'It was all down to graft, character, heart' - O'Reilly

Reaction

Down by three points and not playing anywhere near their best, Arva were in a difficult position at half-time in today’s All-Ireland Club final.

And yet, from somewhere, they summoned a superb second half to win the match by three, downing a fancied Listowel Emmets.

Asked what the dressing-room was like at the break and what message he had imparted to his players, manager Finbar O’Reilly distilled it into a few words.

“Well,” he said, “it was either play or lose and that was it.”

Arva made a couple of switches but, mostly, O’Reilly and his management focused on the need to up the work-rate and really go after the Kerrymen.

“We made one or two adjustments tactically, we had to get more pressure on their kick-outs so we talked about that. But ultimately it was all about our mindset and how we were going to approach that second half. It was slipping away from us, there was no doubt, if we didn’t step up… And everyone had to step up, step up in a big, big way and go at it. And start winning dirty ball, start putting pressure on their kick-outs.

“And that is what happened. I mean, we put the squeeze and ‘Holla’, Ciaran Brady, was on everything on the ground. We started to turn them over and you just could see the thing turning in our favour.

“And it was all down to graft, character, heart. That’s what was put to them at half-time and they responded and you could just see Listowel sort of wobbling and wilting and that’s just the reality of it.”

Arva left a lot of scores behind them, not that it matters now, O’Reilly agreed.

“Without a doubt, we could have won that by six or eight points, 10 points, if our efficiency had been better but listen, that’s it, it’s never a perfect picture. You’ve just got to react to what’s happening. We just brought greater energy, you’re talking about finishing runs, lads nearly ran on top of each other in the second half, it was such a change from the first half.

“Listen, football is not a perfect science and you have good halves and bad halves and thank God we lifted it at the right time.”

The Lacken clubman felt that, while not playing terribly in the first half, Arva were a little bit ponderous in their approach. That had to change and it did – in the second half, they were brilliant and hunted down Listowel with raw energy and a boldness not always seen from Cavan teams.

“I think everything bar our shooting was okay. We probably didn’t get enough joy on their kick-outs, they got out through us too easy but we had several chances that we just didn’t capitalise on, we just kicked them wide and kicked them short. And Listowel missed very little in the first half so I think that was the difference, not putting enough pressure on their kick-outs and not finishing ourselves.

“That left us under a lot of pressure… We just were a little bit off it, we just didn’t bring enough energy and commit enough bodies to the attack, we were a little bit flat-footed but we felt it was still in us, we felt we had the fitness and had the legs and if we could just tweak something in them at half-time, whether it’s a mental thing…

“We hit a nerve at half-time and by God we got the reaction, in terms of energy and character. And character is the big, big thing that shone through.”

O’Reilly admitted that the group had one eye on provincial and even national silverware from a long way out.

“I’d be telling a lie if I said it wasn’t (on the radar). The number one goal was to get out of Cavan and we knew we had a big, big challenge there in Knockbride. But we felt if we could get out of Cavan and into Ulster, we’d be as good as anything that we’d come across and if we performed consistently on the day, it would take a hell of a team to beat us.

“And I’ve said that consistently all year, if we could really perform it would take a hell of a team to beat us. And look where we’ve ended up.”

What made the difference?

“I think possibly a little bit of professionalism and working on the mentality. How they think and how they prepare and how they train. How you prepare for games… we would have put a lot of work into that. Getting right for game day, getting your tactics right, all of that. We set out our targets, no more than anybody else does, and it is game by game, hit your targets, get through the games and that’s it.

“What a club Arva are, they’re a terrific GAA people, great Arva people, great Cavan people, great followers of Cavan football.

“And what a bunch of men we have in that dressing room. They’re so easy to work with, so coachable, no nonsense with them. They’re a pleasure to work with and I am just so happy for them.

“What you saw there in the second half is why I came to Arva. They were in the Junior Championship, probably shouldn’t have been, but they were and that was it and we had to get out of it and move on. It’s the Ciaran Bradys, Johnny McCabes, Conal Sheridans, the Morrises, the Kevin Bouchiers – I’m watching those boys since they were minors and they’re outstanding footballers and I knew that was the level of performance they were capable of.

I’m so proud and so glad to be associated with them, that they were able to deliver that on the club’s greatest day and Cavan’s greatest day for quite a while.

Great, great people. It’s easy to stand here and say that in the position we’re in but I couldn’t have asked for any more, they have supported us incredibly. You have Hugh Hourican in the Boar’s Head and the Bradys and the Ellises and the Cullys, fantastic Arva people, Cavan people, GAA people, and they are so proud and teary-eyed now.”