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*Colm Breen breaks John Sheanon’s challenge. Photograph: Burren Eye Photography
FAILING floodlights during Friday’s preliminary quarter-final clash ‘broke Corofin’s momentum’ at a vital stage of their knockout clash.
With the sides level at 1-13 apiece and with fifteen minutes remaining in the second half of the Clare SFC preliminary quarter-final, a trip switch resulted in the floodlights of Clarecastle going off for a six minute spell and the pausing of the game.
When play resumed, Corofin had the next three chances, taking two with Eoin Davoren and Seanán Kirby but their dominance over St Joseph’s Doora/Barefield restarts had been stymied with the break allowing the Parish’s management time to adjust.
Corofin manager Peadar O’Brien told The Clare Echo, “It broke our momentum, we were well on top at that stage, we were on top maybe not well on top but it didn’t do us any favours for sure”.
Coming up short in extra time was of little consolation to last year’s intermediate champions. “A great fight isn’t much good because it’s all about getting over the line and we weren’t able to do that. In fairness to Doora/Barefield they probably just about deserved it in the finish, they got the few more scores than us in extra time and that is the fine line at this level”.
Losing Cillian McGroary to a hamstring injury in the week of the knockout game was a huge blow to Corofin who were already without Jamie Malone. “He was a huge loss, that is no fault of anybody else, he just pulled a hamstring and these things happen, you just have to get on with it, himself and Jamie Malone were probably the difference because they got bodies back whereas we lost a few bodies, they had Odhran O’Connell and John Sheanon back and they had been missing the last day, that was the difference, we lost two bodies and they didn’t but more luck to them”.
To be considered a stronger force at senior level, Peader felt Corofin needed to have the results to back it up. “We would have always felt we were capable of playing senior football. We can look at it a few ways, we played four games and only won one of them, we need to do something and something needs to change because that isn’t good enough, there’s no point being above in senior if you’re getting beaten, none of us are involved to be getting beaten, what is the point in that”.
