McElroy’s heroics send Arles-Kilcruise through to Laois GAA IFC final at Kilcavan’s expense

Arles-Kilcruise are through to the Laois Shopping Centre IFC Final after producing a stirring late comeback to overcome Kilcavan in Annanough on Sunday afternoon.

With 20 minutes remaining, the game looked to be slipping away from Arles-Kilcruise. They trailed by six points, 1-7 to 0-4, and were facing into the teeth of a swirling gale that strongly favoured Kilcavan. At that stage, it seemed as though Kilcavan were destined to push on and claim a place in the decider against Park-Ratheniska.

However, Arles-Kilcruise summoned every ounce of determination and experience to turn the tide in dramatic fashion. The introduction of veteran Kevin Meaney midway through the second half proved to be a turning point, as his physical presence around the middle third helped his side seize control. From there, Arles-Kilcruise built momentum, kicking the final seven points of the contest to snatch victory by the narrowest of margins. It marked a stunning turnaround and ensured Arles-Kilcruise booked their place in a county final for the first time since 2022.

The opening exchanges were closely contested as Cian Ryle pointed an early free for Kilcavan. Kilcruise replied thanks to three points from the boot of lively forward Callum McElroy before Ryle added a second free to his name.

The momentum then shifted when Kilcavan carved out the game’s first major goal chance. A flowing move ended with Niall Lalor finding space, and he calmly slotted home a clinical goal to give Kilcavan a 1-2 to 0-3 advantage after 17 minutes.

As the first half wore on, Kilcavan looked the more threatening outfit as Ryle struck again before the interval with a superb two-point free into the wind. Eoin Mulhall got a point back for Arles-Kilcruise, which left Kilcavan firmly in control at half-time, holding a 1-4 to 0-4 lead.

After the restart, Kilcavan looked to press home their advantage with the strong wind at their backs. They stretched their lead further through points from Niall and Rory Lalor, along with Evan Hunt, to move six clear at 1-7 to 0-4. At that stage, Arles-Kilcruise’s prospects looked grim.

But Arles-Kilcruise showed tremendous spirit and resilience. Slowly but surely, they began to chip away at Kilcavan’s lead. Jack Behan started the fightback with a fine point, before the evergreen Ross Munnelly and sharp-shooting McElroy raised further white flags to narrow the gap. David Conway, showing all his experience, then stepped forward with two nerveless frees to leave just the minimum between the sides.

The tension was palpable as the clock ticked down. With three minutes to play, McElroy levelled matters. Then, only a minute later, he struck what proved to be the decisive score, curling over the winner to send the Arles-Kilcruise supporters into raptures.

There was still late drama to come. Deep into injury time, Kilcavan were awarded a free and up stepped Ryle, who had been their chief scorer all afternoon. His effort, a two-point free to steal back the win, looked destined to go over the bar, but agonisingly crashed back off the crossbar. Arles-Kilcruise scrambled the rebound to safety, and moments later, the final whistle sparked jubilant celebrations.

FINAL SCORE

Arles-Kilcruise 0-11

Kilcavan 1-7

SCORERS-- Arles-Kilcruise: Callum McElroy 0-6, David Conway 0-2 (frees), Ross Munnelly (free), Eoin Mulhall and Jack Behan 0-1 each. Kilcavan: Cian Ryle 0-4 (one two-point free), Niall Lalor 1-1, Evan Hunt and Rory Lalor 0-1 each

ARLES-KILCRUISE: Simon George; Ethan Mackey, Conal Brennan, Cialann Mulhall; Conor George, PJ Lawlor, Ben Slattery; David Lawlor, Caomhan Brennan; Calum McElroy, Jack Behan, Dylan Waters; Ross Munnelly, David Conway, Eoin Mulhall. Subs: Kevin Meaney for Caomhan Brennan (39), Aodhan Lowry for C George (55), Mick O'Shea for Waters (59)

KILCAVAN: Darragh McEvoy; Michael Hyland, Mick Bermingham, Ben O’Keeffe; Gavin Molloy, Robert Hunt, Niall Lalor; Gearoid Treacy, Aaron Tarpey; Declan White, Sean Lalor, Ronan Gorry; Cian Ryle, Evan Hunt, Rory Lalor. Subs: Tristan Hunt for R Hunt (44 mins blood, reversed 46 mins), Tristan Hunt for Treacy (46), Adam Molloy for White (50)

REFEREE: Hugh Coughlan (Park-Ratheniska)

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