Na Fianna 3-16; Kilmacud Crokes 2-18
You had to pity Kilmacud as a club as in successive weeks both their senior footballers and hurlers have lost finals to late, late scores.
Last week it was Cuala who shocked their neighbors but on Sunday in Parnell Park, old foes Na Fianna came up with an injury time goal when two points behind to retain their Go-Ahead Ireland Dublin Senior Hurling Championship title.
These teams never fail to deliver pride and passion - and tense finales when they meet at the latter stages of this competition. Sunday was no different when the southside club must have felt they had done the hard work to earn victory only for Ciarán Stacey to get onto the end of play to flick the ball home from a blocked Paul O’Dea attempt to keep Jonno Tracey’s half-cleared free alive.
Doon 0-16; Na Piarsaigh 2-9
Adam English led from the front and his 11 points were enough for Doon to make history by winning their first ever Limerick senior hurling title against the mighty Na Piarsaigh at the TUS Gaelic Grounds on Sunday evening.
Overwhelming favorites Na Piarsaigh scored two early goals from Adrian Breen and Daithi Dempsey and looked to be on their way to yet another Treaty-side crowning.
However Doon refused to read that script and by half-time, largely due to English, they had whittled away at the lead and were only a point behind 2-3 to 0-8 at the break.
Shane Dowling landed a 65m for Na Piarsaigh at the start of the second half and it looked like it might signal a second coming of scores for the champs. However once more, Doon showed the greater desire and with 20 minutes left, they had equalized thanks to their outstanding captain Darragh O’Donovan.
Doon players are overcome with joy at winning the club's first-ever county championship title in Limerick. [Inpho/James Crombie]
English and Dowling swapped scores before, Barry Murphy, Pat Ryan and English again gave the underdogs a three point advantage - 0-15 to 2-6, with only a few minutes left,
Fit again Peter Casey weighed in with an excellent point and Ronan Lynch and Dylan Lynch levelled the game for a third time with the clock now in red zone.
Cometh the hour, cometh the men as that man English stepped up to sail the ball between the posts for a historic score for his side.
Dr Crokes 3-8; Daingean Uí Chúis 0-11
They say that psychologically a goal can be worth more than three points to a team. So the rain-swept crowd in Austin Stack Park Tralee needed no one to tell them what a boost scoring three in a six-minute spell between the 44nd and 48th minute would mean to Dr Crokes as they came from behind to storm to their 14th title victory.
Leading 0-6 to 0-4 at the break, the Dingle squad extended that advantage from the throw-in but then their engine seized just as they looked like they had a foot on the Crokes jugular.
Arguably if Tom Leo O'Sullivan shot had gone in for a goal shortly after, it would have got their engine ticking over again. Instead it was saved and a short time later, David Shaw got in for the first goal of the game which kickstarted a Crokes revival.
Barry O’Sullivan steadied the ship for Daingean with a point, but Kieran O’Leary got in for a second goal at the other end to rock the losers on their heels. They were visibly in need of a standing count minutes later when Evan Looney weaved his way past a despairing defense to lash home goal number three - the final nail in the Daingean coffin.
