Runners-up in 2019 - the last occasion for this All Ireland due to Covid - Kilkerrin-Clonberne turned the tables on their opponents Mourneabbey to claim their first currentaccount.ie All-Ireland Senior Club title at the weekend.
In doing so Kilkerrin-Clonberne is first Galway club to win this coveted title since Galway Gaels in 1982. They denied the Co Cork side a third-in-a-row - the only team to claim that achievement was the great Ballymacarbry side of Waterford which put together a seven-year unbeaten run from 1989 to 1995.
Kilkerrin-Clonberne manager Willie Ward said once his side was able to negotiate the Mourneabbey challenge early, it was well on its way to a first currentaccount.ie All-Ireland Senior club title.
Chloe Miskell scored the crucial goal and 0-5 from Olivia Divilly helped secure this historic victory at St Brendan’s Park.
The Galway champions had suffered heartbreak when these sides faced-off in the 2019 decider, but this season it was Kilkerrin-Clonberne which looked like the team with all of the experience in the closing stages in Birr.
“Absolutely brilliant," says Willie Ward. "It’s amazing for the whole parish, everyone came out to support us.
"The confidence of the team grew towards the end. They were quite comfortable keeping the ball, comfortable on the ball. We knew exactly what we needed to do."
Ward says the team had arrived in the morning in good form, if nervous, and the initial few minutes of the game were always going to be a bit edgy.
“I knew we were beginning to settle into it, and I felt that nerves weren’t going to be a factor after we got five minutes over.”
Laura Fitzgerald scored her 11th goal in four club games, but Mourneabbey had gone into half-time 1-6 to 1-4 in arrears.
Doireann O’Sullivan scored first from a free for the Co Cork side, and by the time she tapped over her third point in the 22nd minute, Kilkerrin-Clonberne were already well in charge.
Eva Noone, Olivia Divilly, Ailish Morrissey and Nicola Ward were all on target, while Miskell scored the goal from distance in the 12th minute.
Ward’s side looked relatively comfortable until Fitzgerald scored from a penalty with the last kick of the half. Nevertheless, Kilkerrin-Clonberne were composed on the resumption and Olivia Divilly scored again.
Doireann O’Sullivan scored twice, but those points were cancelled out, and when Ciara O’Sullivan scored Mourneabbey’s first point from play there were only 10 minutes remaining. The Waterford side was not helped when Niamh and Doireann O'Sullivan picked up yellow cards, and when Kilkerrin-Clonberne went 1-10 to 1-7 in front, they held Mourneabbey scoreless from here with Eva Noone having the final say when she finished a move involving Nicola and Louise Ward to restore Kilkerrin Clonberne's four-point cushion and ensure they were crowned champions..
“Heartbroken," said Mourneabbey manager Shane Ronayne. “They didn’t perform and that’s not any way disrespectful to Kilkerrin-Clonberne, they had a great game plan, they executed it, we didn’t execute what we were meant to do."
Scorers : Kilkerrin-Clonberne: O Divilly 0-5 (3f ), C Miskell 1-0, E Noone 0-2 (1f ), A Morrissey 0-2, N Ward 0-1, L Ward 0-1.Mourneabbey: D O’Sullivan 0-6 (6f ), L Fitzgerald 1-0 (1-0 pen ), C O’Sullivan 0-1.
KILKERRIN-CLONBERNE: L Murphy; A Costello, S Gormally, C Costello; S Fahy, N Ward, C Dunleavy; S Divilly, H Noone; O Divilly, L Ward, L Noone; E Noone, C Miskell, A Morrissey.Subs: N Divilly for Miskell (42 ), K Mee for Fahy (47 ), A Clarke for Morrissey (52 ), M Flanagan for L Noone (60 ).
MOURNEABBEY: M O’Sullivan; M Burke, E Meaney, K Coakley; A Ryan, M O’Callaghan, E Jack; E Coakley, N O’Sullivan; E Harrington, R O’Sullivan, B O’Sullivan; C O’Sullivan, D O’Sullivan, L Fitzgerald.Subs: A Cronin for Harrington (39 ), D Cronin for Jack (53 ), A O’Sullivan for Burke (57 ).
Referee: Kevin Phelan (Laois )
