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*Corofin captain Kevin Keane drives away from Jack Sheedy of St Breckans. Photograph: Burren Eye Photography
COROFIN brought the fight and firepower to put themselves on the cusp of making the knockout stages of the Clare SFC while their North Clare derby win over St Breckans has the Spa on the brink of a relegation battle.
Corofin 1-13
St Breckans 0-9
Venue: Gurteen
Reigning intermediate champions Corofin have almost certainly consolidated their senior status for next season with their seven point win over St Breckans.
Seven points is a fair and accurate reflection on the gap between the sides in this outing. Corofin should they beat Kilmurry Ibrickane in round three will finish top of Group 3 and their scoring difference looks set to keep them from a relegation battle.
Two defeats from two has St Breckans slipping towards the relegation play-offs. Even a win against Lissycasey in the final round may not save them, such a scenario would put them equal on points with Lissycasey and potentially Corofin if they lose to the Bricks. Even then, the Spa’s scoring difference would require them to inflict a heavy beating on Cusack Cup champions Lissycasey.
From Seanán Kirby’s goal on fifteen minutes until the final whistle, Corofin were ahead apart from a quick Colm O’Brien equaliser. St Breckans took the lead twice in the opening quarter and held a 0-3 0-1 advantage before Kirby’s finish.
Both sides knew this was a game with the potential to define where their season heads but it was Corofin who showed far more desire.
An excellent Jamie Malone pass was finished soccer style to the net by Kirby for the game’s only goal on fifteen minutes. Moments previous, Tristan O’Callaghan had to be on alert to intercept a Kirby pass to Gearoid Cahill, clearing the resulting danger.
Sigerson Cup winner O’Callaghan got injured when attempting the same move on twenty minutes, a collision with Gearoid Cahill, saw him sustain a shoulder injury which ended his involvement in the game and prompted the introduction of Clare U20 panellist James Garrihy.
Cillian McGroary who was Corofin’s top scorer on the day, kicked a two pointer from a free in response to O’Brien’s equaliser. His attempt was made easier after the ball was moved forward for dissent by referee Barry Kelly after Donncha O’Dwyer made his views known to the match official. This indiscipline continued throughout the game, conceding eight frees in the second half when only winning three while O’Dwyer picked up a black card on fifty eight minutes.
McGroary’s two pointer was followed by scores from Gearoid Cahill and captain Kevin Keane to see Corofin hold a 1-5 0-4 interval lead. St Breckans were dealt a further blow when an ongoing injury is understood to have been behind the decision of captain Rowan Danaher getting called ashore before the break, even on occasions when he was getting bottled up or falling to the ground, Danaher made the right decision with his offloads so his presence was also missed.
There needed to a reignited St Breckans challenge on the restart but it never arrived, they conceded three points without reply, making it an unanswered burst of seven points either side of half time for Corofin. Jamie Stack finally opened their second half account on thirty nine minutes when converting a free, one which was awarded after Oisin Tierney took too long to take a kickout.
McGroary had the first two scores of the half for Corofin while Jamie Malone fisted over an effort to leave them seven in front on thirty seven minutes.
Excellent link-up play between Colm Breen, Gearoid Cahill and McGroary teed up Kirby for their ninth point on forty minutes while at the other end, Fionn Clancy made a great block on Cathal Morgan, the ball spilled to Jamie Stack who missed the target while a glorious goal chance was kept out when Oisin Tierney saved a one on one attempt by substitute Cathal Guerin, the resulting 45 was converted by Padraig Kelly.
Moments after entering the field of play, Cilléin Mullins managed to dislocate a finger which was swiftly put back into place and the Crusheen man had a hand to play in lining up Kirby for his second point of the day as Corofin fleshed out the lead to eight points.
An advanced mark from Stack and a two pointer from substitute Eoghan Garrihy were sandwiched between a Colm Breen white flag but the last score of the day would fall to Kevin Keane to seal the seven point win. Keane wouldn’t finish the game on the field, picking up a black card in additional time while Fionn Clancy was called upon again in defence, this time intercepting a Stack delivery to see them leave with a clean sheet.
Considering it finished 2-11 0-5 in St Breckans’ favour when the clubs last met in the Clare SFC, just two seasons ago, the nineteen point turnaround coupled with the derby aspect adds more sting to the loss. They’re all but confirmed for a relegation battle following successive defeats but as worrying as where they are headed is the performances.
Over the hour, they kicked fourteen wides, there was plenty of other mistakes but the indiscipline and lack of fight will be most concerning for the contingent from Doolin, Kilshanny and Lisdoonvarna. The big task facing Patrick O’Neill and his management is the lift a side short on morale and belief but they simply have to rise it because they are on a slippery slope. Cian Burke and Paddy Doherty did well to curb Jamie Malone and Gearoid Cahill to a point each but the lack of leadership and fight from within their ranks has to be addressed.
Celebrating not just a first SFC win since October 2022 when they beat Lissycasey by six points in the quarter-finals but more than likely regaining their status for next year, Corofin left Gurteen in high spirits and rightly so. They were stronger in the air with captain Kevin Keane central to them claiming aerial ball from restarts, they linked the play and moved the ball through the hands very well while other top performers included Colm Breen, Fionn Clancy, Cillian McGroary, Marc O’Loughlin and Seanán Kirby.
Peadar O’Brien’s side have a free shot at Kilmurry Ibrickane in two weeks and are showing glimpses of the side which reached the last four in 2022.
All photographs by Burren Eye Photography
Scorers Corofin: C McGroary (0-6 2f 1TPf 1’45), S Kirby (1-2), K Keane (0-2), G Cahill (0-1), J Malone (0-1), C Breen (0-1).
Scorers St Breckans: J Stack (0-3 2f 1M), P Kelly (0-2 1’45), E Garrihy (0-2 1TP), E Byrne (0-1), C O’Brien (0-1).
Corofin:
1: Oisin Tierney
2: Cian O’Loughlin
5: Fionn Clancy
20: Marc O’Loughlin
18: Michael Cahill
4: Christian Cummins
7: Kevin Keane
8: Cillian McGroary
9: Darragh McGroary
26: Colm Breen
10: Gearoid Kelly
13: Jamie Malone
12: Evan Doolin
14: Gearoid Cahill
15: Seanán Kirby
Subs:
17: Cilléin Mullins for D McGroary (43)
6: Damien O’Loughlin for M Cahill (54)
St Breckans:
1: Tristan O’Callaghan
17: Conor Burke
4: Paddy Doherty
5: Páraic O’Dwyer
3: Cian Burke
7: Jack Sheedy
2: Alan Sweeney
8: Pádraig Kelly
12: Donncha O’Dwyer
10: Rowan Danaher
11: Jamie Stack
13: Colm O’Brien
15: Cathal Morgan
20: Eoin Byrne
14: Cian Jimmy Burke
Subs:
16: James Garrihy for O’Callaghan (23) (inj)
9: Denis O’Callaghan for Danaher (30+3)
25: Cathal Guerin for Byrne (36)
28: Eoghan Garrihy for CJ Burke (45)
18: Ronan Fitzpatrick for Conor Burke (49)
Referee: Barry Kelly (St Joseph’s Miltown)
