Brennan enjoys a choking release

As they were able to quench their thirst at last, and drink from the AIB League trophy for the first time, St Mary's heaved a collective sigh of relief. At Lansdowne Road on Saturday, the Templeville Road outfit removed a huge monkey from their backs.

The two preceding semi-final defeats had left scars on Trevor Brennan and his team-mates. St Mary's had, by his own admission, "choked" in last season's semi-final defeat at Garryowen "and there was always that fear that we'd choke again. But I just felt that once we had broken that semi-final voodoo, nothing was going to stop us. "But again, I also feel that Brent Pope has brought so much mental toughness into the side that hasn't been there before . . . and I think possibly our discipline was great whereas in the past it hasn't been.

"To be able to walk into that club in 10 or 15 years' time, and to look at your picture up on the wall and say: `I was part of the team that lifted the first AIL trophy in Dublin' means so much."

Brennan's choice as Man of the Match provoked little debate, least of all among the St Mary's men.

"Like cricket, I suppose, when you needed a captain's knock he gave it to you. I'm pleased for Trevor. It goes some of the way to making up for the disappointment of missing out on the tour," said Brent Pope.

For the St Mary's coach, there was some personal redemption after his sending-off in the decisive game against Young Munster seven years previously.

"Next season comes our centenary year, that cup's in our trophy cabinet, it has our name on it, and that's never happened before. At least this Mary's side, for right or for wrong, can say we have won the top prize in club rugby, and that can never be taken from us."

David O'Mahony, the captain of Lansdowne, was still in a state of high dudgeon outside the team's dressing-room over some contentious decisions by Alan Lewis.

"It's a shame that we didn't get the ball as wide as we would have liked but I think the game turned on two decisions. We could have had a try before half-time, we didn't, and they went down and scored three points so it was a ten-point turnaround.

"He gave a penalty for the high tackle but he could have easily given a penalty-try. The high tackle prevented him (Gordon D'Arcy) from getting in. Had he been tackled around the ankles he would have scored.

"If we had we scored just before half-time I think we would have won the game . . . if there was another five minutes I think we would have won the game too.

"I'd like to know where the referee only got two minutes of injury-time. I thought there were a lot of stoppages in the second half, a lot of substitutions.

"The sin binning (of Aidan McCullen) was a huge blow," added O'Mahony. "He (McCullen) never touched his head, he rucked the body. It's a physical game. My body has a lot of ruck marks on it.

"I really think it was a disgraceful decision. We're not here to play tiddlywinks and in a league final . . . jeeze. The more I think about it the more annoyed I get about it."