The Galway captain is replaced by Céin D’Arcy in midfield, but Kelly is fit enough to take his place on the bench and performed the pre-match toss.
Sean Kelly has been ruled out of the Galway team.
Armagh team are out on the pitch
Armagh manager Kieran McGeeny’s nickname ‘Geezer’ dates back to his childhood and a friend who gave him the label on a day when they were discussing geysers in class. McGeeney was fiery of temper back in those days apparently.
Sean Hurson will referee his 34th Championship match today when he takes charge of the All Ireland football final at Croke Park. It will be the second senior final over which the Galbally Pearses club man has presided having taken charge of the 2022 decider between eventual champions Kerry and Galway.
He also refereed the All-Ireland Minor Final in 2018, U20 All-Ireland Final in 2021 and the All-Ireland Senior Club Final in 2022 and the All-Ireland Football Final in 2022. He referred the group game between tomorrow’s protagonists Armagh and Galway.
His umpires will be Martin Coney and Cathal Forbes both from the Ardboe O’Donovan Rossa club, Mel Taggart from Clonoe O’Rahilly’s and Shane Dorrity from Coalisland Na Fianna. The line umpires are Kildare’s Brendan Cawley, who will be the standby referee, and Roscommon’s Paddy Neilan. The sideline official is Derek O’Mahony from Tipperary.
Galway are out on the pitch.
Sean Boylan and his Meath All Ireland winning team of 1999 are honoured before the game.
A poignant image ahead of today’s game at Croke Park
It’s important to stay hydrated on a warm afternoon, something that the Armagh and Galway supporters have taken to heart.
Michael Murphy goes man for man with the Armagh team here
If you want to know more about the Galway team Irish Times columnist Darragh O’Sé provides his insight here.
Malachy Clerkin wrote: “They buried Pádraig O’Neill on Wednesday. The funeral was in Carlingford, at St Michael’s Church at the top of the village where the Cooley Mountains finish their tumble down into the Lough. He played for Louth and for Armagh back in the day, a hardy corner back alongside his brother Gareth. “He won three Sigerson Cups in the 1980s with Ulster University. He played for Cooley Kickhams until he was nearly 40.
“A fortnight ago, Pádraig O’Neill left Croke Park after watching Gareth’s boys Rian and Oisin see Armagh through to their first All-Ireland final in 21 years. He and his wife Susan headed for home but they weren’t in the car long before he suffered a heart attack. It happened seven minutes away from Beaumont Hospital, so he couldn’t have got quicker or better treatment. But the damage was too great. He died six days later, at the criminally young age of 58.
You can read the full article on Armagh’s Rian O’Neill here
Galway last won the final in 2001, their ninth success in the competition, and the team that succeeded them, Armagh, who recorded their only win in 2002. Today’s managers, Galway’s Pádraic Joyce and Kieran McGeeney (Armagh), played in those respective All-Ireland title winning teams, the latter as captain under Joe Kernan’s stewardship.
Hello and welcome to the Irish Times blog for the All-Ireland Football Final between Armagh and Galway at Croke Park. John O’Sullivan here and I’ll take you through all the afternoon’s build-up and then the action once the game starts.
I’m not sure how many people would have envisaged a final between these two teams prior to the start of the Championship but there’s no quibbling that Armagh and Galway having thoroughly merited their respective places at Croke Park today for Gaelic football’s marquee occasion.
The teams are very familiar with each other, having met three times during the Championship since 2022. On the first occasion, two years ago, Galway won a titanic tussle on penalties, Armagh then edged out the Tribesmen by a point in game two, while in June the teams drew thanks to a late Stefan Campbell point in a group clash at Markievicz Park.
Irish Times GAA correspondent Sean Moran has a definite view on the outcome of today’s game. He wrote: “It may be that Armagh, whose progress has been thoroughly admirable, will be further liberated by finally getting to the All-Ireland but the view here is that Galway are a more seasoned unit, enjoying better form from key players, and can achieve the landmark of moving into double figures on the roll of honour.
Here are the teams:
ARMAGH: B Hughes; P Burns, A McKay, B McCambridge; C Mackin, T Kelly, A Forker (capt); N Grimley, B Crealey; J McElroy, R O’Neill, O Conaty; R Grugan, A Murnin, C Turbitt.
Subs: E Rafferty, G McCabe, P, McGrane, C Higgins, R McQuillan, S McPartlan, J Duffy, O O’Neill, S Campbell, A Nugent, J Burns.
GALWAY: C Gleeson; J McGrath, S Fitzgerald, J Glynn; D McHugh, L Silke, S Mulkerrin; P Conroy, S Kelly (capt); M Tierney, J Maher, C McDaid; R Finnerty, D Comer, S Walsh.
Subs: C Flaherty, J Daly, E Kelly, D O’Flaherty, K Molloy, C Sweeney, C Darcy, J Heaney, L Ó Conghaile, T Culhane, N Daly.
