Kilmacud Crokes will meet Kilcoo of Down in the All-Ireland club final at Croke Park in two weeks’ time after outclassing Padraig Pearses late on on Saturday night.
Five unanswered points in the final minutes saw the game out as the strength of Crokes’ bench showed in the championship minutes.
Pearses’ Paul Cleary, who was outstanding at corner forward, will rue a missed free that could have drawn level with 11 minutes to go.
Within seconds, sub Cian O’Connor burst through two defenders to stretch the gap to two points and Crokes picked off the Connacht champions from there.
It was one of two fine scores O’Connor produced in three minutes with the game in the balance, while Conor Casey was also instrumental off the bench.
Craig Dias’ early goal proved key as, having gone behind inside the first minutes, Kilmacud never once surrendered their lead on the scoreboard.
Within seconds, sub Cian O’Connor burst through two defenders to stretch the gap to two points and Crokes picked off the Connacht champions from there.
It was one of two fine scores O’Connor produced in three minutes with the game in the balance, while Conor Casey was also instrumental off the bench.
Craig Dias’ early goal proved key as, having gone behind inside the first minutes, Kilmacud never once surrendered their lead on the scoreboard.
Crokes led by three points at the break, thanks to Dias’ composed finish, but had to withstand a barrage of pressure as the Roscommon side amped up the pressure.
Na Piarsaigh were rarely more than a point behind, largely thanks to the trojan work of Carey up top as he finished with a personal haul of five points.
Kilmacud were grateful to Shane Horan, a late change to the announced line-up, who twice scored at vital times when it looked like Pearses might level up.
This all came following a half-time scuffle in the tunnel that saw members of both clubs clash before calmer heads prevailed.
The heated atmosphere was created by a hugely physical first half that saw bodies strewn across the turf on a regular basis and four yellows dished out.
Pearses hit the front through Niall Daly, one of three brothers in the Padraig Pearses XV, with a well-taken finish inside 40 seconds.
Carey was shown a yellow card as he was harshly deemed the guilty party in a full-blooded collision with Shane Cunningham.
With nine minutes on the clock, Crokes struck for the first time and it was Dias, playing very high up the field against a packed defence, who provided the finish.
Tom Fox and Callum Pearson linked up brilliantly on the left and Fox palmed the ball inside for Dias, who maintained his cool to nutmeg Pearses keeper Paul Whelan.
Carey landed his first point of the game from a free moments later as Dias and Hugh Kenny double-teamed Niall Daly, Kenny picking up a booking for his trouble.
Crokes moved two points ahead through Dara Mullen before Fox landed a free and Pearson scored from play to make it a four-point game.
Carey won and landed a free from the left-hand touchline on the stroke of half time as the sides were separated by Dias’ goal at the break.
Crokes began the second half as they ended the first, moving the ball calmly and patiently against a set defence, but a third free from Carey cut their lead.
Conor Ferris missed a chance to restore the two-point gap as he shanked a free and Carey made him pay with a beautifully-struck point from play.
The corner forward missed a chance from the restart to level up, and Horan took advantage of the error to race up and pop the ball over the bar.
Niall Daly and Mullen exchanged points in quick succession as the game became more open and ragged.
Sub Tom Daly brought Na Piarsaigh back within one but, again, Horan stepped up with another well-taken point to keep the Crokes lead at two.
Hubert Darcy, the burly full forward, had been quiet all game but he landed his first point with a super strike.
And Carey again had a chance to level with a free on the 45-yard line, but he pulled it wide. Crokes would need no further warning.
O’Connor provided the impetus and power with ball in hand Crokes had lacked, and he barrelled past two defenders before splitting the posts.
Moments later, he linked up with fellow sub Casey, who found O’Connor in space as he fired another effort straight between the posts.
Casey made it a four-point game with a minute to go and it was fitting that Dias bookended a fine performance as he fisted over the final point in added time.
Kilmacud Crokes: Conor Ferris; Michael Mullen, Ross McGowan, Dan O’Brien; Cillian O’Shea, Rory O’Carroll, Andrew McGowan; Ben Shovlin, Craig Dias (1-01); Tom Fox (0-01, free), Hugh Kenny, Shane Horan (0-02); Callum Pearson (0-01), Dara Mullen (0-02), Shane Cunningham.
Subs: Conor Casey (0-01) for Shovlin (46), Cian O’Connor (0-02) for Kenny (46), Aidan Jones for Pearson (51), Anthony Quinn (0-01) for Fox (57), Theo Clancy for Horan (60+1).
Pádraig Pearses: Paul Whelan; Caelim Keogh, Mark Richardson, Anthony Butler; Conor Lohan, Ronan Daly, David Murray; Niall Daly (0-02), Conor Daly; Shane Carty, Niall Carty, Lorcán Daly; Conor Payne, Hubert Darcy (0-02, 0-01 free), Paul Carey (0-03, 0-02 frees).
Subs: Tom Butler (0-01) for S Carty (38), Emmett Kelly for Lohan (53), Jack Tumulty for L Daly (59), Eoin Colleran for Carty (60), Shane Mulvey for Richardson (60+3).
Referee: Paul Faloon (Down)
