Lundy leads the Corofin blitz of All-Ireland Club Champs

Inside Track with John McIntyre

THIS was arguably the best we have ever seen from a Galway club football team. Squaring up to the All-Ireland champions and a St. Vincent’s outfit which hadn’t been beaten since October of 2012, Corofin not alone ended the Dublin side’s reign but managed this noteworthy feat with loads to spare.

Sure, Corofin’s cover had already been blown by the manner in which they had bludgeoned their way to Galway and provincial glory late last year, but this was the ultimate test for Stephen Rochford’s superbly drilled squad and, frankly, St. Vincent’s were fortunate to be only five points adrift at the finish.

There had been much neutral anticipation of a high octane contest ahead of last Saturday’s All-Ireland Club semi-final in Tullamore and they weren’t to be disappointed. It proved an invigorating struggle and the Galway champions showed to a wider audience why no team has hardly been able to lay a glove on them over the past 12 months.

With a highly professional team management and a driven panel of players, Corofin’s natural ability has been augmented by a phenomenal work ethic and exceptional fitness levels. St. Vincent’s knew what was coming down the tracks, but they were unable to cope for long periods of the match and failed to score at all in the concluding quarter.

Not alone was Corofin’s commitment extraordinary, but the quality of their football also reached a new standard at O’Connor Park. Their accurate foot passing would have done justice to top inter-county teams, while they are a bit like the Irish rugby side at present in that everybody was in the same zone and knows what their job is.

The movement and pace of the Corofin attack, in particular, had St. Vincent’s reeling at times with two players doing most of the damage. Michael Lundy, who burst onto the inter-county scene in 2014, and the accurate Ian Burke accounted for eight points from play between them as the Galway champions set up a St. Patrick’s Day collision with Slaughneil of Derry.

Lundy was an electrifying presence in the Corofin forward line. Much of the pre-match talk had centred on the possible impact of Diarmuid Connolly and though St. Vincent’s ‘go to man’ was admittedly influential in the opening quarter, it was Lundy who stole the show. Apart from landing four points, he was instrumental in several other scores while fouls on him led directly to three pointed frees.

Corofin’s class and artistry was there for everyone to see, but they had to be resolute too, especially when Gary Delaney’s 23rd minute penalty after a foul on Gary Sice thundered back off the crossbar. That was a blow in itself, but it was compounded barely 90 seconds later when St. Vincent’s converted a spot kick of their own.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune