Connacht club SFC final
St Brigid’s 0-11
Corofin 0-10
Kiltoom and indeed much of south Roscommon is in celebration mode this week after the reigning Roscommon champions successfully defended their Connacht crown in dramatic circumstances on their own home patch last Sunday.
Live TV coverage, an unseasonably kind day, a large attendance, a well appointed venue, the two outstanding teams in Connacht over the past few years, and some dodgy refereeing decisions thrown into the mix and it’s little wonder that this game had it all.
The ugly scenes at the final whistle when referee Liam Devenney had to be escorted off the field after being attacked by irate Corofin supporters cannot be condoned and have no place in any sport. Shane Curran pulled off the best save of the day as he, with the help of a few more, saved the referee from a certain beating.
Yes, the standard of refereeing was poor and even as a neutral I was baffled at some of his decisions. The Corofin goal which he disallowed in the opening half when they were well on top should have stood. That would almost certainly have changed the outcome of the game.
Yet St Brigid’s had plenty of calls which went against them also. Cathal McHugh for example was booked when in my opinion there wasn’t even a hint of a free.
The bottom line is that leaving refereeing decisions aside Corofin had enough possession and opportunities to put more scores on the board and they failed to do so. The reason they did not win is because they had no Frankie Dolan or Senan Kilbride who could turn possession into scores with the minimum of fuss.
Corofin were the better team in the opening half and should have enjoyed a greater cushion than their 0-7 to 0-4 half-time lead. With only the kick of a ball between them there was always hope the home side could turn things around. Ian Kilbride and Padraig Kelly replaced the injured Darragh Donnelly and out of sorts Damien Kellegher at the break.
The second half performance will be remembered for many a long day by all connected with the famed green and red. Whatever was said at half time certainly had the desired affect as five unanswered points turned a three point deficit into a two point lead within minutes of the restart.
St Brigid’s big players led by example in that second half with Peter Domican, Karol Mannion, Senan Kilbride, and of course Frankie Dolan being particularly impressive.
It was clear that this game was going to go right down to the wire. Eoin Sheehy almost found the net in the 53rd minute but was denied by a great save; however Frankie Dolan was on hand to collect the breakdown and he fired over majestically from a tight angle for what proved to be the winning score.
Corofin to their credit never gave up but wasted numerous opportunities to grab an equalizer. Losing a Connacht decider by a point is a difficult pill to swallow for the Galway side particularly as expectations were high in their own camp but on the day St Brigid’s were deserving champions.
Winning back-to-back Connacht titles is a significant achievement for Noel O’Brien’s men. However they have plenty of areas to work on if they are to make it back to Croke Park on March 17.
They have little time to rest on their laurels. On December 4 they face a tricky assignment in Ruislip in the All-Ireland quarterfinal. With the right attitude they should have no problem progressing to an All-Ireland semifinal but nothing should be taken for granted.
