St Patrick’s College Maghera clinched their sixth All-Ireland Senior Football Colleges Hogan Cup triumph as they comfortably defeated St Colman’s Claremorris 2-8 to 0-4 in the final at Croke Park.
Two Cormac Og McCloskey points helped the Maghera school lead 0-5 to 0-1 at half-time and their advantage should have been bigger as they missed several other chances.
Darragh Beirne notched the Mayo team’s only first-half score and remained their only scorer during the contest.
St Colman’s did have a 15th-minute goal chance when they were 0-2 to 0-0 down but Maghera goalkeeper Jack McCloy spread himself to deny Ciaran Treacy.
Owen Doherty, Padraig O’Kane and Darach McGonigle were also on target for the Derry side in the opening half.
By half-time, St Patrick’s had lost skipper Cahal McKaigue to injury but they remained unruffled as man of the match Padraig Haran’s 40th-minute goal, after a sweeping move, put them in total control at 1-6 to 0-2 ahead.
Haran notched Maghera’s next score and while Beirne and Darragh Flanagan both had goal chances as St Colman’s frantically attempted to get back into the game, McCloy refused to be beaten as he made further saves.
McCloskey notched his third point in the final minute of normal time and Darragh O’Neill’s goal in injury-time – after another turnover at the other end of the pitch – topped off the St Pat’s win as they added All-Ireland success to the MacRory Cup triumph.
