Composed Corofin qualify for Munster final

*Corofin’s panellists. Photograph: Gerard O’Neill

Corofin have advanced to the Munster club intermediate football final with a lightning attack setting the way for the North Clare side.

Corofin 1-14
Newmarket (Cork) 0-11
Venue: Mallow, Cork

Douglas Hurley’s Corofin will be the only Clare representatives in the provincial club finals this season with the Fionn Clancy captained side setting up a New Year’s final with Kerry outfit Na Gaeil after recording a six point win over Cork’s Newmarket on Sunday afternoon.

Sun shone in Mallow but even if the weather conditions were poorer, Corofin would have basked in their glory as they bounced back from trailing by three points in the second half to produce a strong comeback to deservingly advance to the Munster final.

Newmarket finished the encounter with fourteen men following corner forward Darren O’Keeffe’s dismissal on forty five minutes.

Visitors Corofin started the brighter and had the first two scoring opportunities from the Cahill brothers Gearoid and Diarmuid. It would be Damien Ryan that opened their account. Newmarket had a mighty chance to respond but Kevin O’Sullivan’s goal chance went abegging before Barry O’Connor landed the equaliser on six minutes.

Robin Mounsey finished off a well worked sequence on ten minutes but in the next play Ryan O’Keeffe responded for the Cork side. They took the lead when O’Keeffe pointed a free but Corofin came back swinging with a double from Gearoid Cahill and an excellent Jamie Malone white flag to put them 0-05 0-03 ahead at the first water break.

Gearoid Cahill kicked the second last score of the half on twenty nine minutes but by then Newmarket had popped over three points in succession before responding to Cahill’s effort to hold a 0-07 0-06 advantage at half-time.

Early in the second half, full-forward Ryan O’Keeffe tapped over a brace of frees to open up a three point lead for the Duhallow side. Gearoid Cahill and a double from Robin Mounsey brought the sides back on level terms while O’Keeffe was shown a second yellow card with Killian O’Connor making his introduction for Corofin from the bench.

They kept their account ticking with Cahill slotting another free before Clare senior hurling panellist Mounsey fired two points in a row, again.

Newmarket reduced the lead to a single point but spurned a chance to equalise before Eoin Clancy put the four-time Clare IFC champions two points in front approaching additional time. During this period, Diarmuid Cahill netted a superb goal to seal the win for Corofin and their place in the Munster final which will take place on January 15th/16th.

Scorers for Corofin: R Mousney 0-5; G Cahill 0-4 (all frees); D Cahill 1-1 (one free); J Malone, K Keane, E Clancy, D Ryan 0-1 each.

Scorers for Newmarket: R O’Keeffe 0-5 (all frees); C O’Keeffe 0-3 (two frees); D O’Keeffe, C Browne, B O’Connor 0-1 each.

COROFIN:
1: Luke Neylon

2: Marc O’Loughlin
26: Ross Hayes
4: John Rees

5: Colm Rice
6: Damien O’Loughlin
18: Jamie Malone

8: Kevin Keane
9: Fionn Clancy

17: Damien Ryan
11: Diarmuid Cahill
12: Gearoid Kelly

13: Robin Mounsey,
14: Cillian McGroary
15: Gearoid Cahill.

Subs:
21: Brendan Keane for J Rees (half time)
25: Killian O’Connor for D Ryan (40)
29: Eoin Clancy for G Kelly (56)
24: Eoin Davoren for G Cahill (63).

NEWMARKET:
1: Josh O’Keeffe

2: Mikey Browne
3: Alan Ryan
4: Gavin Forde

5: TJ Brosman
6: Paudie Allen
7: Bart Daly

8: Mikey Cottrell
9: Cathal Browne

10: John Ryan
11: Kevin O’Sullivan
12: Barry O’Connor

13: Conor O’Keeffe
14: Ryan O’Keeffe
15: Darren O’Keeffe.

Subs:
17: Daniel Norton for G Forde (bs) (30, rev ht),
18: David Cottrell for J Ryan (48),
D Norton for TJ Brosnan (58).

Referee: Jonathan Hayes (Limerick)