2 weeks Ago By Irishexaminer.com
Galway SFC final: Corofin 2-9 Maigh Cuilinn 0-9 Corofin manager Kevin Johnson paid tribute to veteran Gary Sice as he scored the clinching goal to wrap up a 23rd Galway SFC title for a club which has dominated the county this century. In the process Sice equalled the record held by former Corofin and Galway colleague Kieran Fitzgerald as he won his 14th county senior medal just a couple of weeks short of his 40th birthday. “Gary is 40 in the next week or two and I just think it is special.
He is the first and last man at training, he leads from the front and the rest of us just love following,” said Johnson after guiding his men to their second successive county final win over Maigh Cuilinn. A burst of 1-3 in three minutes approaching the break set them up for a win which takes them within one of the record 24 crowns held by their neighbours Tuam Stars. But their first thoughts now will be on a Connacht quarter-final meeting with Roscommon champions Padraig Pearses in two weeks.
“We were extremely disappointed coming out of the Connacht club final last year against St Brigid's. We felt we didn’t put in a performance and it is a very long way back especially with the Galway championship being so difficult. “We took it one game at a time and we are absolutely over the moon to get over the line in Galway because the competition is so healthy and so strong.
Teams like Moycullen, if they were to win today, they would have massive aspirations about looking further ahead, so to win a Galway championship back-to-back is huge for us.” Maigh Cuilinn, who won their first Galway title in 2000 and backed it up with another success two years later, never got a grip in the wet conditions at Tuam Stadium. It’s their third county defeat, all of them at the hands of Corofin who beat them last year and way back in 1977.
But they were in trouble when Cororfin pulled away to lead by 1-6 to 0-4 at the break, even though Maigh Cuilinn had the wind after the restart. The wet conditions made it very difficult for both teams and they were level three times in the opening 22 minutes with Dessie Conneely kicking two frees for Maigh Cuilinn and Peter Cooke fisting a point from the right. Corofin got off the mark with a fine point from Jack McCabe and Sice kicked a couple of frees from the right.
Dylan Canney edged Corofin 0-4 to 0-3 in front after 25 minutes but then disaster struck for Maigh Cuilinn when goalkeeper Andrew Power mishit a pass across his 13-metre line and McCabe pounced to sidefoot the ball into the empty net. Corofin then turned the screw with Darragh Silke kicking two points inside a minute to go six clear. Maigh Cuilinn reduced the margin before the break with Conneely’s third free of the game.
The sides exchanged points three times in the third quarter before Owen Gallagher reduced the margin to 1-9 to 0-7 with ten minutes remaining. Maigh Cuilinn had chances to get closer but were guilty of some bad wides and they paid the price when Sice drilled home a superb goal to wrap up the issue two minutes from time. “I think we were a bit disappointed with our first 20 minutes,” added Corofin manager Johnson.
“We weren't going really well, Moycullen were controlling a lot of the play. “The pressing trigger came and we went hard and were fortunate enough to get that goal and that gave us a cushion. They were a little shocked by it and we got the next two scores after that and it gave us a cushion at half time and five points is a big lead,” said the victorious Corofin manager.
Scorers for Corofin: G Sice 1-2 (0-2f), J McCabe 1-1, D Canney 0-2f, D Silke 0-2, Colin Brady 0-2. Scorers for Maigh Cuilinn: D Conneely 0-5f, O Gallagher 0-2, P Cooke 0-2 (0-1f). COROFIN: B Power; L Silke, D McHugh, C Silke; C Cunningham, B Cogger, K Molloy; Ciaran Brady, M Farragher; P Egan, M Lundy, D Canney; G Sice, D Silke, J McCabe.
Subs: Colin Brady for Lundy (28), J Leonard for Canney (48), T Gill for Ciaran Brady (58), G Burke for Cogger (60). MAIGH CUILINN: A Power; C Corcoran, S Kelly, M Moughan; E Kelly, D Wynne, J Moloney; T Clarke, G Davoren; N Mulcahy, P Kelly, P Cooke; D Conneely, F McDonagh, O Gallagher. Subs: N Walsh for McDonagh (39), M O’Reilly for Davoren (39), J McLaughlin for Clarke (41), A Claffey for E Kelly (16), S O’Connor for Mulcahy (58).
Referee: Austin O’Connell (Caherlistrane)..
