Having failed to catch fire in the first half, Galway showed renewed purpose after the restart with the excellent Conroy notching his third before Cillian McDaid put Galway 0-8 to 0-6 up.
Armagh quickly reeled Galway in through Conaty and Rian O’Neill, and while Walsh finally opened his account with an expert left-footed strike on the turn, Tiernan Kelly’s immediate reply added to the Connacht side’s frustrations.
The critical moment arrived 10 minutes into the second half. Seconds after Walsh nailed a free to put Galway 0-10 to 0-9 up, McGeeney introduced Stefan Campbell and Ross McQuillan, two players who have been hugely effective off the bench throughout the championship.
Indeed, within seconds of entering the play, Campbell surged forward on the left, spotted an unmarked McKay in front of the Galway goal and teed up the defender to palm the ball past Connor Gleeson, prompting a huge roar from the Armagh supporters.
After Armagh forward Rory Grugan was forced off with injury following a lengthy stoppage, D’Arcy brought Galway back to within one before he and Walsh fired wides to raise tension in the Galway ranks.
Walsh kicked 0-9 in the 2022 final but he looked out of sorts at times here, following up that wide by dropping a mark short into Blaine Hughes’ hands.
Another Galway wide – from McDaid – was sandwiched between Niall Grimley and Oisin O’Neill scores, the latter a titanic effort that ratcheted up Armagh’s belief as they built a three-point lead with five minutes left.
But while D’Arcy and McDaid raised Galway hopes with scores, Walsh dropped a free short before Dylan McHugh’s effort went wide after clattering the outside of the post.
In the dying seconds, Niall Grimley’s effort came back off the post before Joe McElroy’s block on Conroy robbed Galway of the chance to find an equalising score in a frenetic and heart-stopping finale.
It paved the way for historic scenes at the full-time whistle as the Armagh players became icons of their county, completing their arc from the devastating lows of penalty trauma to Gaelic football’s ultimate high.
Amidst the euphoria, Jarly Og Burns sprinted up the steps of the Hogan Stand to embrace his father, GAA president Jarlath Burns, as an Armagh party that will go on for weeks erupted at Croke Park.
