AIB All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Club Semi-Final

COROFIN 1-6 MOOREFIELD 0-6

By Kevin Egan at O’Connor Park, Tullamore

2015 All Ireland champions Corofin defied heavy underfoot conditions at Bord na Móna O’Connor Park and the sending off of full forward Martin Farragher in the opening minute to secure their place at Croke Park on St. Patrick’s day, the key score a late goal that was excellently finished by Liam Silke.

The Galway outfit lived up to their favourites’ tag as they powered past Moorefield with an all-action second half performance, but on a day when scores were hard to come by, the result was still very much in the balance going into the closing stages of the tie.

It was a first half short on quality as the sticky surface made free-flowing football difficult. The big talking point came with less than a minute on the clock when Farragher was red-carded after contesting a high ball with Liam Healy.

Scoring chances were incredibly rare thereafter as Moorefield struggled to press home their numerical advantage. Corofin still looked like the more dangerous team going forward and it fell to Jason Leonard to open their account with a point from play following a poor kick-out from Tom Kinsella.

Moorefield were level through David White’s booming effort a minute later and just two more first half points followed, one for each side. A Gary Sice free put the Galway champions back in front before Éana O’Connor opened his account with a close-range free at the other end.

Corofin had a glorious chance to take a meaningful lead into the dressing room Micheál Lundy dragged his shot wide when a goal looked on, after being set up by Ian Burke just before half time.

The 14 men of Corofin came out all guns blazing in the second half and opened up a 0-5 0-2 lead through Gary Sice from frees and Ronan Steede strike from play.

An Éanna O’Connor free and a good effort from play from sub Adam Tyrell cut the gap however and when James Murray burst forward to tie the game up with a little over ten minutes remaining, all the momentum was with the Leinster champions. Another Sice free gave Corofin the lead once more but Cian O’Connor equalised with a booming point.

Moorefield’s late heroics against St. Loman’s in the provincial final would have given them plenty of confidence in a tight finish, and some pundits also noted that four of their last six knockout ties this year ended with a Moorefield win by a goal or less. On this occasion the close call didn’t go their way however as Corofin delivered a late, decisive winner.

Liam Silke made a marauding run forward and sent the Corofin supporters into raptures when he fired the ball past Tom Kinsella to finish a good team move involving Dylan Wall and Ian Burke, sending his side to Croke Park where they will attempt to become just the fifth club in the  country to win at least three senior club football All Ireland titles.

**Scorers for Corofin: **Liam Silke 1-0, Gary Sice 0-3 (0-3f), Ronan Steede, Jason Leonard, Ian Burke 0-1 each.

Scorers for Moorefield: Eanna O’Connor 0-2 (0-2f), James Murray, Cian O’Connor, Aaron Mullins, David Whyte 0-1 each.

**COROFIN: **Bernard Power; Kieran Fitzgerald, Cathal Silke, Liam Silke; Kieran Molloy, Dylan Wall, Michael Farragher; Daithi Burke, Ronan Steede; Michael Lundy, Gary Sice, Jason Leonard; Colin Brady, Martin Farragher, Ian Burke. Subs: Barry O’Donovan for Brady (51), Conor Cunningham for Michael Farragher (61), Dylan McHugh for Wall (61), Darragh Silke for Leonard (63)

MOOREFIELD: Tom Kinsella; Liam Callaghan Liam Healy, Mark Dempsey; James Murray, Kevin Murnaghan, Sean Healy; Aaron Masterson, Ronan Sweeney; Anthony Durney, David Whyte, Cian O’Connor; Eanna O’Connor, Niall Hurley Lynch, Eddie Heavey. Subs: Adam Tyrell for Durney (35),  Ian Meehan for Heavey (41), Mark Murrray for Tyrell (black card) (46), Aaron Mullins for Hurley-Lynch (48),Adam Sweeney for Whyte (61).

**Referee: **Derek O’Mahoney (Tipperary)