Champs overcome early match wobbles

COROFIN had their usual early rendezvous with danger before then slipping quite seamlessly into the victory comfort zone in this reasonably entertaining Connacht senior club championship semi-final at Tuam Stadium on Sunday.

The game did produce some decent segments of open football but this was a far cry from the intensity and passion of Corofin’s hard earned county final victory over Mountbellew – the Leitrim champions did play some ‘nice’ football early on, but lacked the staying power to maintain the challenge.

It was a benign November Sunday with a low sun and light breeze giving decent conditions, even if there was plenty of give in the ground, but this was never going to be a fixture to pull in the crowds and barely 900 souls ventured from their winter hearths to view the proceedings.

In fairness to the 200 or so travelling supporters from Glencar-Manorhamilton, who positioned themselves in the centre portion of the old stand, they added a fair dollop of atmosphere to the occasion – Leitrim are nothing if not passionate and committed.

Corofin are an entirely different breed though – calm and settled even as early tempests swirl around, and there were many times during the first quarter when a less assured side might have been tempted to press the panic button.

Glencar-Manorhamilton had looked very solid in defence, with midfielders Darren Sweeney and Aaron Hickey lording it in the air, while their forwards notched five quality points in the first 15 minutes as Corofin struggled at times to stay in touch.

Kieran Comer pointed three early frees for them although Glencar will feel that at least two of those awards by referee Declan Hunt were slightly fortuitous, but by the time the interval whistle sounded, Corofin had stealthily crept into a 0-8 to 0-5 lead.

As well as Comer’s frees, Joe Canney, Alan Burke, Ronan Steede, Ciaran McGrath and Aidan Donnellan also found the target to bypass Manorhamilton’s early point burst from James Glancy (2), David Poniard, Brian McDonald and Gerry Hickey.

There was one more dying kick in Glencar-Manorhamilton which came in the opening eight minutes of the second half when two points from James Glancy reduced the deficit to one – at 0-8 to 0-7 – but as the midway juncture of the second half approached, the crucial incident of the game arrived.

The score was no great surprise as Corofin had gradually began to prise open the Manorhamilton defence and often with the longer, more direct ball. Alan Burke’s 43rd minute point effort achieved elevation rather than distance, ironically the mis-hit shot was to have a very positive spin-off for Corofin – the ball broke to Eddie Steede and after his shot was parried by keeper Shane Sweeney, Kieran Comer was on hand to finish the rebound to the net.

There was no way back for Glencar-Manorhamilton after that score and even if their admirably spirited supporters still cheered their side to the death, Corofin were far too efficient and clinical to leave any recovery roadway open.

Michael Farragher, Ciaran McGrath and sub Shane Monaghan added on points, before Farragher finished an Alan Burke cross to the net in injury time, to give Corofin a somewhat flattering 10 point winning margin.

The 2-13 to 0-9 final statistic was more than a tad harsh on a Glencar-Manorhamilton side that produced some excellent passages of play at the beginning of both halves, but as a lot of club sides in Galway discovered this year, it takes a very sustained effort to overcome Corofin.

Gerry Keane’s side are seldom spectacular, they might be short a couple of physically powerful players, but to a man they are comfortable on the ball. They’re all ‘handy’ footballers and they work hard too.

Keeper Shane Sweeney, Adrian O’Flynn, Patrick Gilmartin, Darren Sweeney and James Glancy all fought the good fight for the Leitrim champions but over the hour, despite their enthusiastic spurts, they fell a good measure short of matching Corofin’s overall team balance.

David Morris as usual kicked out prodigiously for Corofin but had little to do from play, again a tribute to his defenders, with Damien Burke, Cathal Silke and Tony Goggins giving very little away.

Greg Higgins and Aidan Donnellan started slowly in midfield but got a decent break after the first quarter while all six starting forwards of Michael Farragher, Ciarán McGrath, Ronan Steede, Kieran Comer, Joe Canney and Alan Burke never stopped looking for work.Significantly too, all of them scored from play.

There have been spicier days in Tuam Stadium but one of the biggest quandaries which faced the press box contingent in the closing minutes was in trying to pick a man-of-the-match.

In the end, Ciarán McGrath got the nod but it could have been any one of about a half dozen Corofin players – that probably says it all about their team display.

One final caveat to this match, on the leeway that close-in freetakers are being allowed by referees in terms of stealing yardage when kicking frees from the hand.

On more than one occasion last Sunday, frees from relatively difficult angles were transformed into pretty straight pots at goal, with four to five yards being clipped off the angle as the freetaker ‘pinched’ a few paces in the run-up.

Out the field it matters little, but within the scoring zone, on a tight day, this could be the difference between victory and defeat.

Corofin: D. Morris; G. Delaney, D. Burke, C. Silke; D. Keane, T. Goggins, G. Sice; G. Higgins, A. Donnellan 0-1; M. Farragher 1-2, C. McGrath 0-2, R. Steede 0-2; K. Comer 1-3, 0-3 frees, J. Canney 0-1, A. Burke 0-1. Subs.: S. Monaghan 0-1 for Delaney (43), J. Burke for Steede (53).

Glencar/Manorhamilton: S. Sweeney; J. O’Brien, A. O’Flynn, P. Maguire; J. Gilmartin, P. Gilmartin, D. Poniard 0-1; D. Sweeney, A. Hickey 0-1; D. Kelly, C. Ryan, B. McDonald 0-1; A. Croal, G. Hickey 0-1, J. Glancy 0-5 (4 frees). Subs.: T. McDonald for Poniard (34), A. McDonald for O’Brien (38), F. McGourty for B. McDonald (45), A. Sweeney for Ryan (49), S. Kerrigan for Croal (54). Referee: Declan Hunt (Roscommon).