Connacht Tribune

Corofin pull away late on against gallant Claregalway

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Corofin 1-17

Claregalway 0-10

CLAREGALWAY aren’t the first and won’t be the last team to be steamrolled late on by Corofin’s superb fitness levels but for 40 minutes at Tuam Stadium on Sunday, the newly promoted side gave an excellent account of themselves against the reigning All-Ireland champions.

Just four points separated the sides heading into the final third of the contest with Claregalway having done well to curb the influence of Corofin’s potent attack. Ian Burke was relegated to a bit part role by a superb man-marking performance from Marc Goldrick while Micheál Lundy and Martin Farragher were shackled reasonably well for long periods.

Unfortunately for Claregalway, maintaining that diligence in defence took a physical and mental toll and by the time the clock hit 40 minutes, they were spent. Outscored 0-7 to 0-1 in the time remaining, the final score didn’t reflect a lot of the quality they showed.

Credit to Corofin, they are All-Ireland champions for a reason and even when they failed to hit top gear, their class was apparent. Five county titles in a row have given them plenty of experience and Kevin O’Brien’s side never looked remotely like panicking as Claregalway kept pace with them for so long.

As impressive as Claregalway were, things could have been even better for them had their shooting been a bit tighter. They hit seven wides in the first half alone, while missing a couple of scorable frees. With last year’s intermediate title holders fading so badly in that final period, Corofin probably would have had enough to still come out on top but it might have been a little more strenuous for them.

 

Full report in this week’s Connacht Tribune

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