Extra-time delight for Daingean Uí Chúis at Croke Park
Daingean Uí Chúis are the new All-Ireland club SFC champions, but boy does the tale of this epic final take some unravelling.
The short version is that substitute Mikey Geaney kicked the winning point, the score of his life at the very end of extra time at Croke Park.
In the process, he clinched a first title for his club, who have become the sixth from the county to lift the Andy Merrigan Cup.
The longer story is that this was a classic encounter that swung this way and that and was only decided after more than 80 punishing minutes.
For a while, we thought that Ruaidhrí Fallon might be the gamebreaker and that St Brigid's would secure a second title having previously won in 2013.
The Roscommon defender was exceptional, kicking 1-06, a haul that included the two-point score which took the game to extra time.
Fallon added three more points in extra time, opening up a three-point margin in the Connacht champions' favour at that stage.
Shane Cunnane was brilliant for Brigid's too, while Conor Hand and Brian Stack made huge contributions.
But there was simply no stopping Daingean Uí Chúis who, like the Kerry county team last July, emerged victorious at Croke Park in the national decider.
Dylan Geaney was man of the match for them with 0-06, but he can't have been too far ahead of Tom O'Sullivan in the reckoning.
Paul Geaney was hugely influential as well. Mark O'Connor, on loan from AFL outfit Geelong, played a big role at midfield too and will return to Australia with a giant smile on his face.
O'Sullivan tied the game up at the death with his fourth and fifth points of the evening, setting the stage for Mikey Geaney to etch his name in the club's history books.
Styles make fights and the kicking game of Daingean Uí Chúis clashing with the counter-attacking approach of St Brigid's was what produced this thriller.
Brigid's were quick to get back into their defensive shape when out of possession so the challenge for Daingean Uí Chúis was to be patient, recycle possession and work it to shooters like Paul Geaney and Dylan Geaney.
And that approach worked nicely for the side managed by Padraig Corcoran in the opening 10 minutes, propelling them into a four-point lead.
Tom O'Sullivan twice found the space to clip scores, the first after a one-two with Mark O'Connor, the second a wonderful spinning kick out off the outside of his boot.
Between those two points, Conor Flannery lofted over a two-pointer and when Dylan Geaney played a clever give-and-go with Paul Geaney and fired over, Daingean Uí Chúis led 0-05 to 0-01.
A turning point of sorts arrived in the 13th minute. Daingean Uí Chúis thought they'd extended their lead after a terrific move involving two sumptuous pieces of skill by Paul Geaney but Hawk-Eye ruled the score out.
From the resulting kick-out, Brigid's started a move that ended with a Fallon point. That score brought the midlanders right out of their shell as they reeled off 0-06 without response to take a 0-07 to 0-02 lead.
Now they were the ones probing and pressing and asking all sorts of tricky questions of the Daingean Uí Chúis defence. Fallon and Conor Hand clipped eye-catching scores during the blitzkrieg at the Hill 16 End.
Tadhg Browne and O'Sullivan pulled back points for Daingean Uí Chúis but Brigid's finished the half strongly, Bobby Nugent (above) twice pointing to leave Anthony Cunningham's side with a 0-09 to 0-07 interval lead.
A compelling game opened out into the classic we all expected in the second half.
Fallon's 39th minute goal was admittedly fortunate but hugely effective as it left St Brigid's with a 1-10 to 0-10 lead.
Hand's attempt at a two-pointer dropped just short, cannoning off the crossbar and back into play where Fallon was quickest to react, punching to the net.
Meanwhile, Daingean Uí Chúis counterpunched with a Dylan Geaney two-pointer, their second of the half after an earlier one from Mark O'Connor.
Paul Geaney remained prominent, winning a 45th-minute free that he pointed. The really significant thing about that episode was that Geaney was ankle-tripped by Pearse Frost, resulting in a black card for the Brigid's defender.
They were tied again at 0-14 to 1-11 before Daingean Uí Chúis nudged ahead with back-to-back scores from the excellent Browne.
Even after the allotted five minutes of stoppage time had elapsed, Daingean Uí Chúis still led by two points but couldn't hold out as Fallon found enough space to get a shot away from outside the arc that sensationally tied it up at 1-14 to 0-17.
Fallon continued to take centre stage in extra time, getting on the end of a goal chance and pointing before drilling another two-pointer.
But they couldn't put Daingean Uí Chúis away and their 1-17 to 0-19 lead at half-time of extra time was again cancelled out by a Dylan Geaney equaliser in the 71st minute.
Kerry star Dylan then went down with cramp after kicking a wide, underlining just how energy both teams were expending.
Daingean Uí Chúis had saved one last kick for the finish line though and reeled off the last three points of the game, from O'Sullivan (0-02) and then Mikey Geaney to seal a landmark win for the club.
Daingean Uí Chúis: Gavin Curran; Brian O'Connor, Tom O'Sullivan (0-05), Tom O'Sullivan; Aidan O'Connor, Conor Flannery (0-02, tp), Patrick O'Connor; Mark O'Connor (0-02, tp), Billy O'Connor; Tadhg Browne (0-03), Paul Geaney (0-03, 0-01f), Dylan Geaney (0-06, 1 tp); Conor Geaney (0-01), Matthew Flaherty, Niall Geaney.
Subs: Ned Ryan for Billy O'Connor 50, Mikey Geaney (0-01) for Flaherty 58. Sean Og Moran for Browne h/t e/t. Matthew Flaherty for Aidan O'Connor 78.
St Brigid's: Conor Carroll; Pearse Frost, Seán Trundle, Robbie Dolan; Ruaidhrí Fallon (1-06, 2 tp), Brian Stack (0-01), Paul McGrath; Shane Cunnane (0-05, 1 tp, 0-01 45), Eddie Nolan; Ciarán Sugrue, Conor Hand (0-03), Bobby Nugent (0-02, 0-01f); Ben O'Carroll (0-01), Mark Daly, Brian Derwin.
Subs: Ronan Stack for Nugent 48, Charlie O'Carroll (0-01) for Ben O'Carroll 55, Senan Kilbride for Daly 58. Eoghan Derwin for Sugrue h/t e/t, Ben O'Carroll for Brian Derwin h/t e/t, Eoin Sheehy for McGrath 76.
Referee: Martin McNally (Monaghan).
