Glenmore dash Eoghan Rua’s dreams at Croke Park

Glenmore (Kilkenny) 2-8 Eoghan Rua, Coleraine (Derry) 0-12

Alan Murphy’s 2-2 haul at Croke Park proved decisive as Kilkenny’s Glenmore, the 1991 senior club champions, added the AIB All-Ireland junior title to their list of achievements.

Without captain and Kilkenny star Ger Aylward due to a cruciate injury picked up in the semi-final, Glenmore struggled at times but held on for an anticipated win.

They got a great start when Murphy twice caught expertly and beat his man for eighth and 18th minute goals, opening up a nine-point gap.

But they surprisingly added just three more points for the rest of the game as the Derry men twice reduced the deficit to just three points.

Backboned by five McGoldrick brothers, and best known as a football club, Eoghan Rua recovered to trail by 2-6 to 0-6 at half-time and were only three behind with 15 minutes to go.

Ciaran Gaile’s seventh converted free for Coleraine brought it down to just a two-point game entering injury-time but Glenmore held on.

Glenmore: D Aylward; S Duggan, F Freyne, S Doherty; P Roche, R Mullally, M Phelan; S Murphy (0-1), D Aylward; J Cody, E Murphy (0-1), E Vereker; A Murphy (2-2), M Phelan, M Aylward (0-4, 0-4f). Subs: L Hennessy for D Aylward (h/t), B Doherty for Pheland (53), D Croke for S Murphy (62).

Eoghan Rua, Coleraine: P Mullan; C Lagan, B McGoldrick, L McGoldrick (0-1); A Rafferty, N Holly, P Dallas; SL McGoldrick (0-2), R Leonard; C Gaile (0-7, 0-7f), R Mooney, D Mullan; Ciaran McGoldrick, Colm Mc Goldrick (0-1), T Magee (0-1). Subs: None.

Referee: James Clarke (Cavan).