In-form Silke turns screw in Corofin’s U-21 title triumph

Corofin 1-15

Claregalway 1-13

COROFIN are tremendously difficult opposition to overcome at any age grade in a final. Despite the worthy efforts of Claregalway, they had just enough know-how to see them win their fourth U21 North Board A championship in-a-row on Bank Holiday Monday.

A horrendous downpour just before throw-in seemed to spell bad omens for what was to follow, but thankfully the weather stayed fine as a highly enjoyable contest was played out. Corofin were superb in how they defended stoutly and were able to break forward and pick off scores in the second half in particular.

Liam Silke was a very important component in the Corofin victory. Allayed to scoring four points, he did a good job shadowing Sean Moran in the first half and was influential when he went to midfield to mark Eoghan Commins in the second period.

Claregalway did very little wrong throughout the 60 minutes. With Corofin short the guts of a third of their starting team, including both Daithi Burke and Jason Leonard, this was the day to catch them and Claregalway will know that regardless of how near they came.

They managed to hold Ian Burke to just one point from play, but were too reliant on Eoghan Commins’ free taking, and the midfield superiority they would have sought from Commins, Moran and co for the duration didn’t materialise. Still, Claregalway started and finished the first half excellently and were full value for their one-point half time advantage.

Commins pointed the first of his seven frees with the game barely a minute old, and Craig Hansberry combined with his brother Kenneth immediately after to send Claregalway two points ahead. Sean Silke got Corofin up and running, before Eoghan Commins (free) and Martin Farragher exchanged points. When Farragher flicked to the net just ahead of the advancing Claregalway goalkeeper in the 12th minute, Corofin were 1-2 to 0-3 in front and Claregalway’s strong start had been undone.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.