Philip Mahony admits that an obsession with glory was behind Ballygunner’s stunning All-Ireland final win over Ballyhale Shamrocks.
The Waterford men looked to be headed for defeat as they trailed by two points deep into injury time, before Harry Ruddle smashed home a last-gasp winning goal from 30 yards out.
It was a stunning moment to crown a momentous run to Croke Park, as The Gunners became the first side from their county to claim the Tommy Moore Cup.
Dessie Hutchinson hit 1-3 and Pauric Mahony knocked over seven frees, but it looked to be in vain as eight frees from TJ Reid and a goal from Eoin Reid put the defending champions in charge.
Ballygunner had been 1-18 to 10-14 behind with four minutes to play, before a scoring rush of 1-3 to 0-1 turned the tide.
“I couldn’t see it — the lads just turned away,” says Mahony of the winning goal. “And then (referee) James Owens was saying it [time] was up.
“I don’t know, you just dream about this. It’s literally the stuff you dream of at five or six years of age.
“Sometimes, when you put in so much work, you get a stroke of luck and what you deserve,” he adds. “That’s what happened today.
“It became an obsession, without saying it openly. But each one of us individually put so much into it.
“The thoughts of going back to Ballygunner with the All-Ireland trophy tonight, it’s just unbelievable and you dream of it.”
The Gunners were looking to settle early but instead TJ Reid struck first to make it six club finals on the scoresheet.
The sides traded scores as Mikey Mahony fired over a couple, while Reid and Adrian Mullen found the mark for the Kilkenny men.
Both teams looked to have worked their way into the game but six of the next seven attempts went awry, with the defending champions going on a 12-minute barren run.
Hutchinson, Billy O’Keeffe and Kevin Mahony raised white flags to put the Waterford brigade in front 0-5 to 0-3.
Ballyhale didn’t panic, and took over the second half of the first period — with Paddy Mullen and Evan Shefflin splitting the posts from distance.
A major didn’t come for either side before the break, but TJ Reid (five in total during that first half) and Brain Cody extended the lead before Hutchinson pared it back a tad.
At 0-10 to 0-7 ahead at the break, Ballyhale extended their lead through TJ Reid, but the Gunners kept in check largely through Pauric Mahony frees.
When Eoin Reid hit the net, it looked to be game over for the challengers, before a fairytale finish delivered by Ruddle.
“That late goal, that takes belief,” says manager Darragh O’Sullivan. “Harry Ruddle, who had played every game in the local championship, but probably didn’t get 15 or 20 minutes since then.
“For him to have the bravery to take that ball on, to run through the centre of the defence, and finish like that is phenomenal from a guy like him.”
Get the latest sports headlines straight to your inbox by signing up for free email alerts
