ALL-IRELAND MHC FINAL Kilkenny 3-6 Galway 0-13: THE APPETISER is often the tastiest dish. Not yesterday, however, as an error-strewn game was played out against the din created by those arriving in good spirits for the senior final.
The Kilkenny contingent had just settled en masse into their seats when substitute Danny Purcell came in to steal an All-Ireland from under the nose of Mattie Murphy's Galway. It was the first smile of many on a black and amber afternoon.
So, no fifth national minor title for the Tribesmen's underage guru. "I haven't a clue how we lost it, lads," began Murphy. "We were head and shoulders above them."
Murphy took a sideswipe at the decision-makers in Galway as he ruminated on a title that somehow got away.
"Hockeyed this time last year by Cork, nobody gave us a ghost of a chance. The only reason I got the team was because they thought I'd go down with it. But, by Jaysus, I was never as proud of any crowd of young fellas and I'm not going to point the finger of blame at anybody. It was a massive performance and, fair play to Kilkenny, they got the rub of the green and they got the goals at vital times."
Kilkenny will know they are fortunate to be champions but they ended a five-year All-Ireland drought dating back to the Richie Power and James Fitzpatrick -inspired team of 2003.
But Galway beat themselves. They conceded two desperately soft goals and were unable to rack up the necessary scores when in control of possession. With defenders Donal Cooney and Niall Donoghue to the fore, they squeezed the Kilkenny attack into the middle third, isolating inside forwards like Thomas Breen.
Galway appeared the better team throughout but three crucial goals paper over the cracks in Kilkenny's performance that included a 25-minute period of the second half without a score.
Purcell scored 1-1 to rescue victory at the death, much like he did for De La Salle Waterford when clipping two points to help beat Thurles CBS in the All-Ireland Colleges final. "Who could've have foreseen he would have done the same?" said manager Richie Mulrooney, "but when he was going on I said 'look it, it's like this, we need a goal and you're the man to get it' and in it went."
The concession of two first-half goals cost Galway so dearly. On 16 minutes with Kilkenny trailing 0-5 to 0-2, Joe Brennan hit a speculative shot from wide right that dropped into the net past goalkeeper Fergal Flannery.
Buoyed by this stroke of good fortune, they pressed on with points from Cathal Kenny and Brennan. Then after 28 minutes Flannery contested an incoming dropping ball with Kilkenny forward Walter Walsh and Galway full back Ronan Burke. The break fell handily for Thomas Breen, who fired home. Peter McCarthy landed another point in injury time to leave Kilkenny sitting pretty at 2-5 to 0-6.
But Galway's response after the break was emphatic and David Burke, Domhnaill Fox, Niall Burke and Richard Cummins registered scores as they powered into a two-point lead. Then came Purcell's late intervention, his goal created by a hand-pass out of traffic by another substitute, Canice Maher.
After a fine display to defeat Tipperary in the semi-final, Mulrooney conceded his charges had peaked one match too soon. "Let's be honest, you'd have to say that we totally got out of jail. Galway must be very, very disappointed. They're in there having performed well and lost. You have to be very gracious and understand that today was just Kilkenny's day."
No doubting that.
KILKENNY: E Murphy; D Healy, M Walsh, A Cuddihy; M Moloney, R Doyle, C Fogarty; C Kenny (0-1, sideline), J Gannon; J Brennan (1-3, three frees), W Walsh, R Hickey; P McCarthy (0-1), T Breen (1-0), M Gaffney. Subs: M O'Dwyer for M Gaffney (37 mins), D Purcell (1-1)for J Gannon (53 mins), C Maher for R Hickey (56 mins).
GALWAY: F Flannery; D Connolly, R Burke, G O'Halloran; N Donoghue, D Cooney, R Foy; D Burke (0-3, one 65), D Fox (0-1); A Dalton, N Quinn, N Burke (0-5, two frees); R Cummins (0-1), B Burke (0-3), D Glennon. Subs: B Flaherty for R Foy (half-time), M Dolphin for D Glennon (38 mins), J Cannon for N Quinn (39 mins), L Madden for D Fox (53 mins).
Referee: C McAllister(Cork).
