Dublin SFC Final: St Brigid's 0-17 Kilmacud Crokes 1-8 The Ulster influence seems to be everywhere you look in football circles these days. And yesterday's Dublin senior championship final at Parnell Park was no different, as Fermanagh brothers Rory and Raymie Gallagher inspired St Brigid's to their first title.

The form of both sides coming into yesterday's decider had suggested that everything was nicely primed for Kilmacud Crokes to transfer their underage success - they are the county minor and under-21 champions - on to the senior stage.

However, they were chasing the game all day. Every time they hauled themselves back into the contest St Brigid's were able to turn to their two remarkable free-scoring forwards.

Although seemingly lost to the intercounty scene after quitting Fermanagh this year, Rory Gallagher clearly still has a lot to offer the game. Yesterday he gave a master-class of attacking football, eventually finishing with four points from play.

Trailing 0-11 to 0-3 at half-time, Kilmacud came out fighting after the break with quick scores through Mick O'Keeffe, Conor Murphy and Declan Kelleher. Rory Gallagher landed a point to keep a two-goal margin between the sides.

Crokes kept on coming, with Dublin corner back Paul Griffin relishing his free role further up the pitch, and they were rewarded when Conor Murphy blasted to the net from close range to leave two points in it.

Suddenly, there was the makings of a cracking finale.

This was to prove not to be the case, though. Kilmacud looked to be set for a comeback but Raymie Gallagher then popped up with another super strike to keep the north Dublin club in a comfortable lead.

Despite their early second-half response Crokes under-performed all afternoon. Jonny Magee was as industrious as ever but when they looked to their Dublin forwards to produce the goods they were found wanting.

Ray Cosgrove appears to have lost the form that led to his All Star award in 2002, while Liam Óg Ó hÉineacháin also struggled to make an impression. Both players were withdrawn towards the finish.

With a combined total of one-point - coming from Cosgrove after 17 minutes when a goal looked on - Dublin manager Tommy Lyons can't have been happy with two of his most prized assets.

Their inability to perform is also due to St Brigid's defensive performance, epitomised by Peadar Andrews, getting back to his best form after injury, and Mick Galvin.

However, the real damage was done in the 10 minutes leading up to half-time, when they scored eight points without reply. With the score at 0-3 each, points from Dublin under-21 player Declan Lally and Kevin Bonar put some light between the sides.

Bonar shipped a knock after striking his point, forcing him to retire, but St Brigid's ability to replace him with a player of Declan Darcy's calibre didn't bode well for Crokes.

Also, Crokes' inability to control the centre of the field was ruthlessly punished by their opponents. Every St Brigid's attack seemed to be rewarded on the scoreboard as the Gallaghers, John Noonan and Lally looked incapable of missing the target.

With the game entering the final stages, the second wave in the Crokes revival never materialised as Noonan stretched the lead out to four points.

But if anything typified the St Brigid's spirit it was Mick Galvin's body-on-the-line block from a Conor Murphy shot.

In general, Galvin was crucial in ensuring that St Brigid's didn't experience a repeat of the 1999 and 2001 finals, which they lost both times to Na Fianna.

He began the game at wing forward but could be found deep in his defence during the later stages.

All hopes of Crokes ending their five-year barren spell without a senior championship were erased when Darcy, then Lally, stretched the lead out to six-points with seven minutes left.

It was fitting that their final point came from the boot of Rory Gallagher in injury-time.

ST BRIGID'S: P Keane; K Keane, D Cahill, M Cahill; G Norton, P Andrews, D Dineen; K Darcy (0-1), J Ward; M Galvin, Rory Gallagher (0-4), D Lally (0-3, three frees); K Bonar (0-1), Raymie Gallagher (0-4, one free), J Noonan (0-3, three frees). Subs: D Darcy (0-1) for K Bonar (23 mins), C Ryan for D Dineen (35 mins), W Finnegan for P Andrews (59 mins)

KILMACUD CROKES: R Davis; N McGrath, N Kane, P Griffin, C Kelleher, J Magee (0-1, a free), K Galvin, D Magee, L McBarron, L Óg Ó hÉineacháin, D Kelleher (0-1), C Murphy (1-2), M O'Keeffe (0-2, one from a free), R Cosgrove (0-1), P McDonald (0-1). Subs: C Galvin for P McDonald (half-time), P Ward for M O'Keeffe (35 mins), C Deegan for L Óg Ó hÉineacháin (57 mins), M Leahy for R Cosgrove (63 mins).

Referee: T McCarthy (St Vincent's).