Captains Conor Murphy of St Kieran's and Shane Quirke of Athenry with ref Johnny Murphy.

Late strike took trophy from Pres Athenry

A YEAR previous, it took St Kieran’s College until extra-time to eventually overcome a courageous Presentation College, Athenry outfit. Twelve months down the line, it was the Kilkenny nursery once again who pipped their Galway counterparts in another closely contested decider.
Finals are often decided by the hop of the ball and heart-breakingly for the Pres men it was the opposition who got the rub of the green in the 53rd minute with Kieran’s substitute Conor Kelly kicking the ball to the net from the base of a huddle. The O’Loughlin Gaels clubman’s fortuitous break ultimately proved the difference and knocked the stuffing out of the Athenry college who were outscored 1-4 to just two points in the closing ten minutes of the game.
Experience and tradition have clearly counted for a lot in successive finals. This win marked an incredible 23rd All-Ireland Senior A title for Kieran’s, and amazingly a sixth since 2010, whereas Pres Athenry were bidding for their first ever crown.