St Kieran’s College 3-19
St Brigid’s Loughrea 1-9
Trevor Spillane reports from O’Connor Park, Tullamore
CHAMPIONS ST KIERAN’S College are back in the All-Ireland senior hurling final.
A powerful performance from the Kilkenny school, led by their captain Adrian Mullen, helped them roar past St Brigid’s of Loughrea this afternoon and into a final meeting with Templemore on 25 March.
That final will see St Kieran’s bid to lift the Croke Cup for the fourth successive year.
Mullen was unstoppable, helping himself to 2-9 in a blistering performance in Tullamore. He nabbed 1-8 in the first half alone, his 18th minute goal coming in the middle of a spell where Kieran’s fired over 1-9 without reply.
St Brigid’s started with pace and power, taking the lead through points from Dylan Towolawi and Damian McGlynn, but once Kieran’s got motoring they were something else. With Mullen in charge they led by 1-14 to 0-3 at the break.
St Brigid’s rallied in the second half, helped by a fine 46th minute goal from Towolawi, but Kieran’s were never in danger of being caught.
Always comfortably ahead they stretched their lead to 13 points (2-18 to 1-8) when livewire forward Ciaran Brennan flashed home a 53rd minute goal.
Little over 60 seconds later they had a third, Mullen capping a fine performance with a rocket-like shot that screamed to the net.
Scorers for St Kieran’s College: Adrian Mullen 2-9 (0-5f), Ciaran Brennan 1-2, Eoghan Moylan 0-4, Daithi Barron 0-3, Ted Drea 0-1.
Scorers for St Brigid’s Loughrea: Dylan Towolawi 1-2, Conor Molloy 0-4 (0-2f), Damian McGlynn, Ronan Glennon, Donal Mannion 0-1 each.
St Kieran’s College
1. Dean Mason
2. Tommy Ronan
3. Michael Carey
4. Luke Murphy
5. Ben Lawlor
6. Martin Keoghan
7. Killian Egan
9. Diarmuid Phelan
12. Eoin O’Shea
15. Adrian Mullen
8. Ted Drea
11. Eoghan Moylan
13. Daithi Barron
14. Ciaran Brennan
10. Evan Shefflin
Subs
19 Sean Ryan for Shefflin, 31 mins;
20 Brian Staunton for Phelan, 42 mins;
22 Padraic Mullen for Drea, 53 mins;
18 Jesse Roberts for Brennan, 58 mins;
24 Ross Whelan for Lawlor, 60 mins.
St Brigid’s Loughrea
1. Brendan Lynch
2. Conor Delaney
3. Cian Mahony
4. Colin Curley
5. Ben Burke
6. Stephen Molloy
7. Vinnie Kenny
8. Ronan Glennon
12. Ben Moran
14. Donal Mannion
11. Dylan Towolawi
9. Sean Fallon
10. Jason Nevin
13. Conor Molloy
15. Damian McGlynn
Subs
30 Dylan Shaughnessy for Fallon, 31 mins
21 Keane Hollaway for Nevin, 35 mins
20 Niall Horan for Curley, 52 mins
17 Peter Martin for Burke, 55 mins
18 Martin Coen for McGlynn, 60 mins
Referee: Cathal McAllister (Cork)
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