Corofin remain in league of their own after final rout

Inside Track with John McIntyre

ALL the cautionary words directed towards Corofin footballers ahead of last Sunday’s Connacht Club final against Ballintubber at McHale Park may have been well intentioned but, at is transpired, were utterly misplaced and needless. For, once again, the opposition could hardly lay a glove on Stephen Rochford’s men.

This eagerly-awaited confrontation was supposed to be the defining test for the Galway champions in the province, but the match never lived it up to its billing simply because Corofin were too good; too classy; too powerful. After 44 minutes, they had stormed into a commanding 2-10 to 0-4 lead as Ballintubber became the latest victims of their unrelenting intensity and superior football.

On this evidence, Corofin will win the club’s second All-Ireland title next March. Apart from the sheer quality of their players, the team’s huge work-rate and the pace in which they move the ball has put them on a different to all rivals so far in 2014. Though it took them nine minutes to score against Ballintubber and they only led by 0-7 to 0-4 at the interval, the reality was that the Mayo holders were barely hanging on.

Young Iain Burke was the Corofin player who did the damage early on. He landed four of their opening six points, including a brilliant effort from play in the 24th minute. With the tireless Michael Lundy and the Martin Farragher also picking off fine scores, they were never headed by a Ballintubber outfit which really struggled to cope with the pressure they were coming under in all sectors of the field

Though the Mayo men might have thought they still had a chance at half-time, those notions were quickly dispelled on the resumption. Corofin’s long serving full back Kieran Fitzgerald fisted over a rousing point in the 33rd minute before two superbly engineered goals in quick succession from the impressive Gary Sice and Burke put them into an unassailable lead and, in the process, left a sixth Connacht Club triumph inevitable.

Team captain Michael Farragher had provided the key pass for Sice’s goal and it was his precise defence-splitting delivery to the same player which led directly to the team’s second green flag. All over the field, Corofin were dominant as their backs hardly allowed influential opponents, Cillian O’Connor and Alan Dillon, a look in although the latter did escape their shackles to notch a second-half goal and point, admittedly when the game was already over as a contest.

With Gary Delaney, Daithi Burke, Ronan Steede and Greg Higgins all influential in the primary ball-winning sectors, Corofin lived up to their reputation in producing another top class performance. The favourites tag doesn’t seem to bother them at all and, if anything, that mantle is proving a positive catalyst in their continued blitzing of all opponents who stand in their way.

Having reached the Connacht final without having being put any serious pressure, Corofin ought to have been some vulnerable, at least in theory, but their players are clearly in a strong mental zone and were primed for the challenge. Early on Ballintubber had no shortage of possession, but they shot some bad wides and were hardly allowed breathe by arguably the best Galway club team of modern times.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.