TRY as they did St Brendan's College just couldn't leave this Corn Ui Mhuirí title behind them in Knocknagree when, almost in spite of themselves, Bryan O'Shea hoofed over the winning point with the last kick of a pulsating Munster final against a very brave De La Salle Macroom team.

While this game won't enter the pantheon of 'classics' it was, nonetheless, a gripping final, played with typical honest endeavour as is the norm for colleges football, but the game really only burst to life in a dramatic final ten minutes.

With St Brendans protecting a three-point lead with the game about to roll into injury-time The Sem broke from midfield and Thomas Moriarty found himself with acres of space in front of him to clip over the insurance point, but as the Legion man edged closer to the target he was in two minds. His shot cannoned back off the crossbar into the arms of team mate Padraig Lucey who, to his credit, took the right option of fisting a point but his effort came back off the post.

Cue the knowing glances in the press gantry. These things have a knack of coming back to haunt a team. And so it was.

Gathering the ball from Lucey's missed punch, Macroom moved as briskly as they had all afternoon to take the ball through the St Brendans defence and after a handful of slick passes Greg Barrett spirited on to the end of Declan Ambrose's cross to flick the ball past a stunned David Gleeson.

That made it 1-11 to 2-8 after 60 minutes and a draw and a replay looked a certainty. There would have been few arguements from either side. But there was a final twist in the tale and it would be written by Sem substitute Bryan O'Shea.

Maurice Condon decreed there would be two minutes added time to be played, and after they moved the ball back downfield and contested and won a 'hop ball' O'Shea gathered the break and fired over a dramatic winner that had the umpire craning over the right post. It was, literally, the second last kick of the game. Paul O'Sullivan's kickout ended the affair which was the cue for relief, then celebration for St Brendans. For Macroom, it was disbelief followed by despair.

In truth, St Brendans were the better team overall – that is to say that they looked to have more skilful footballers and moved better as a team – but it was Macroom's never-say-die attitude that almost carried the day, and had Barrett's goal sent the contest to a replay few, if any, would have any argument with that.

Still, save for that bit of indecision and lapse of concentration at the end, St Brendans just about justified their favouritism with a slicker brand of football that saw them dominate for longer sections and enjoy the territorial advantage.

And yet the Killarney school needed a slightly contentious 53rd minute goal to wrestle back the lead from a De La Salle Macroom team whose total was greater than its individual parts. In Tony Dineen at midfield and Andrew Hegarty, Barrett and Ambrose in attack they had players capable of winning this type of match, but The Sem had heroes and match-winners in great number.

Enda O'Sullivan and Cillian Fitzgerald were outstanding in defence, while at midfield Gary O'Leary and, to a greater extent, Shaun Keane – when relocated there at half time – won a vital edge there in the defining third quarter.

A swirling wind hardly favoured either team, but if it did then St Brendans had the advantage in the first half and might have been a little down on themselves for only taking a 0-6 to 0-4 lead to the interval. It would have been greater but for a magnificent reflex save by Paul O'Sullivan to deny Padraig Lucey a goal from close range.

It didn't get any better for the eventual winners when Daniel Twomey slipped a goal past Gleeson two minutes after the re-start but almost immediately St Brendans found their rhythm. Brendan Falvey took control on the 'forty', scoring the next three points, and by the 48th minute it was all square – 010 to 1-7.

Five minute later Jeff O'Donoghue's persistent hard work was rewarded when he got the final touch to Falvey's high centre for a crucial goal, amid a small suspicion of a square ball, but now the Sem sensed victory.

It came, eventually, but would have been far easier on hearts and minds but for a needlessly dramatic conclusion to a very entertaining final.

- Paul Brennan at Knocknagree, Co Cork