St Thomas 0-18 O’Loughlin Gaels 0-17

The ball is lamped into O’Loughlin Gaels territory.

From a St Thomas’ perspective, with the scores level, with time almost up, it’s the safest place it could possibly be.

It takes a long time for it to come down but when it finally does, there’s an All-Ireland title on the line here, it’s no surprise that everyone in the vicinity is ready to scrap for their lives.

Tony Forristal tries and fails to catch it. Conor Cooney and Huw Lawlor are rucking and prodding and fighting for the sliotar before it eventually breaks to Damien McGlynn, who, unknown to himself, engages in something of a juggling match with Mikey Butler.

The ball is not hot but the stakes have never been higher. Eanna Burke is lurking and, in all the chaos that was unfolding before him, his brother, the St Thomas’ manager Kenneth, would have known that that was a good thing.

So it turned out to be as having performed a full-on 360 in his attempts to bring the ball under control, Eanna decided to take on the shot of a lifetime.

Storm Isha was blowing, the time was almost up, and he was under the steps of the Hogan Stand but none of that mattered.

The only thing that mattered was that, seconds later, the white flag was raised and St Thomas’ were All-Ireland senior club hurling champions for the second time.

#GAABEO 60+4 nóim @oloughlingaels -17@StThomassHC 0-18

Éanna Burke leis an gcúilín cinniúnach

The Galway side win it at the death! 🥳

BEO/LIVE AR @TG4TV 📺#GAA @GAA_BEO pic.twitter.com/qLUZNN8b5a

— Spórt TG4 (@SportTG4) January 21, 2024

O’Loughlin Gaels:

S Murphy (0-1f); T Forristal, H Lawlor, M Butler (0-1); D Fogarty (0-2), P Deegan (0-2), J Molloy (0-2); J Nolan, C Loy; C Heary (0-1), M Bergin (0-4, 0-2f), E O’Shea; O Wall, L Hogan (0-1), S Bolger (0-2)

St Thomas:

G Kelly; C Mahony, F Burke, D Sherry; J Headd, S Cooney, C Burke (0-1); D Finnerty, David Burke (0-3); O Flannery, C Cooney (0-7, 0-4f), Darragh Burke; É Burke (0-3), J Regan (0-1), , V Manso (0-2)

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