Ballygunner made it back to a first All-Ireland final in four years with a smooth second-half turnaround to rack up a nine-point victory over St Martin's in front of 3,373 fans at Semple Stadium.
That margin of victory looked outlandish early in the second half when the Wexford champions led 0-08 to 0-05, but the Gunners romped home by reeling off 14 of the next 15 points.
Teenager Mark Hartley played a key role in the reversal. Of their initial eight-point surge, the substitute was heavily involved in five; scoring one, assisting two, and winning two converted frees.
Man of the match Dessie Hutchinson accounted for 0-07 (six from play) and Pauric Mahony, held scoreless in the first half, also notched 0-07 (two from play).
This began as an attritional contest, with both teams running the sliotar from deep and swarm tackling at every opportunity.
Superb defensive showing by the likes of Eoin O’Leary on Patrick Fitzgerald and Daithí Waters on Mahony held Ballygunner to 10 shots in the first half.
Hutchinson started brilliantly, though, to pick off an opening brace, while Fitzgerald was denied a goal by Callum Quirke’s fine save.
Martin’s finally began to get purchase with three points in the space of four minutes. Waters created all three, assisting Joe Barrett and David Codd’s attempts, and fouled for a Rory O’Connor free from where the sliotar landed.
They wouldn’t score again for 14 minutes, but limited the damage to two points via Fitzgerald and Hutchinson (above).
Both teams struck a handful of wides in this spell, with O’Connor missing two frees and Hutchinson erring with a routine chance.
The Gunners got a fright in the 22nd minute when Michael Coleman got in behind the cover and fell to the turf as the sliotar skittled to the net.
Seán Stack gave a free-out for a throw ball, although Martin’s had claims for either a penalty or an own goal, as the sliotar seemed to be knocked free by Ian Kenny’s boot.
They still took momentum from that moment, pressing up on the Ballygunner backs with renewed intensity. O’Connor won a pair of frees, with one each slotted by brothers Rory and Jack.
Barrett, wearing four on his back but playing on the wing, picked off a second from distance for a 0-06 to 0-04 half-time lead.
Mahony had a pair of early frees after the restart, but missed the second to leave Martin’s ahead.
Rory O’Connor again won and converted a free and Darren Cood tagged on a point for their biggest lead; 0-08 to 0-05.
Ballygunner called for minor graduate Hartley and he made an immediate impact by assisting a Michael Mahony score before finishing a wonderful effort of his own when backed onto the sideline.
Added to a Pauric Mahony brace and Hutchinson’s fourth, the Gunners swiftly moved two in front.
Hartley kept his charge up, winning the next two frees for Mahony to convert and feeding the centre-forward for his next from play.
That rounded off an unanswered burst of 0-08 in 12 minutes for a five-point lead.Jack O’Connor pulled one back, but the Gunners shot six more through Hutchinson (0-03, one free), Pauric Mahony (free), Peter Hogan, and Harry Ruddle.
Barrett’s third provided scant consolation for Martin’s.
Ballygunner: S O'Keeffe; I Kenny, T Foley, A O’Neill; H Ruddle (0-01), Philip Mahony, R Power; C Sheahan, P Leavey; M Mahony (0-01), Pauric Mahony (0-07, 1f), P Hogan (0-01); K Mahony, P Fitzgerald (0-01), D Hutchinson (0-07, 1f).Subs: M Hartley (0-01) for K Mahony (37), C Tobin for Fitzgerald (48), C Power for Pauric Mahony (59).
St Martin's: C Quirke; P Dempsey, E O’Leary, C Firman; J Barrett (0-03), D Waters, D O’Leary; David Codd (0-01), A Maddock; Darren Codd (0-01), J O’Connor (0-02, 1f), J Firman; M Coleman, B O’Connor, R O’Connor (0-03, 3f).Subs: B Maddock for Coleman (43), B Stafford for Waters (44-46, blood), Stafford for J Firman (55), M Codd for A Maddock (55), P O’Connor for Waters (55).
Referee: S Stack (Dublin).
