End of the road for hurling and football champs

IT nearly always creates a stir when champions fall and there was no shortage of debate after the eclipse of Galway’s senior hurling and football title holders in the space of 24 hours last weekend. Portumna and Corofin have been the dominant forces on the local GAA scene, but both teams were only a shadow of their best days as their battle weary limbs were simply unable to ‘lift it’ when they needed to in opposition to Loughrea and Killererin respectively.

Frankly, despite the bookmaker odds being strongly in their favour, it came as no great surprise that the title stranglehold of both clubs has been finally broken. Neither Portumna or Corofin could cope with the energy and hunger of their rivals, and though they got close enough on the scoreboard in the end, it doesn’t reflect the superiority of the winners in each case. The Loughrea hurlers and Killererin footballers both deservedly carried the day.

It may have failed to live up to expectations, but the county football final contained no shortage of goalmouth drama, highlighted by Alan O’Donovan’s futile injury-time attempt to blast the ball past an army of Killererin players. Instead, the Corofin free-taker inexplicably ballooned the ball wide and, within seconds, streetwise Killererin were celebrating the club’s sixth ever county championship.

There was no fluke about the result either. Despite facing the elements, they led by 1-5 to 1-2 at the interval and though Corofin regrouped to edge in front during the third quarter, the men from Barnaderg never panicked with their instinctive class up front proving the telling difference in the end. They sent over the last four points of the final from Ger Butler, Man of the Match Nicky Joyce (2) and Padraic Joyce to comfortably avenge last year’s quarter-final defeat.

Ultimately, Corofin’s failure to score over the final 23 minutes, including five of injury time, summed up their attacking woes on the day. Only the excellent Michael Farragher really troubled the Killererin defence and it was his goal in the 26th minute which brought the champions back into the contest when they trailed by 0-4 to 0-2.

Kieran McGrath’s point effort had come back off the post, but the alert Joe Canney secured possession to set up Farragher for a well taken goal even if of fortunate origin.

But symbolic of Corofin’s fortunes, they were quickly in trouble again as Nicky Joyce rose highest near the opposition square to fist a Butler delivery to the net. It would have been even worse for Gerry Keane’s men at half-time only for goalkeeper David Morris producing a fine reflex save to deny Butler. Jonathan Keane did eventually split the posts as Killererin’s superiority was reflected in a three point interval lead.

In big trouble, it represented a huge challenge for Corofin to drag themselves back into the contest given all the mileage on the clock, but they stormed out of the starting blocks on the resumption with two points from Farragher and a superb effort from substitute Thomas Costello quickly bringing the teams level. It got even better for Corofin when O’Donovan steered over a 38th minute free to give them the lead for the first time in the match. They had the momentum now, but were utterly unable to drive on.

Instead, Killererin managed to regroup. Full back Colin Forde, Daniel Mannion, and Thomas Hughes were standing up to be counted, while playmakers Padraic and the tireless Tommie Joyce gradually re-established their influence on the exchanges. They were also the more mobile outfit with Butler, Keane and Michael Boyle full of dash in the Corofin half of the field as the challengers greater attacking guile began to prove decisive.

For more, read this week's Connacht Tribune.