In the All-Ireland JFC final, New York narrowly triumphed over London by a scoreline of 0-13 to 0-12, similarly to the previous year in which they also took home the title. Despite trailing at the start of the second half, New York managed to seize control of the game, scoring seven of the next eight points, providing them with a much-needed advantage.
Ever since the junior championship was reestablished three years ago in 2022, centring primarily on non-domestic teams, New York has demonstrated consistent prowess, having reached all three finals and securing victory in the most recent two. Shay McElligott, a veteran player from last year’s win against Kilkenny, contributed six points on this occasion, comprising of different types of scores.
In continuation of their lead, New York managed to nullify London’s late game rally to clinch the All-Ireland junior football championship for yet another year. Halfway into the second half, New York had a comfortable five point advantage, courtesy of stellar performances from midfield maestro Gearóid Kennedy and Thomas Shalvey, who contributed two crucial points at decisive moments.
Further aiding New York’s dominance was the dismissal of London midfielder Ryan O’Connell in the 41st minute, which reduced London to one man less. Nevertheless, despite this disadvantage, London managed to score the final four points of the match, closing the scoring gap to a mere single point before the final whistle blew, extinguishing their hopes of a recovery.
The teams remained unchanged from their semi-final matches; New York had previously defeated All-Britain finalists Warwickshire with a score of 0-11 to 0-8, while London overcame tournament debutants USGAA with a scoreline of 1-8 to 0-10. New York set off on a positive note, mirroring their previous year’s victory over Kilkenny, by dominating the first quarter. However, London retaliated in the following quarter, outpacing New York and equalising the score at half-time.
The match swung in favour of New York after they secured seven out of the next eight points, following Rhys Lennon’s goal that initially gave London the lead just after half-time. Players McElligott and Shalvey were exceptional during this phase of play, contributing two points each. This presented a substantial challenge for London to overcome. London almost managed to respond, concluding the match with the final four points, two of which were scored by substitute Ryan Kearney.
The New York team included R Corrigan, P Cronin, P Mathers, S Doheny, I Kavanagh, D Curran, A Traynor, C and T Shalvey, G and L Kennedy, A Lawlor, D Corridan, E Loughran, B Coughlan and S McElligott, with McElligott achieving six points during the game. C O’Connor also joined in place of Loughran after 56 minutes, with L Kennedy substituting C Shalvey at 41 minutes.
The London team included G McEvoy, E Reilly, P O’Reilly, D Byrne, M Tierney, R McCready, A McGarvey, D Griffin, R O’Connell, N Maher, R Lennon, R Forde, M Joyce, A McNulty and S Hickey. Ryan Kearney and T Waters took over from Joyce and McNulty at half-time, and D Lynch, B Rice and C Houlihan replaced Maher, Byrne, and McGarvey at 45, 45 and 61 minutes respectively.
The match was officiated by Referee C Dourneen from Cavan.