Coleraine hurler Ciaran Lagan played a captain’s role in his side’s 1-16 to 0-11 win over Newry Shamrocks at Dungannon Hurling Club’s ground.
For the second time in three years, the Coleraine men move on to the All-Ireland series, and the corner back is confident they can make a strong bid to add a national title to their Derry and Ulster crowns.
In 2016, they reached the All-Ireland final, losing out by two points to Glenmore of Kilkenny at Croke Park, a game the Eoghan Rua skipper feels they should have won.
“We’ll go on and give it a lash, and hopefully we can do a wee bit better than we did last time,'' he said.
“I know people will say, take one game at a time, but I don’t see why we can’t go on and do it.
“We got beaten by a very good Kilkenny team last time. We started too slow, but it was a game we could have won.”
Sean Leo McGoldrick’s 11 points and a late goal from teenager Dara Mooney carried Eoghan Rua to an eight-point success in the provincial decider.
McGoldrick, one of six brothers in the team, delivered yet another classy display of clinical finishing.
“He was very good again, and you could say that about him in every game, to be honest,” said Lagan.
It was the Down champions who made the early running, but the men from the north-west gradually got to the pace of the game.
And Coleraine needed a volley of scores late in the first half to give themselves some breathing space with a four points interval lead.
“It took us a while to get out of the traps, Newry were working very hard, getting every break, and they worked a lot harder than us in the first 15 or 20 minutes,'' stated Lagan.
“But near the end of the half we got three or four points in a row and went four or five up at half-time. That was because we were getting the work rate up.”
Shamrocks lost centre forward Eoin McGuinness to a second yellow card early in the second half, but responded strongly to the setback as they took the game to the pre-match favourites.
They were just three points behind heading into the final five minutes, but Eoghan Rua closed out the game with a determined finish.
“Losing a man in the second half seemed to give them a bit of extra life,'' added Lagan.
“They got better and we just went into our shells.
“They’re a very good hurling team. no disrespect to teams we have played already, but this was our toughest game, we needed everyone to give us everything.
“Tomas Magee had a brilliant game and the young boys inside, Dara Mooney and Dara McGoldrick, were all excellent.”
