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2021 / 2022 AIB GAA Hurling All-Ireland Intermediate Club Championship Final – Naas (Kildare) 0-16 Kilmoyley (Kerry) 1-11

February 5, 2022 @ 5:00 pm - 7:00 pm

Naas (Kildare) defeated Kilmoyley (Kerry) by 0-16 to 1-11 in the 2021 / 2022 AIB GAA Hurling All-Ireland Intermediate Club Championship Final on Saturday February 5th at Croke Park.

Match Highlights

Landmark for Kildare hurling as Naas withstand Kilmoyley comeback

Report by Paul Keane for the Irish Examiner newspaper

AIB All-Ireland Club IHC Final: Naas (Kildare) 0-16 Kilmoyley (Kerry) 1-11

A courageous Croke Park display secured the AIB All-Ireland intermediate club title for Naas on a landmark evening for Kildare hurling.

Tom Mullally’s side dug deep in difficult conditions to fend off a spirited Kilmoyley comeback that came up just short.

John Meyler’s Kilmoyley turned a six-point deficit with 19 minutes remaining into a one-point game late on, thanks mainly to sub Daire Nolan’s 53rd minute goal.

But in a novel final between the Kildare and Kerry champions, it was the Leinster champions that held out for a maiden title success that few would have predicted.

James Burke’s 63rd-minute point for Naas nudged them two points clear and proved to be the insurance score that secured a famous win.

It was particularly sweet for Burke as he and Brian Byrne, who scored three points, were on the Naas football team that lost the AIB Leinster club senior final four weeks ago at Croke Park.

But it was desolation for back to back Kerry champions Kilmoyley who fell behind Naas in the second quarter and played catchup from there on.

Former Cork, Wexford, Carlow and Kerry manager Meyler opted to forsake a forward in order to play Dougie Fitzell as an extra defender in the Kilmoyley defence.

Richard Hogan was the spare man at the back for Naas and he was more prominent in a first half that the Kildare men edged by 0-11 to 0-7.

Daniel Collins, twice defeated with Kerry in Joe McDonagh Cup finals at Croke Park in 2020 and 2021, did give Kilmoyley an early two-point lead but the scores quickly dried up for them.

Maurice O’Connor, who’d struck 5-9 since the county final, was well marshalled and the limited supply of ball coming his way didn’t help the goal-poacher.

O’Connor’s sole first-half point – and, surprisingly, his only point in the entire game – came during a burst of Kilmoyley scoring which briefly nudged them 0-6 to 0-5 ahead at the 20-minute mark.

But Naas responded with six points on the trot to take firm control of the game for the first time, leaving them with that four-point half-time lead.

Simon Leacy and Byrne scored two of the more eye-catching Naas points as they put the Munster champions under real pressure.

Naas scores in the third quarter from Burke, free-taker Jack Sheridan and Rian Boran stretched the gap out to six points, 0-14 to 0-8.

Conditions got worse as the rain fell even harder and Kilmoyley staged an impressive revival with Collins, Jordan Brick and Paudie O’Connor all pointing before Nolan’s well-taken goal.

They just couldn’t get level though and Burke settled Naas with his stoppage-time point.

Naas scorers: J Sheridan (0-4, 4 frees); B Byrne & S Ryan (0-3); R Boran, S Leacy & J Burke (0-2 each).

Kilmoyley scorers: D Collins (0-7, 5 frees); D Nolan (1-0); J Brick (0-2); M O’Connor & P O’Connor (0-1 each).

NAAS: C Gallagher; C Gormley, R Hogan, J McKeon; S Gainey, R Kelly, K Whelan; R Boran, S Leacy; K Aherne, B Byrne, J Burke; J Sheridan, C Dowling, S Ryan.
Subs: C Boran for Kelly (46-49, blood); C Boran for McKeon (52); Conor Dowling for Cathal Dowling (55); K Kelleher for Ahern (62); I Blackburne for Sheridan (66).

KILMOYLEY: JB O’Halloran; D Kennedy, C Savage, F McCarthy; D Fitzell; R Collins, M Flaherty, T Murnane; P O’Connor, K McCarthy; J Brick, D Collins, D McCarthy; J Godley, M O’Connor.
Subs: R Walsh for McCarthy (39); D Nolan for McCarthy (45); S Maunsell for Godley (62); McCarthy for Walsh (65-67, blood).

Ref: C Mooney (Dublin).

Match Coverage

Details

Date:
February 5, 2022
Time:
5:00 pm - 7:00 pm

Venue

Croke Park

GAA Units

Clare GAA
Cork GAA
Kerry GAA
Limerick GAA
Tipperary GAA
Waterford GAA
US GAA