Moran does the damage as Corofin sent packing

Castlebar Mitchels 2-10

Corofin 0-11

EVERY sporting record ends, but there still was a sense of bitter disappointment for Corofin, who were left beaten and bewildered by Castlebar Mitchels following a thrilling Connacht Club football decider at Tuam Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

Two years ago in an eventful provincial semi-final Castlebar surprised the Galway standard bearers, who had responded to that loss with admirable efficiency: Corofin subsequently claimed 18 championship wins on the spin yielding two county titles, one Connacht crown, and an All Ireland which was pocketed last March.

Since that St Patrick’s Day succes,s Corofin had continued to wreak havoc Corribside, surviving one real fright when Tuam Stars failed to close the deal in a tense quarter-final. Following that Tuam reprieve, Corofin subsequently outfoxed Cortoon Shamrocks, Mountbellew-Moylough, Mohill, and St Mary’s with a familiar ruthlessness.

Throughout those couple of months Corofin thundered on aware that Castlebar were generating similar momentum on the opposite side of the draw. Ultimately the clash most neutrals out west craved occurred, and it was a match of high suspense and drama.

Intense and edgy in the opening period, Corofin encountered a shaky spell to restore parity on the stroke of half-time. How Corofin went in level at the break was a testament to their spirit and resilience because Barry Moran had been instrumental for a physically imposing Castlebar side.

After the restart the third quarter continued to fascinate, but crucially Castlebar pounced for a terrific 45th minute Neil Douglas goal. When the ball rattled the Corofin net, Castlebar knew a commanding position had been assumed; the All Ireland champions were seriously rattled. There would be no late comeback as Castlebar remained in the ascendancy; Corofin had no complaints about the five point margin.

Early on it didn’t seem as if such a gap would separate the clubs as the game commenced at a brisk pace. Turnovers were being forced, while the shot selection was extremely careful too initially.

Corofin hit eight first half points from 11 attempts, Mitchels’ strike rate of 1-5 from eight scoring opportunities also confirmed just how slick both attacks were. Corofin enjoyed a productive start as Kieran Fitzgerald and Martin Farragher landed remarkable points from distance, but Castlebar replied impressively.

Full match report in this week’s Connacht Tribune.