Kilcoo All-Ireland bid falls short

Kilcoo All-Ireland bid falls short

22 January 2020

WHAT drama unfolded at Croke Park on Sunday when Kilcoo lost out in a pulsating All-Ireland Club SFC final.

The heartbroken Magpies had given their all and pushed mighty Corofin all the way before succumbing to an extra-time blitz as the Galway side created history by becoming the first club to win the Andy Merrigan Cup three years in a row.

Kilcoo had reduced the Corofin juggernaut to a practical stand still in the first half and despite registering five wides in the first 30 minutes, still went in at the break with a 0-3 to 0-2 lead.

Corofin battled back in the second half and looked to have the game won as they entered the 10th minute of added time with a 0-7 to 0-6 lead.

However, Kilcoo refused to panic and Paul Devlin sent over a dramatic 45m free to send the game to extra-time.

It was then that lady luck deserted the Magpies and Corofin took full advantage, scoring a goal and four points in an extremely productive six minute spell in the first half.

There was simply no way back for Kilcoo after this bombardment. They did battle to the bitter end, but Corofin used all their experience to close up shop in the second period as they coasted to a 1-12 to 0-7 victory.

The opening exchanges of this intriguing showdown were tentative, to say the least, before Devlin two Devlin frees gave Kilcoo a 0-2 to 0-0 lead after 15 minutes — alas they also registered four wides in this same period in front of an attendance of 25,930.

Little was seen of the Corofin attack, apart from a piercing move in the second minute that ended with Kilcoo ‘keeper Martin McCourt saving well from Michael Lundy.

Kilcoo were content to play their normal passing game before injecting some pace into affairs, but scores were extremely hard to come by.

It took Corofin 24 minutes before they plundered their first score through Ronan Steede.

Three minutes later McCourt produced another brave save to deny Martin Farragher a certain goal, but the champions weren’t to be denied and Cathal Silke brought the sides level in the 29th minute after a typically sweeping move.

Devlin, however, had the final say of the half when he pointed Kilcoo into a deserved 0-3 to 0-2 half-time lead.

Corofin hit the ground running at the start of the second half and Steede made it all square straight from the second-half throw-in with a point from distance.

A Devlin free was cancelled out by Dylan Wall, but the game took a significant twist when Dylan Ward harshly received a second yellow and then red card after 33 minutes following a challenge on Wall and Gary Sice converted the resulting free to edge Corofin in front.

Sice added another point via a free as the Connacht champions seized the moment with a 0-6 to 0-4 lead after 45 minutes.

A Jason Leonard point made it a three-point game, but brave Kilcoo fought back and points from Conor Laverty and Daryll Branagan left a point in it yet again with two minutes remaining.

Corofin tried desperately to hang on for outright victory, but the Kilcoo tsunami was only just warming up. 

The Magpies knocked and knocked before Devlin pointed a 45m free in the 10th minute of added time to send the decider to extra-time.

Unfortunately, there was to be no second bite of the cherry for Kilcoo in extra-time as Corofin went to town.

Points from Steede, Dylan Canney, Liam Silke and Gary Sice (free) placed them 

well clear before Conor Cunningham got lucky when he steered a loose ball to the net from close range to kill off the Kilcoo challenge.

Kilcoo: M McCourt, N Branagan, R McEvoy, N McEvoy, E Branagan, Aaron Branagan, D Branagan (0-1), Aaron Morgan, Aidan Branagan, D Ward, P Devlin (0-5, 4f), R Johnston, S Johnston, J Johnston, C Laverty (0-1). Subs: J Clarke for R Johnston, Anthony Morgan for Aidan Branagan, F McGreevy for Aaron Morgan, P Greenan for D Branagan.

Corofin: B Power, C Silke (0-1), K Fitzgerald, L Silke (0-1), K Molloy, C Brady, D Wall (0-1), D Burke, R Steede (0-3), G Sice (0-3f), Michael Farragher, J Leonard (0-2), I Burke, Martin Farragher, M Lundy. Subs: C Cunningham (1-0) for D Wall, D McHugh for K Molloy, G Burke for C Brady, C McGrath for C Silke, D Silke for Martin Farragher, D Canney (0-1) for I Burke, C Newell for M Lundy.

Referee: C Lane.

Kilcoo 0-7

Corofin 1-12

ALL-IRELAND CLUB SFC FINAL