GAA: Shock Defeat for Bookies Favourites Corofin Leaves Connacht Championship Wide Open
iStock - Stephen Shannon
Final Score: Pádraig Pearses: 2-10 Corofin: 0-10
Match Report by James Varley
The sudden abruptness that comes with losing a knockout Connacht Championship fixture can be both a blessing and a curse. A blessing when you can come out week after week and stay alive to win it all, a curse when all that hard work, training, and preparation counts for nothing at the end of a year cut short. Corofin are left thinking “what if?” after a shock loss to a far superior outfit in Pádraig Pearses of Roscommon.
The Galway Champions started the game as they had finished in their County Final win over Moycullen with two quick fire scores from Dylan Canney and Darragh Silke within the first four minutes.
From this point on though, the Roscommon County Champions woke up and started swinging with six scores in a row. Unfortunately for Corofin, one of those swings was a sucker punch to the gut. After one of Corofins many turnovers in the game, the Roscommon County Champions cut open the Corofin defense like an experienced surgeon, with a calm finish provided by player of the match Paul Carey, who scored 1-4 on the day.
If Corofin were to get back into this Connacht Championship, they would need an almighty miracle in the form of any score at all, considering the best they could muster in the first period was three. They did conjure up a goal chance in the 14th minute when Brian Cogger seemed to have beaten everyone, including the keeper, but was denied by a heroic Paul Carey clearance off the goalmouth. The forward really did cover every blade of grass in Tuam.
Corofin did begin to find their more typical standard of performance in the third quarter of play, popping over scores with more regularity, the most notable being a pair of fine scores from one of their star-men, Kieran Molloy. At one stage the gap between the two sides was a mere three points, but Pádraig Pearses quickly put a stop to any hopes of Corofin stealing the win after a horrible judgement call from former Galway goalkeeper, Bernie Power, where he misjudged a kickout which allowed substitute Jack Nevin to dribble the ball soccer-style into an empty Corofin net.
Speaking to TG4 Spórt after the game, winning manager Frank Canning was more subdued and played down his sides victory today.
“It’s only a quarter final, it’s going to be forgotten about again and, unless you go out and win something, you won’t be remembered. All we did today was win a quarter final.”
There is truth in Canning’s words here, as Pearse’s advance to a Connacht Semi-Final in just a weeks’ time against Leitrim Champions Mohill. For Corofin, it’s a year with silver wear, but not the silver wear they had hoped for at the start of the season.
SCORERS – Padraig Pearses: P Carey 1-4 (0-2f, 0-1m), E Colleran 0-3 (1f, 1m), J Nevin 1-0, N Daly, D Kenny, C Harley 0-1 each. Corofin: D Canney 0-4 (2f), K Molloy 0-2, D Silke, J McCabe (m), M Lundy, L Silke 0-1 each.
PADRAIG PEARSES – P Whelan; G Downey, N Carty, D Murray; D Kenny, C Keogh, C Harley; C Ryan, N Daly; C Daly, R Daly, A McGreal; E Colleran, J Tumulty, P Carey. Subs: S Canning for McGreal (41), M Richardson for Downey (51), J Nevin for Tumulty (54), C Lohan for Harley (60), E Kelly for Colleran (63).
COROFIN – B Power; C Silke, D McHugh, L Silke; B Cogger, C Cunningham, K Molloy; P Egan, Michael Farragher; D Canney, T Gill, Colin Brady; D Silke, G Sice, J McCabe. Subs: G Burke for C Silke (25), J Leonard for Cunningham (ht), M Lundy for Gill (ht), Martin Farragher for Sice (43), R Coen for D Silke (54).
REF – P Lydon (Mayo)
