Following one of the most dramatic finishes to a club football game in Clare, Corofin have have been crowned Clare intermediate football champions for the fourth time.
Corofin 2-12
Kildysart 2-10
Venue: Cusack Park, Ennis
Goals from Damien O’Loughlin and Diarmuid Cahill in the seven minutes of additional time turned this final on its head and sends Corofin back to the senior ranks of Clare football. The green flags came within the space of fifty five seconds and proved to be fatal blows from which Kildysart never recovered.
Up to this point, it appeared that Kildysart were going to win the title for the first time since 2003 with Corofin racking up seven wides in the second half while playing with the aid of the elements while the men by the Estuary held a seven point advantage at half-time.
A lively start from Kildysart saw them trouble the opposing backline with green flags from Rory McMahon on fifteen minutes and Keith Murphy on twenty minutes while having seven different scores in the opening half.
Scores were plentiful for Noel O’Grady’s Kildysart in the first half but on the resumption, they found this much more difficult with the introduction of Cilléin Mullins also locking up shop in the Corofin defence. Conor Hassett’s white flag on forty five minutes would turn out to be Kildysart’s only score in the second half.
Corofin were first to score on the restart via Diarmuid Cahill, he added another four minutes later with forty minutes on the clock and this was followed by a Gearoid Cahill score to reduce the lead to four points.
Just when the game appeared to be sliding from their grasp, Corofin rallied in additional time striking for the killer goals to ensure they got their hands on the Talty Stores Cup title for the first time since 2015.
“We did it the hard way”, were the words of captain Fionn Clancy as he accepted the trophy from Jack Chaplin, Chairman of Clare GAA. Damien O’Loughlin, Kevin Keane, Cilléin Mullins and the Cahill brothers were to the fore for Douglas Hurley’s winners. Kildysart’s best were Diarmuid O’Donnell, Stephen Sheehan and Fergal Ginnane.
Scorers Corofin: D Cahill (1-04 3f), G Cahill (0-05 2f), D O’Loughlin (1-00), R Mounsey (0-01), J Malone (0-01), G Kelly (0-01).
Scorers Kildysart: K Murphy (1-01), D O’Donnell (0-03 1f), R McMahon (1-00), K O’Brien (0-02), C Hassett (0-02), E McMahon (0-01), F Ginnane (0-01).
Corofin:
1: Luke Neylon
7: Shay Malone
2: Marc O’Loughlin
4: John Rees
5: Colm Rice
6: Damien O’Loughlin
30: Jamie Malone
8: Kevin Keane
9: Fionn Clancy
10: Cian Doolin
14: Cillian McGroary
12: Gearoid Kelly
11: Diarmuid Cahill
13: Robin Mounsey
15: Gearoid Cahill
Subs:
3: Cilléin Mullins for S Malone (22)
17: Damien Ryan for Doolin (HT)
25: Killian O’Connor for McGroary (38)
18: Cillian Clancy for Kelly (56)
21: Brendan Keane for Mounsey (67)
Kildysart:
1: Robert Eyres
7: Fergal Ginnane
4: Stephen Sheehan
2: Brian Eyres
6: Kieran Leahy
5: Rory McMahon
12: Mikey Donnellan
8: Keith O’Connor
11: Emmet McMahon
9: Luke McGrath
24: Kieran O’Brien
15: Seamus Casey
10: Conor Hassett
13: Diarmuid O’Donnell
14: Keith Murphy
Subs:
17: Ian Flanagan for Murphy (39)
3: Shane McNeilis for R McMahon (43)
19: John Ginnane for McGrath (54)
21: Ryan Casey for Hassett (57).
Referee: Niall Quinn (St Josephs Miltown)
