​Corrib WPC and Tribe WPC clinch Irish Division 1 Cups

Corrib, led by captain Adam Caulfield, came into the competition unbeaten this season in the Division 1 league and buoyed with a recent home victory over North Dublin in their last league encounter.

Their opener against Sandycove should have been an easier encounter given their recent league win against the same opposition. Instead, they had a real fight on their hands.

Sandycove, who already lost to Clonard in an earlier game, pressed hard in the first quarter and Corrib, not fully warmed-up after travelling from Galway on the day, trailed 2-1 at the end of the quarter.

The Dublin side added five more goals to lead 7-4 at half time, when Corrib coach, Ben Toth, talked through Corrib’s defensive play, and it paid off.

Corrib got four goals without reply after the break, penalties from Colm Shaughnessy, and Adam Tiszttarto, and two goals from Austin Murphy saw Corrib get into the lead 8-7.

Sandycove, however, were still not done and shooting from outside the six-metre line yielded them two further goals to lead 9-8 at the end of the third, their talisman Antonis Prodromou being a thorn in Corrib’s side with those long-range shots.

Sandycove struck early in the fourth to lead 10-8, but Michael Murphy and Urtzi Saenz de Urturi added a brace for Corrib to draw level, before Shaughnessy scored with three minutes on the clock to put Corrib back in the lead.

Corrib called a time out but did not score. Sandycove countered and won a penalty to score and level the game. In the final minutes, the Murphy brothers scored to put Corrib 14-12 ahead. Sandycove will rue a man up they had at the death which ran out of time to level the game.

Corrib’s second game against local team Clonard was another hard-fought victory. Corrib went behind at the start, and Austin Murphy clawed a goal back to level the game. The game changed when Clonard’s Caleb Bowden was adjudged to have kicked an opponent and was issued a straight red card for a brutality, leaving his side down to five outfield players for four minutes.

Corrib missed the subsequent penalty, but Murphy made amends with another goal. Corrib struggled to make the extra man count ended the quarter 2-1 ahead.

Michael Murphy opened the scoring in the second quarter, and Corrib added goals from Daehan Coll and Austin Murphy to lead at half time 6-4. In the second half, the shots from outfield were again causing Corrib concern. Clonard’s hole back Niall McSharry was left frequently unmarked on Clonard attacks and was rewarded with a goal from a shot outside six metres. Mark Morrissey in the next Clonard attack got a similar gift on the five-meter line and took his goal with ease, and a lob by Mel Murhaghan on the shot buzzer saw Clonard get three without reply.

A back-handed shot from Corrib hole-forward Ciaran Walshe saw Corrib lead 8-7 at the end of the third quarter. Corrib tried to exploit their hold forward in the fourth quarter, but Clonard double marked the hole and Corrib got very little in return for their efforts.

With four minutes to go, Corrib has a player excluded and Clonard’s McSharry unmarked at the back post had the easiest of tap-ins to draw the game 8-8. With two minutes left Michael Murphy found himself with back to goal and received a perfect pass from Adam Caulfield to take an excellent goal.

With the final play of the game Adam Caulfield with one of his trademark left-handed finishes scored the goal to secure victory 10-8 to see Corrib progress to the semi-final on Sunday as winners of the group.

That semi-final against Cathal Brugha was not the game they once feared. In previous years, Brugha had the upper hand, but Corrib came out on top in the recent league game and were confident going into the game.

The early exchanges saw both teams testing each other’s defences. Corrib missed an early penalty after a foul on hole-forward Brian Parks, veteran Brugha goalkeeper Chris Hodginkson reading the shot to perfection.

Equally, recent addition to the Corrib squad Andrew Ryan was tending the Corrib goal with confidence and made some crucial saves in the first quarter. Brugha broke the deadlock with a goal from hole-forward Adian Hanna who broke away from the tight marking of Michael Heery to score. Heery was struggling to contain Hanna and had two exclusions in that first quarter.

Corrib’s last attack in the quarter resulted in a save from Brugha keeper Hodginkson, but a deft pass from Hodgkinson to the attacking Matthew Hanna won a penalty. Stiofan McMahon took the penalty, and while Ryan parried it, McMahon reacted quickest to the rebound to score, leaving Brugha ahead 2-0 at the end of the first quarter.

Early in the second quarter, Corrib had a man up, and Austin Murphy’s shot was blocked, but the ball fell to Jack Keogh in front of goal who hit the net as the shot clock buzzer sounded. Corrib’s next attack had two men up, and Michael Murphy scored.

Brugha gave away a free in the middle of the pool and quick thinking by Austin Murphy passed to Colm Shaughnessy wide on the left who scored to the top of the Brugha net. Brugha got another goal and Corrib added goals from Caulfield on a man up, and Austin Murphy outside six metres to lead 5-4 at half-time.

Brugha started the second-half exploiting Corrib’s lack of a press on the six-metre line, McMahon scoring. Corrib then leaked another goal on a man up, Brugha taking the lead at the end of the third 7-6.

The last quarter started with a Corrib goal from Brian Parks in the hole with a well taken pass and shot. A well-worked play exploited the Brugha defence, who had a man excluded and Urtzi Saenz de Urturi put himself in front of goal to net to give Corrib the lead.

Corrib conceded another goal from downtown, Adrian Hanna with a powerful shot. Then up stepped Micael Heery, from the tip off swam at the retreating defender and offloaded a shot to the bottom corner of the next to give Corrib a two-goal cushion going into the final minute. Corrib won 10-9 and would meet Clonard in the final.

Austin Murphy got the ball on the six straight from the start of the final and scored. Corrib were pressing every Clonard play in the early stages and giving them very little room to work. Lessons learned from earlier games to close attacks early were paying dividends.

Corrib’s own attack was impeccable, moving the ball around and yielded two more goals from Urtzi, and one from Adam Tiszttarto to lead 4-0 at the end of the quarter. Corrib continued the press on the Clonard defence, but a lapse saw McSharry shoot unmarked to score for Clonard.

Murphy added another for Corrib before another shot from Clonard outside six again resulted in a goal. Corrib’s Ciaran Walshe won a penalty which Michael Murphy scored, before Corrib scored the goal of the tournament.

Ryan parried a shot at goal from Charlie Magill. While Magill was watching the shot, Adam Caulfield raced down the right and collected an inch perfect pass from the goalkeeper, picking the ball up with the left hand found Austin Murphy on the opposite flank, and with another inch perfect pass allowed Murphy to shoot with a single action past the Clonard keeper to the back of the net.

Corrib led at half time 8-2 and were in full control. The second-half started with Corrib moving the ball around with speed and accuracy, and a goal from Michael Murphy, playing on the right was followed by another from him on a man up.

Corrib continues piled on the pressure, and with the Clonard defender Pesta excluded for a foul, Colm Shaughnessy took a quick pass which would normally be accurate but misplaced the pass.

While the Clonard defender was considering his options with the ball, Shaughnessy came from behind, stole the ball off his hand and passed to Brian Parks who dispatched to the back of the net. Corrib had the smell of victory in their nostrils and added another from Tiszttarto to end the third quarter 12-2 ahead.

The fourth quarter was an exercise in containment for Corrib. A wonderful goal from Daehan Coll who loitered with intent on the left back post, drove at the Clonard defence and a perfectly weighted pass from Heery found Coll and the back of the net. Another point-blank save from Ryan found Shaughnessy in open water on the right side. He drove into the unmanned defence to score the final goal in an 15-5 victory for Corrib.

Austin Murphy was awarded the Tournament MVP and Corrib Captain Adam Caulfield collected the Brother Phillip Trophy from Ireland Water Polo president Adrian Hanna, their first ever victory in this competition.