Colleges football All-Ireland senior semi-final/ St Mary's 1-11 An Spioraid Naoimh 0-8: A highly efficient St Mary's, Galway carried too many big guns for first-timers Coláiste An Spioraid Naoimh in Kilmallock on Saturday.
The Galway side will be appearing in the senior football final for the fourth time, and seeking their first success.
Spioraid Naoimh, who had Cork senior Michael Shields playing in midfield and had emerged from Munster for the first time, knew they had it all do to at the halfway stage when they trailed by 0-8 to 0-2.
Paul Conroy opened the scoring for St Mary's and his point was followed by points from Philip Lydon, David O'Connell and Diarmuid Lee, while the Cork school replied through Paul Fitzgerald and Ricky Kenny, who each struck points.
Shields and Denis Maher edged the now wind-assisted Spioraid Naoimh closer within five minutes of the restart, but Conroy chipped in with the vital goal, in the 45th minute, after Lee's parried shot fell to the St Mary's corner forward and his snap shot found the net.
That goal effectively killed off the game as a contest by giving St Mary's an unassailable 1-10 to 0-5 lead.
ST MARY'S: R Hannon; F Duggan, J Ruane, K O'Connor; G Joyce, G Bradshaw, K Sheridan; E Hoare (0-1), C Bohan; D Lee (0-1), R McCann, P Lydon (0-2); P Conroy (1-3, 0-2 frees), E Concannon (0-2), D O'Connell (0-2).
COLAISTE AN SPIORAID NAOIMH: K O'Halloran; E Byrne (0-1), K O'Driscoll, N Collins; M Power, T Creed, R O'Dwyer; M Shields (0-1), E McCann; K Corbett, B Noonan, P Fitzgerald (0-1); D Maher (0-1), R Kenny (0-3, two frees), P Honohan. Subs: M Collins for Corbett, A Seymour (0-1) for Maher, M O'Donoghue for Byrne, E O'Sullivan for Fitzgerald.
Referee: M Meade (Limerick).
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