‘They love their football and they love Arva. They are very, very proud Arva people’

IFC final preview

Damien Donohoe

Finbar O’Reilly has steered Arva on a remarkable journey since taking over as manager at the start of last year and will marshal the sideline this Sunday afternoon for their fourth championship final in 12 months. Even with all the success they have had, there doesn’t seem to be any sign of them letting up.

“The boys are very ambitious and they got a taste of a bit of success last year and they saw what hard work and commitment and dedication and all those things can get you and I suppose playing in Division 1 has stood to us over the last number of months and years.

“They believe in themselves and they are very dedicated boys. They’re very honest fellas and that reflects in their training and reflects in their performances. We’ve a lot of experience there too, Ciaran Brady and the Morrises and Johnny McCabe, Kevin Bouchier, they could be playing in their eight or ninth final if you take in last year so we’ve a lot of experience and a couple of really good young lads that have come through there and it’s a good mix.”

With big numbers available to pick from and an ever-growing panel, the former Cavan footballer explains why he thinks they have maintained this momentum.

“They love their football and they love Arva. They are very, very proud Arva people and what they experienced last year has led to a fear of that stopping. If you get a taste of that, it drives you on and there’s no fear of complacency or any of that sort of thing.

“It’s on to the next game and that’s the way we’ve treated it and the boys have treated it. It’s a while now since we’ve lost a match but each game is a huge challenge and that’s the way we take it.”

Each game on the journey has been a step-up over the last year and O’Reilly, who won three intermediate medals as a player with Lacken, expects another step-up against Butllersbridge.

“There’s no doubt about it, Butlersbridge made light work of Cuchulainns in the first game of the championship when they beat them by five points and I think that was maybe without Fionntan (O’Reilly) and Cathal Leddy, who may have only came on in that game.

“Butlersbridge won an intermediate two or three seasons ago and are a good side and I’d know a lot of them through schools football and that. They are a really up-and-coming club.

“They won the U14 (Division 1 championship) and an U15 double (Division 1) last year so they’re really coming strong. They’re unbeaten in this championship so it’s going to be a hell of a test in seven days’ time. We haven’t much of a turnaround here so I’m expecting a huge test, without a doubt.” Having drawn with Cuchulainns the first day, Arva have a week less than Butlersbridge to prepare for the final with just a seven-day turnaround but O’Reilly had immediately begun addressing that after the final whistle sounded and the Anglo-Celt caught up with him.

“It’s going to be a tight week, there’s no doubt. There’s an element now of 48 hours of just recovering, just mentally and physically coming down from that, because there was a huge emphasis put on this game here (with Cuchulainns) today.

“We knew there was going to be nothing in it so we have to come down off that and start mentally re-adjusting now to a final which is an animal of a game itself. Just the nature of it and the pressure that comes with it.

“We’ve a lot to do in a short space of time whereas Butlersbridge have had time to draw that out, get their house in order. So maybe it is advantage Butlersbridge in that regard.”

The flags and the bunting have stayed up in Arva for the last year but the community and the club and looking forward to this as much as any of the big occasions they’ve had in the past, O’Reilly notes.

“They’re on the crest of a wave and enjoying every moment of it. They went on a bit of a run back about nine or ten years ago with a couple of junior finals and intermediate finals so they feel there’s a repeat of that in some regard.

“This is three county finals in a row and nobody is taking any of that for granted. The people there love it and they are savouring every moment. It won’t last forever, it doesn’t last forever for anybody, but we’re back in a final.

“It’s our fourth championship final in 12 months, that’s a hell of a record now so hopefully we can go one further.”