St Gall's v Kilmurry-Ibrickane All-Ireland club final

[Bainisteoir]

St Gall's are strongly fancied against the Connacht champions but do you think they can go one step further this time?

[AFS]

St Gall's are strongly fancied against the Munster champions but do you think they can go one step further this time?

Fixed that for ya

[Bainisteoir]

Fixed that for ya

Doh!

[corn02]

Best of luck to St Galls. A fantastic side.

[Bainisteoir]

St Gall's held their nerve to clinch an emotional AIB All-Ireland Club Football triumph against a very disappointing Kilmurry-Ibrickane side.
After Kieran McGourty's initial point, Gall's were briefly jolted by a Stephen Moloney goal for the Clare side.
But Kilmurry managed only one further point in the first half as St Gall's led 0-8 to 1-1 at the interval.
Gall's didn't have to get out of second gear in the second half as Kilmurry failed to summon up a comeback.
CJ McGourty top-scored with three points for Gall's but it was not a match laden with inspired individual displays.
The neutrals in the Croke Park audience and the watching television audience will not remember the contest fondly but that won't bother the joyous St Gall's faithful who celebrated heartily a victory that atoned for the agonising one-point final defeat by Salthill four years ago.
Kieran McGourty slotted an opening score for Gall's after only 15 seconds but the Antrim champions were rocked less than a minute later by Moloney's goal.
Declan Callinane won the ball after the kickout and the Gall's defence was caught napping as Moloney calmly slotted past Ronan Gallagher.
But Gall's quickly regrouped with CJ McGourty banging over a '45 after his goal attempt had been deflected wide by keeper Dermot O'Brien.
After a scrappy 10 minutes, Gall's levelled in the 17th minute with Aodhan Gallagher striking a towering point.
CJ McGourty's thumping free from nearly 50 metres edged Gall's ahead two minutes later and Anto Healy and the impressive Kevin McGourty quickly added further points.
Kevin McGourty was Gall's most influential performer in the opening 20 minutes as he ran at the Kilmurry defence and also used the ball intelligently.
Johnny Daly finally added to Kilmurry's earlier goal by notching a 25th-minute point but excellent scores from play from Terry O'Neill and Kevin McGourty left Gall's four ahead at the break.
Gall's should have been further ahead at the break, as Rory Gallagher had struck three wides before the interval.
Kilmurry needed quick scores after the break but instead, Gall's killed off the contest with three unanswered scores from the lively Kevin Niblock, CJ McGourty and Sean Burke.
Stephen Moloney notched Kilmurry's third score in the 43rd minute but Rory Gallagher responded with an immediate fisted point, as he wisely elected not to shot for goal.
If there was a disappointing aspect for the neutral, it was the way Gall's didn't push on in the final quarter.
Granted they knew that Kilmurry did not have the class to launch a fightback but more fluent Gall's football in the closing stages would have put a better seal on their victory.
Indeed, Gall's were held scoreless for the final 16 minutes of normal time as Ian McInerney, Maloney and Michael Dwyer hit Kilmurry points.
Thankfully, Niblock did remind of Gall's quality in injury-time as he kicked over a long-range score.
The joyous Gall's celebrations followed and suffice a say, a big night was on the cards in the clubrooms in west Belfast.
St Gall's scorers: CJ McGourty 0-3, Kevin McGourty 0-2, K Niblock 0-2, A Healy 0-1, S Burke 0-1, A Gallagher 0-1, T O'Neill 0-1, Rory Gallagher 0-1, Kieran McGourty 0-1.
Kilmurray-Ibrickane scorers: S Moloney 1-2, I McInerney 0-1, M O'Dwyer 0-1, J Daly 0-1.