Ardee St. Mary's suffer Leinster final heartbreak against Cuala

Ardee St. Mary’s came heartbreakingly close to making history but were defeated by the narrowest margins against Dublin’s Cuala in the AIB Leinster Club Senior Football Championship final at Croke Park on Saturday evening.

Ardee’s fighting spirit shone through in a game of two contrasting halves but it was not enough to overturn an early onslaught by the Dublin champions, who secured a one-point victory.

The game began ominously for Ardee as Cuala stormed out of the blocks and surged into a 1-6 to 0-0 lead within the opening 20 minutes to leave the Louth champions trying to get a hold of the game.

Cuala’s star forward Con O’Callaghan, his brother Niall, and veteran Luke Keating were instrumental in building that early advantage.

The first goal came in the 15th minute when O’Callaghan set up Conor O’Brien to hammer home a well-worked team move.

By the time Keating added another point to the early blitz the Ardee men found themselves in trouble and unable to cope with Cuala’s attack.

The St. Mary’s defence struggled to contain O’Callaghan as he managed six shots on goal in the opening 12 minutes which included two points and an effort that struck the crossbar.

Cuala’s midfield dominance of Peadar O’Cofaigh Byrne and Peter Duffy ensured the Louth side had little opportunity to settle into the game.

It was not until the 22nd minute that Ardee finally registered on the scoreboard, courtesy of a free from Ciarán Keenan.

Further frees from Jonathan Commins and goalkeeper Tiernan Markey added to their tally to give them a glimmer of hope going into halftime.

Ardee St. Marys were behind by seven points at the interval 1-7 to 0-3 as the task ahead looked daunting but not insurmountable.

Cathal Murray’s troops emerged from the dressing room with a renewed determination as the game began to open up.

Points from C. Keenan, Dáire McConnon, and Tadhg McDonnell chipped away at Cuala’s lead, but it was not until the 46th minute that the game truly came alive.

A black card for Cuala’s Eoin Kennedy handed Ardee a numerical advantage and they capitalised with two goals in quick succession.

Substitute Ryan Rooney had an immediate impact off the bench and was the first to hit the back of the net to reduce the deficit.

His speculative McDonnell high ball was not dealt with by Cuala keeper Ryan Scollard and Rooney was quickest to react as he raised the green flag.

Seán Callaghan fired home a brilliant finish just over a minute later to level the game to the delight of the St. Mary’s supporters.

It seemed the Louth men might become the first team from their county to claim the Leinster title as momentum began to build for Ardee.

However, Cuala regrouped and showed their mettle in the closing stages when a composed point from Cal Doran restored their lead before Rooney replied with another score for Ardee.

It was Luke Keating who delivered for Cuala in the dying moments when the teams were locked in a gripping battle.

After Michael Fitzsimons earned a free, Keating held his nerve to slot over the decisive point in injury time to seal a historic win for the Dublin side.

The defeat will undoubtedly sting for St. Mary’s but there are plenty of positives to take from their performance.

Their second-half display was a testament to their character and was spearheaded by Rooney, who finished with 1-2, and Keenan, who contributed three points.

The defensive unit led by Donal McKenny also grew into the game and nullified Cuala’s attacking threat for much of the second half.

Although Ardee never managed to take the lead, the resilience shown in clawing back a nine-point deficit speaks volumes about this team, and they can hold their heads high.

The journey ends here for St. Mary’s but the lessons learned and the confidence gained from this campaign will certainly fuel their ambitions for 2025.

Cuala: Ryan Scollard; Danny Conroy, Charlie McMorrow (0-1), Eoghan O'Callaghan; Eoin Kennedy (0-1), Michael Fitzsimons (0-1), David O'Dowd; Peadar O’Cofaigh Byrne, Peter Duffy; Niall O'Callaghan (0-2), Cal Doran (0-1), Cillian Dunne; Luke Keating (0-3, 2f), Con O'Callaghan (0-4, 2f), Conor O'Brien (1-1).

Subs: Cathal O’Giollain on for Cillian Dunne 37’, Michael Conroy on for Danny Conroy 43’, Conor Groarke on for Conor O'Brien 43’, Shane Mangan on for David O'Dowd 57’.

Ardee St. Mary's: Tiernan Markey (0-1, 1f); Tadhg McDonnell (0-1), Karl Faulkner, Éimhín Keenan; Jonathan Commins (0-2, 1f), Donal McKenny, Páraic McKenny; R.J. Callaghan, Seán Callaghan (1-0); Ciarán Keenan (0-3, 3f), Liam Jackson, Kian Moran; Shane Matthews, Dáire McConnon (0-1), Tom Jackson.

Subs: Rónán Carroll on for Shane Matthews 43’, Ryan Rooney (1-2) on for Kian Moran 43’, Carl Gillespie for Jonathan Commins 53’, Robert Leavy for R.J. Callaghan 58’.

Referee: Seamus Mulhare (Laois).