finish.
Cuala made a fast start as Mick Fitzsimons started an attack in midfield and then got forward to apply the finishing touches, curling one over off his right. It was then the turn of the O'Callaghan brothers to get motoring, as first Niall and then Con, with a brace of scores, stretched the lead.
In between, Dublin star Con had been very unlucky to see a rasper of a shot come back off the underside of the cross bar, but Cuala would have their goal on 15 minutes.
It was Con who provided the assist as he set up a one-two with Conor O'Brien, who buried the ball low to the net.
"Real daylight between the teams now" as Conor O'Brien slams home the opening goal of the game for Cuala after fine work from Peadar Ó Cofaigh Byrne and Con O'Callaghan in the build up. #RTEgaa
— RTÉ GAA (@RTEgaa) November 30, 2024
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It was all Cuala as Con slotted another free, before Luke Keating got his name on the scoresheet to push the gap out to nine on 21 minutes.
Ardee desperately needed scores, and they finally got off the mark as Ciarán Keenan landed a free from out right. Jonathan Commins and Tiernan Markey added further scores from placed balls, and suddenly the Louth crowd found their voice.
Having felt so comfortable for 20 minutes, there was a sense of Cuala being under a bit of pressure, but they were able to steady the ship, before Eoin Kennedy fisted the last score of the half to leave them seven points clear at the break.
Inside 20 seconds of the restart O'Brien clipped over another Cuala point, but Commins hit back with Ardee's first score from play inside 60 seconds.
Keenan added a close-range free to cut the gap to six once more, but at that stage the Dublin champions were content to keep the scoreboard ticking over, knowing that their opponents needed a major.
Charlie McMorrow and Tadgh McDonnell traded scores, before the elder O'Callaghan added another Cuala score.
Keating might have killed off the contest altogether with 20 minutes to go, but he saw his effort saved well by Markey after gather a high ball over the top.
At the other end, Fitzsimons reminded everyone of his class as he got over to cover and then challenge Dáire McConnon, as the full-forward looked like he might be in on goal.
The gap was down to five on 45 minutes as McConnon moved into space out right, before swinging the ball over, but again Cuala were able to offer a response as Niall O'Callaghan landed an effort on the roof of the net.
The sides are level! Two goals in a minute from St Mary's Ardee and all of a sudden this Leinster club SFC final is all square.
— RTÉ GAA (@RTEgaa) November 30, 2024
Game absolutely all the way on!#RTEgaa
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Eoin Kennedy had been black carded between those two scores, and Ardee got the goal they needed on 49 minutes as Ryan Rooney took advantage of an error by Cuala keeper Ryan Scollard under the high ball.
And then, amazingly, the sides were level as Seán Callaghan was played into space in front of Scollard's goal, and he finished superbly into the left corner.
Cuala were rattled but they hit back as Cal Doran settled the nerves with a point from the 21 yard line, but it was anyone's game now as goal-scorer Rooney hit another equaliser.
Keating and Rooney traded scores and both sides missed scoreable chances, before Keating popped up with the winner, from a free, in added time.
Cuala: Ryan Scollard; Danny Conroy (Michael Conroy 43), Mick Fitzsimons, Eoghan O'Callaghan, Eoin Kennedy, Charlie McMorrow, David O'Dowd (Shane Mangan 58); Peadar Ó Cofaigh Byrne, Peter Duffy; Cillian Dunne (Cathal Ó Giolláin 38), Conor O'Brien (Conor Groarke 44), Cal Doran, Luke Keating, Niall O'Callaghan, Con O'Callaghan.
Ardee: Tiernan Markey; Tadgh McDonnell, Karl Faulkner, Éimhín Keenan, Jonathan Commins (Carl Gillespie 53), Donal McKenny, Páraic McKenny; RJ Callaghan (Robert Leavy 58), Seán Callaghan; Ciarán Keenan, Liam Jackson, Kian Moran (Ryan Rooney 43), Shane Matthews (Rónán Carroll 43), Dáire McConnon, Tom Jackson.
Referee: Seamus Mulhare (Laois)
