St. Flannan's, Ennis 2-15 St. Kieran's, Kilkenny 2-12 St. Flannan's College, Ennis lifted the Croke Cup for the first time since 1999 at Semple Stadium on Monday, May 2, and, in the process, denied St. Kieran's a third All-Ireland title on the trot. The Clare college won the All-Ireland crown for the 13th time after finishing with a late scoring burst. St. Kieran's held a one-point lead at the interval, 2-5 to 1-7, and were looking strong until St. Flannan's rallied in the closing stages. St. Flannan's joint-managers Jamesie O'Connor and Con Woods took a big gamble on playing injured captain James McInerney. But the decision to play him, and especially to switch him from midfield to full forward in the final quarter, really paid off as he played a key role in the dying stages when the game was in the melting pot. Bernard Gaffney, who scored 1-3 from play, found the net for St. Flannan's in the seventh minute after Colin Ryan's sideline cut caused havoc in the St. Kieran's defence. But a minute later, Flannan's goalkeeper Pat Kelly was badly at fault as Richie Hogan goaled following a delivery from his brother, Patrick. Patrick Hogan added St. Kieran's second goal in first half injury-time, but Flannan's wing forward Niall Killeen struck a crucial goal four minutes after the break. The sides were level twice in the final 10 minutes, but then Gaffney (twice) and Colin Ryan (free) hit unanswered points to give St. Flannan's a dramatic win. Tweet

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