A late Ciaran Stacey goal stunned Kilmacud Crokes, sealing Na Fianna's second Dublin senior hurling championship in a row.
Kilmacud Crokes got off to a flying start in the game with a goal from Dublin U20 star David Purcell shooting them into an early lead.
They led by eight points just before half-time only for Conor McHugh to give Na Fianna a life-line, scoring a brilliant goal after a rampaging run from full back.
That reduced to deficit to five at the break and with Crokes' shooting efficiency tailing off in the second half, Na Fianna gradually fought their way back into the game.
A Donal Burke penalty gave them more of a foothold before Stacey flicked to the net in injury time, after Kilmacud had kept out Jonathan Treacy's 21 yard free.
Speaking on RTÉ after the game, Na Fianna centre back Liam Rushe gave an insight into Kilmacud Crokes' tactics. He described their approach as 'positionless hurling,' comparing it to Derek McGrath's Waterford team.
"First half, they did similar to us in the group game, position-less hurling, very hard to mark, ten lads back, run it out with so much speed. They blitzed us," said the two-time All-Star.
"The wind was a big factor.
"We had to run it up, they would invite us out, twelve lads back, break it down and then counter-attack, the whole half forward line is in midfield, basically five midfielders. It's just very hard to get a grip on without leaving your full back line three sheets to the wind - one-on-one in a whole half.
"It's very tough. It would remind you a bit of Derek McGrath's Waterford. At times it is just a triangle in your own half, one half forward and two inside forwards and your six backs are like 'what am I doing here?'
"Positionless hurling is not great as a centre back. When they can suck everyone out and then shoot points from midfield with the wind, it's very hard.
"You've almost got to do the same thing. It's just pure defence then. There's no one-on-one marking. It's just like soccer, marking zonally," added Rushe.
Rushe said that Na Fianna tweaked things at half-time by pressing hard on Kilmacud Crokes, aiming to stop their running game at source.
"Second half, we knew that it was going to be much harder (for Crokes) against the wind, so we almost full-pressed a lot of the time. Now they caught us with that Oisin O'Rorke goal, there was no cover back.
"It almost suited us, a virtual full press, because we were clawing them back and back."
"We basically were like at half-time, if we can just press here, make them go long on the puck-outs, try and turn it into an arm-wrestle, and that's eventually what we did."
The full press reached extraordinary levels for a finish, leaving Rushe as the last man back for Na Fianna in midfield as they lined up that late 21.
Na Fianna have defended their Dublin SHC crown in the most dramatic of circumstances at Parnell Park
Ciaran Stacey the hero for the Mobhi Road men #RTEGAA pic.twitter.com/lByF52auQo
— The Sunday Game (@TheSundayGame) October 26, 2024
"Paul O'Dea just gambled to get up there. It would remind you of Tommy Walsh a couple of years ago in the championship. To be fair to Paul, he was screaming at all of us to get up, 'it's the last roll of the dice.
"I was back in midfield, I was the last man back there. Because the ref had said we still had a bit of time."
