RTÉ Sport Online Journalist
Kilkenny dethroned champions Galway to end a run of All-Ireland finals heartbreak, claiming victory on a scoreline of 1-14 to 1-11 at Croke Park.
In his maiden year as manager Brian Dowling led a team that had lost five of the previous six finals to ultimate glory after a superb second half performance.
Having trailed by two points at the break, Kilkenny outscored their opponents 1-08 to 0-06 in the second half for a fully deserved victory.
A Denise Gaule penalty with three minutes remaining when the sides were level proved to be the crucial score, but in truth, the black and amber has wasted other goal opportunities against a Galway generous that was more generous than we have previously seen.