AIB Connacht club SFC Final

Corofin (Galway) 2-13 St Brigid’s (Roscommon) 0-05

By John Fallon at Pairc Sean Mac Diarmada

Michael Farragher’s goal after 12 minutes sent Corofin towards their second Connacht club title in three years and to an easy win over Roscommon champions St Brigid’s at Pairc Sean Mac Diarmada.

Even by that early stage Corofin looked likely winners after their fluid forward line blitzed St Brigid’s in the first exchanges, while Jason Leonard’s goal 13 minutes from time added to St Brigid’s misery.

St Brigid’s also had Darren Dolan sent off for a second yellow card 11 minutes from the end, but Corofin were already in cruise control at that stage.

In the first minutes Corofin were lightening as Farragher, Ian Burke and Dylan Wall pushed the Galway winners into a 0-4 to 0-0 lead. In truth it could have been a far stronger advantage had Farragher and Gary Sice taken their goal chances.

But with St Brigid’s struggling to find their range at the other end – they kicked six first-half wides and 13 in all – Corofin ran out easy winners and pulled level with Clann na nGael at the top of the Connacht honours board with seven provincial wins each.

It only took Farragher 15 seconds to get his side on the board, and after points from Wall and Ian Burke, Eoin Sheehy and Karol Mannion did steady the St Brigid’s challenge with points as they only trailed by two with 12 minutes gone.

However their hopes of a successful day in Carrick-on-Shannon were dashed when Ian Burke and Liam Silke linked well for Farragher to hit the net, and Corofin finally had the lead their dominance deserved.

Four more points without reply in the space of seven minutes gave Corofin a 1-8 to 0-2 lead as Jason Leonard found the target, while a long range score from Eoin Sheehy gave some solace to St Brigid’s who trailed by 1-8 to 0-3 at half-time.

All Star hurler Daithí Burke got in on the act for Corofin after the restart as did Gary Sice as a couple of good points on the run pushed Corofin into a ten-point lead.

It looked a lost cause for the Roscommon men at that stage, but when Leonard hit the net following a lightening counter attack, there could have been no doubt as to the identity of the winners.

The sending off of Darren Dolan nine minutes from time did little to aid the St Brigid’s challenge, while Sice and Micheal Lundy’s late points underlined their total dominance.

**Scorers for Corofin: **J Leonard 1-3 (2f), Michael Farragher 1-2, G Sice 0-4 (1f), D Wall I Burke, D Burke, M Lundy 0-1 each.

Scorers for St Brigid’s: E Sheehy 0-2, K Mannion 0-2 (2f), P Kelly 0-1.

**Corofin: **B Power; C Silke, K Fitzgerald, C Cunningham; K Molloy, L Silke, C McGrath; D Burke, R Steede; G Sice, D Wall, J Leonard; M Lundy, I Burke, M Farragher. Subs: B O’Donovan for Molloy (45 mins), A Burke for Cunningham (51 mins), D Canney for Leonard (54 mins), K Murphy for Wall (56 mins),G Higgins for L Silke (56 mins), J Canney for I Burke (58 mins).

St Brigid’s: S Mannion; R Stack, D Donnelly, D Sheehy; E Sheehy, N Grehan, N McInerney; M Daly, G Dolan; P Kelly, D Dolan, C Murray; K Mannion, S Kilbride, B Stack. Subs: J Murray for Donnelly (7-11 mins, blood), C McHugh for C Murray (half-time), D Cunniffe for Daly (41 mins), A Gleeson for K Mannion (56 mins), J Murray for Grehan (56 mins),

**Referee: **Jerome Henry (Mayo).