Corofin 4-22
Clann na nGael 0-7
Declan Rooney reports from Dr Hyde Park
COROFIN RETURNED TO their brilliant best and reached a fifth Connacht club final in a row by ruthlessly picking apart the Roscommon champions Clann na nGael at Dr Hyde Park.
Clann na nGael stuck to their traditional footballing ethos but were torn asunder in the first half, as goals from Colin Brady and Micheál Lundy helped them to a huge 13-point half-time lead, while Jason Leonard scored two more in the second half.
Neither Ian Burke nor Daithi Burke featured for Corofin, who revelled in the wide open spaces in front of the Clann full-back line, while a black card for Donie Shine after 30 minutes and a straight red card for Ultan Harney in first-half added-time only piled the misery on the already-beaten Clann side.
In front of the new Roscommon manager Anthony Cunningham, Donie Shine got Clann off to a flying start with a close-range free after two minutes, and after Ronan Steede levelled matters, Colin Brady’s goal on four minutes put Corofin in the driving seat.
Shine’s second free trimmed the gap and suggested the Roscommon side would give the All-Ireland champions a test, but Corofin scored the next 1-9 to totally smother their opponents.
Jason Leonard fired five of those points, including two excellent efforts from play in the 10th and 21st minutes, while the impressive runs of Dylan Wall from wing-back were rewarded, with two good scores for his side.
But the big difference between the sides was epitomised by Corofin’s second goal in the 28th minute. It seemed as if their period of dominance was to be blotted by a poor Mike Farragher wide, but instead of switching off like everyone else, the outstanding Kieran Molloy chased the lost cause, rescued the ball and gave Lundy the easiest of finishes from close range.
Donie Shine’s black card was another setback for Clann, but when Harney reacted following a foul by Wall, Jerome Henry had no choice but to send him off.
It was very hard to see any sort of a Clann na nGael comeback in the second half and when Corofin’s third goal arrived a minute after the break through Leonard, it was a score-counting exercise.
Gary Sice added two quick points before he was withdrawn, as Kevin O’Brien gave his bench an early introduction, and 14 minutes from time, Leonard palmed his second goal of the half following a lightning counter-attack to set up a clash with Ballintubber in the final.
Scorers for Corofin: Jason Leonard 2-6 (4f, 1’45), Micheál Lundy 1-3, Colin Brady 1-1, Dylan Wall 0-2, Gary Sice 0-2 (1f), Darragh Silke 0-2, Dylan Canney 0-2 Ronan Steede 0-1, Liam Silke 0-1, Martin Farragher 0-1, Mike Farragher 0-1.
Scorers for Clann na nGael: Donal Shine 0-2 (2f), Cathal Shine 0-1, Emmett Kenny 0-1, Cathal Callinan 0-1, Ciaran Lennon 0-1 (1f), Johnny Dunning 0-1.
COROFIN
1. Bernard Power
2. Cathal Silke
3. Kieran Fitzgerald
4. Liam Silke
5. Kieran Molloy
6. Dylan McHugh
7. Dylan Wall
8. Ciaran Brady
9. Ronan Steede
15. Micheál Lundy
12. Jason Leonard
17 Colin Brady
13. Martin Farragher
10. Gary Sice
11. Michael Farragher
Substitutes:
21 Conor Cunningham for Wall (33),
18 Dylan Canney for Colin Brady (35),
19 Darragh Silke for Sice (42),
20 Gavin Burke for C Silke (49),
22 Barry O’Donovan for Mike Farragher (53)
14 Kieran McGrath for McHugh (55).
CLANN NA NGAEL
1 Ronan O’Reilly
4 Ronan Gavin
2 Darra Pettit
19 David Connaughton
6 Graham Pettit
3 Stephen Flynn
7 Shane Pettit
8 Ultan Harney
9 Cathal Shine
10 Cian McManus
11 Donal Shine (c)
12 Emmett Kenny
13 David McManus
14 Ciaran Lennon
15 Jamie Fahy
Subs:
21 Matt Scally for D McManus (25),
20 Cathal Callanan for D Shine (31 BC),
22 Johnny Dunning for Fahy (h-t),
28 Dylan Summer for C McManus (h-t),
18 Damien Duff for Gavin (35),
23 Niall Connaughton for Kenny (49).
Referee: J Henry (Mayo).
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