AIB Leinster club senior hurling championship final:

Na Fianna (Dublin) 2-22
Kilcormac/Killoughey (Offaly) 2-16

Paul Keane reports from Croke Park

IN A Leinster club SHC final of 42 scores, AJ Murphy’s goal midway through the second-half was the one that all but settled this gripping encounter.

Just one point separated the sides after Conor Mahon’s goal for 2012 champions Kilcormac/Killoughey in the 39th minute.

The Offaly outfit had strong momentum at that stage too having cut a half-time deficit of five points to the minimum.

But Murphy’s goal shortly after the Mahon strike put Na Fianna back in pole position and they sped to a landmark victory from there.

Free-taker Colin Currie struck 0-8 for Na Fianna while captain Donal Burke rose to the occasion with seven excellent points from play.

The result means that manager Niall O Ceallachain, recently appointed as Dublin boss, will double job for another couple of weeks at least.

Na Fianna will face Loughrea in an All-Ireland semi-final on the weekend of 14/15 December.

Cuala became the first club in the entire province to have won Leinster titles in both codes when they won their final this evening — and Na Fianna have matched that achievement.

Na Fianna looked like a team intent on not leaving Croke Park with more painful memories following last year’s narrow final defeat to O’Loughlin Gaels.

They were 0-5 to 0-1 up inside eight minutes this time, retained that five-point lead at the 20-minute mark and stretched the gap to seven points when Sean Currie netted after 27 minutes.

Burke gave his best 30 minutes of the campaign in the opening half and his fifth point of the half approaching the break left Na Fianna with a commanding 1-12 to 0-8 lead.

But K/K closed it out strongly with points from Adam Screeney, Conor Mahon and goalkeeper Conor Slevin to leave Na Fianna with a 1-13 to 0-11 half-time lead.

Boy wonder Adam Screeney grabbed his second point from play, and three points in all, as Kilcormac/Killoughey turned up the heat after the restart.

Things got even better in the 39th minute when Conor Mahon capitalised on a Screeney 65 that hit the woodwork and fell kindly for him to strike to the net.

Suddenly, just a point separated the teams at 1-15 to 1-16 but Na Fianna quickly reasserted their authority with a goal themselves inside 90 seconds, Stacey setting Murphy free for the crucial score.

Na Fianna looked the better side from there on, even if Leigh Kavanagh was unfortunate to see a shot for Kilcormac/Killoughey come crashing off the crossbar in the 45th minute.

Na Fianna piled on the misery in the closing minutes to open up a seven-point lead by the hour, allowing them to absorb the blow of a second Kilcormac/Killoughey goal when Screeney struck.

Na Fianna scorers: Colin Currie 0-8 (0-7f), Donal Burke 0-7, AJ Murphy 1-2, Sean Currie 1-0, Jack Meagher 0-2, Brian Ryan 0-2, Ciaran Stacey 0-1.

Kilcormac/Killoughey scorers: Adam Screeney 1-8 (0-6f), Conor Mahon 1-2, Charlie Mitchell 0-3, Conor Slevin 0-2 (0-2f), Colin Spain 0-1.

NA FIANNA

1. Jonathan Tracey

7. Kevin Burke
2. Sean Burke
3. Conor McHugh

4. Donal Ryan
6. Liam Rushe
9. Peter Feeney

8. Brian Ryan
12. Sean Currie

15. Gavin King
11. Donal Burke (Captain)
22. Jack Meagher

13. Colin Currie
14. AJ Murphy
10. Ciaran Stacey

SUBS

18. Sean Ryan for King (h/t)
20. Diarmuid Clerkin for Rushe (49-50)
17. Shane Barrett for Meagher (58)

KILCORMAC/KILLOUGHEY

1. Conor Slevin (Captain)

3. Oisin Mahon
2. Tom Spain
4. James Mahon

5. Jordan Quinn
7. Brecon Kavanagh
17. Enda Grogan

8. Colin Spain
9. Damien Kilmartin

10. Jack Screeney
11. Conor Mahon
12. Leigh Kavanagh

15. Adam Screeney
14. Charlie Mitchell
13. Daniel Hand

SUBS

6. Cillian Kiely for Grogan (39)
22. James Gorman for Hand (42)
20. Peter Geraghty for Jack Screeney (45)
18. Cathal Kiely for Leigh Kavanagh (57)
19. Alex Kavanagh for Kilmartin (59)

Referee: Padraig Dunne (Laois).