Corofin boss Rochford pays tribute to players for delivering against Ballintubber

COROFIN manager Stephen Rochford said that before their Connacht final clash with Balllintubber they had targeted the midfield sector as a key area . . . and it was a plan that worked.

Ballintubber had looked strong at midfield in their games against St. Brigids and Castlebar with Jason Gibbons and Stephen Broderick in good form, but the Corofin ploy of pulling back Greg Higgins into a sweeping role just behind Ronan Steede and Daithí Burke worked like a dream.

“We did target midfield and I suppose after the first 10 minutes of the match, we won a lot of ball around that area. Greg Higgins’ return after injury has been a big boost to us – he has given us more options around this sector,” Rochford told Tribune Sport.

He said that Corofin’s strong performance around the midfield sector had a spin-off impact all over the pitch. “It meant that the supply of ball into the Ballintubber danger men like Alan Dillon and Cillian O’Connor was greatly reduced while our own forward were getting a lot of quality early ball,” he said.

While Corofin’s big scores and quickfire attacking play may have grabbed the headlines all season, the Crossmolina sideline man, was quick to praise the work of his defence, all through the match.

“For nearly the first 55 minutes of the match we restricted the Ballintubber attack to just one point from play and I think that this was a fair tribute to our defence.

“We defended all the way from our forward line back and given the quality of the Ballintubber forwards, I had to be very happy with our overall defensive effort,” said the Crossmolina man.

This is his second year involved with Corofin in a management capacity – last year he was joint manager with David Morris but this time around, he took on the job himself, with the help of Trevor Burke, Ger Keane, Kevin O’Brien and P. J. Reilly.

Margins of victory in matches mean nothing to Stephen Rochford and he said that on the Sunday morning of the match, he would have gladly settled for a one point success.

“The lads have put in a huge effort this year and last Sunday’s win was hugely satisfying for us all. We never for one second under-estimated Ballintubber and I think every one of our players turned in good performances,” he said.

The Corofin manager though stoutly declined to comment on what might lie ahead for Corofin in 2015. “I’ve learned at this stage to look no further than the next game ahead. We always respect our opponents and this week, we’re preparing for a county league final against Annaghdown on Sunday.

“We’re also in a John Dunne Cup final while we have to plan for our trip to London on December 14 in Ruislip for our quarter-final match with Tir Chonaill Gaels. At this stage, that’s well far enough to look ahead,” added Rochford.