An Ghaeltacht canter to immediate crown in Croke Park
An Ghaeltacht (Kerry) 0-12 Glenullin (Derry) 0-06
Kerry are two thirds of the way to a clean sweep of AIB All-Ireland club football title successes after cantering to intermediate glory at Croke Park.
Fresh off watching Ballymacelligott snatch the junior title, An Ghaeltacht led from start to finish and punished a surprisingly conservative and wasteful Glenullin.
Ruaidhri O Beaglaoich, brother of Kerry senior star Brian, who lined out in defence, led the scoring with six points.
But it was more about An Ghaeltacht's patience and ability to keep hold of possession for long spells that won them this game.
Glenullin put five goals on the board in the semi-final defeat of Strokestown but they sat deep for much of this game, lived off scraps and only scored one point in the first 51 minutes.
Boss Michael O'Kane said they'd planned to hold An Ghaeltacht to less than 15 points, which they managed, but he said it was their attack that malfunctioned and acknowledged they will leave with plenty of regrets.
Glenullin set their defensive shape early on, getting everyone back to protect the scoring zone and attempting to hit An Ghaeltacht on the break.
It didn't pan out as they had hoped and the game plan made for long stretches of the first-half where An Ghaeltacht played keep ball just outside the Glenullin defensive screen.
An Ghaeltacht midfielder - and former Cork dual star - Aodan Breathnach celebrates at full-time
Glenullin needed to be careful not to give away any sloppy frees but coughed up two that Ruaidhri O Beaglaoich converted.
One of those was a long-range two-point free and O Beaglaoich converted a third score from another free late in the half following Glenullin's failure to keep four defensive players back.
O Beaglaoich added two more points from play in front of a crowd of 6,870.
At the other end, Glenullin also needed to be ultra efficient given the limited scoring opportunities that were coming their way.
But veteran Eoin Bradley's early wide was a taster of things to come.
They finished the half with two wides, two score attempts that dropped short and just one point registered, from Chrissy Dempsey in the eighth minute.
Glenullin's vocal crowd roared them on from the Hogan Stand but it was An Ghaeltacht that largely dictated the terms of a one-sided first-half, taking a 0-09 to 0-01 lead into the interval.
Glenullin needed a powerful second-half, the sort summoned by Ballymacelligott in the earlier junior decider.
But neither team scored for almost the first 20 minutes of the second-half - which suited An Ghaeltacht just fine.
Glenullin did get it going in the final quarter hour or so, outscoring their opponents by 0-05 to 0-02 in this period but it wasn't near enough.
And An Ghaeltacht knew they had one hand on the cup when Cathal O Beaglaoich swung over a 56th minute two-pointer to leave nine points between them at that stage.
An Ghaeltacht: Sean O Luing; Cian O Murchu, Adam MacAmhlaoibh, JJ MacLiam; Padraig O Se, Brian O Beaglaoich, Aodhna O Beaglaoich; Aodan Breathnach, Cathal O Beaglaoich (0-02, tp); Sean O Cuinn (0-01), Ruaidhri O Beaglaoich (0-06, 1 tpf, 0-02f), PJ MacLaimh; Conor O Corrduibh (0-01), Eanna O Conchuir (0-01), Sean O Gairbhi (0-01).
Subs: Tomas O Se for O Gairbhi 54, Gavin O Cinneide for O Cuinn 55, Conn O Riagain for O Corrduibh 62.
Glenullin: Niall O'Kane; Eunan Boylan, Daniel O'Kane, Eunan O'Kane; Conor Rafferty (0-02), John O'Kane, Diarmuid McNicholl; Traglach Bradley, Neil McNicholl (0-02, 0-02f); Cathal Hasson, Chrissy Dempsey (0-01), Cillian Bradley; Conrad Mullen, Eoin Bradley, Ryan McNicholl.
Subs: Willie John Bradley for Hasson 41, Fearghal Close (0-01) for Mullan 44, Cormac Hasson for Diarmuid McNicholl 49, Joe McNicholl for Ryan McNicholl 49, Dermot O'Kane for Dempsey 55.
Referee: Fergal Kelly (Longford).
