St Brigid's 4-10
Killererin 1-11

Reigning champions St Brigid's qualified for the Connacht SFC club final after seeing off the challenge of a Padraic Joyce inspired Killererin side in a cracking encounter at Tuam Stadium.

The Roscommon side fired home three goals during a hectic opening half and then outscored the Galway side after the restart to book a place in the final against Ballina Stephenites.

The result was a bitter outcome for Padraic Joyce who produced a man of the match performance in his bid to win his first provincial club medal ? one of the few accolades to elude the 30 year in a magnificent career.

Joyce scored 1-9 on Sunday, all but three points coming from play, and at times was being man-marked by three players.

But St Brigid's, managed by former Galwau hurling star Anthony Cunningham, proved themselves to be the more balanced outfit and deserved their win.

Midfielders Karol Mannion and Mark O'Carroll were outstanding, the pinpoint deliveries of Frankie Dolan also proved crucial while David O'Connor, only drafted in before the game, did most of the damage in the full-forward line.

Known to all St Brigid's people as 'Jimmy Nail', O'Connor could have bagged another couple of goals but was denied by Alan Keane and hit one inches the wrong side of the post late in the game.

But it was his first effort after twelve minutes which turned the game in his side's favourites as he got a fist to a delivery from the left by Mannion after Keane had come off his line but was beaten to the ball.

That levelled the match after Padraic Joyce had kicked a couple of superb points. Jonathan Keane got their first after 23 seconds and Nicky Joyce found the target after seven but only his cousin Padraic was to score again for Killererin.

On another day 1-11 would have been enough for Killererin but their defence crumbled for once, struggling to cope with the pace and the passing of the title-holders.

O'Connor put them into a lead they never lost after 18 minutes with his first point and then an excellent Frankie Dolan pass set up Cathal McHugh for a goal which put St Brigid's 2-4 to 0-6 ahead after 19 minutes.