*Damien O’Loughlin for Corofin. Photograph: Gerard O’Neill
COROFIN ensured they will get a successive season in the Clare SHC after relegating O’Callaghans Mills to the intermediate grade.
Corofin 2-18
O’Callaghan’s Mills 1-18
Venue: Fr Murphy Memorial Park, Newmarket-on-Fergus
Corofin were deserving winners on the day of an enthralling TUS Clare Senior Hurling Championship Relegation Playoff Final. O’Callaghan’s Mills are relegated but 18 year-old Sean Boyce should stand tall for his defiant 1-12, including 1-4 from play.
A dozen Corofin dual-players already had the bitter taste of relegation in their mouths from defeat in the Clare SFC a week before. If they were going to avoid a double-drop, they couldn’t do this by half.
They were sharp from throw-in. Diarmuid Cahill and Gearoid Kelly were on the board inside the first minute. The short puck-out was working with Eoin Davoren and Conor Leen supplying dangerous ball from the half backs. Corofin left space inside the 21 and Killian O’Connor was taking diagonal ball out in front to use his pace. Gearoid Cahill showed great footwork and interplay and Gearoid Kelly pulled a great ball down for Diarmuid Cahill’s goal after just two minutes.
O’Callaghan’s Mills were unfazed. They showed honest work rate while Fionn Hickey and Cormac Murphy took their points well. Low ball into the right corner forward position was a clear focus and it worked to create scoring positions.
But the story of the first half for the Mills was their nine wides. The southerly breeze into the stand at Fr Murphy Memorial Park didn’t help. Corofin did well to force shooters onto their weaker side, but the reality of relegation finals is that some of those wides will just haunt lads.
Sean Boyce, however, must be protected from that. His skill and ambition did his parish proud throughout and were on full show for his 17th minute goal.
Corofin had 73% success on their own puck out in that first half, mainly due to Liam Corbett’s accuracy and speed with the short puck out. But it can look awful when it goes wrong. Conor Leen went to collect short, but the sliotar skidded in front of him and Boyce scampered away to register a green flag. Leen’s quad muscle looked in trouble and the talk of the stand was that the All-Ireland winner wouldn’t be seen again in the second half.
Diarmuid Cahill brought his tally to 1-5 for the half with a breath taking effort from the side line on the left wing.
The Mills had the last two scores of the half, the final one a long range effort from Mike Cotter. There was some swagger in the corner back’s finger-wagging celebration. O’Callaghan’s Mills were down by three, but it suggested they had plenty in them for the battle ahead.
Conor Leen was back out for the second half, albeit at full-forward. His physicality was causing problems and Gearoid Kelly was converting the frees that came his way.
At the other end, Colm Cleary scored from the restart and centre-back Aidan O’Gorman used the space afforded to him in Leen’s absence to clip one over. The Mills had numbers back and worked good ball to runners on the wings. They needed to do better than the seven wides they had in the second half.
Corofin’s second goal was perfectly timed. Their lead was down to a single point when James Organ set off in midfield. Colm Cleary kept him in hooking range but Organ got a second swing on a mis-controlled effort to flick-up-and-bat-down. Those are the chances you need to take in last-chance saloon.
O’Callaghan’s Mills upped the fight again and were winning more of the dirty ball in the second half.
They were down by six points with 10 minutes left to play and struck the right balance on which frees to take and which to lob in for goal. They had Sean Boyce and enough heart to fill Kilgory Lough. Mills Management showed great faith in their squad to bringing lads off the bench while PJ O’Connell picked up a yellow-card for his own pitch incursion.
Liam Corbett pulled off a double save from Boyce. Mark Pewter got a shot away. But Corofin had enough bodies back and enough of a cushion. This was O’Callaghan’s Mills fourth senior relegation dog-fight in six years.
You can’t win them all. The whistle blew when Corofin came out of one last goal-mouth melee with the ball in their fist.
Corofin Scorers: Diarmuid Cahill (1-5); Gearoid Kelly (0-8 6f); James Organ (1-1); Killian O’Connor (0-2); Sean O’Brien (0-1); Gearoid Cahill (0-1)
O’Callaghan’s Mills Scorers: Sean Boyce (1-12 7f 1 65); Mike Cotter (0-1); Aidan O’Gorman (0-1); Cormac Murphy (0-1); Bryan Donnellan (0-1); Fionn Hickey (0-1); Colm Cleary (0-1).
Corofin:
1: Liam Corbett
2: Marc O’Loughlin
3: Damien O’Loughlin
4: Colin Fitzgerald
5: Eoin Davoren
6: Conor Leen
7: Sean O’Brien
8: Gearoid Cahill
9: Michael Duffy
10: Killian O’Connor
11: Diarmuid Cahill
17: Adrian Shannon
13: Shane O’Brien
21: James Organ
15: Gearoid Kelly
Substitutes Used:
14: Kevin Keane for Adrian Shannon (43’)
12: Cillian McGoary for Shane O’Brien (51’)
O’Callaghan’s Mills:
1: Killian Nugent
2: Mike Cotter
3: Conor Cooney
4: Keith Donnelan
5: Mike McGrath
6: Aidan O’Gorman
7: Paddy Donnelan
8: Cormac Murphy
9: Stephen Donnelan
10: Fionn Hickey
11: Aidan Fawl
21: Bryan Donnellan
13: Colm Cleary
14: Seán Cotter
15: Sean Boyce
Substitutes Used:
12: Darragh Moroney for Seán Cotter (26’)
19: Jacob Loughnane for 21 Darragh Moroney (HT)
22: Mark Pewter for Cormac Murphy (38’)
Referee: Fergal O’Brien (Broadford)
