Fourteen-men Corofin defy odds to seal final spot
: Liam Silke’s 59th minute goal sealed a gutsy All-Ireland semi-final win for Corofin in Tullamore having been down to 14 men for 64 minutes.
Silke, who along with Kieran Molloy missed today’s UCD-NUIG Sigerson Cup final because of this game, was found by Ian Burke who had fielded well to hand-pass into the path of his on-running team-mate.
It was a deserving score for a team who had lost Martin Farragher after just 80 seconds for an innocuous incident involving Liam Healy.
Corofin, though, never went behind and led by three points with a hat-trick of scores in the opening six minutes of the second half.
Watched by a 4,138 crowd, three consecutive scores brought Moorefield level and equalised again through Cian O’Connor after a Gary Sice free but then Silke found the net after Michael Farragher had won a free in turning over the ball in midfield and so Corofin claimed a second final spot in three years.
The first half started and ended in drama. Referee Derek O’Mahoney sent off Martin Farragher for apparently clashing with Healy after the Moorefield full-back made an audacious jump to successfully catch the ball and win a free.
Farragher, it appeared, was given his marching orders for making contact with Healy as he lay on the ground after the fetch but video replays showed there was little in the exchange, Healy simulated and the Corofin man was awfully unfortunate to be dismissed.
Corofin, though, were hardly ruffled by the numerical disadvantage and went ahead twice in a dreadful first half which finished with both sides having sent over two points.
Wides were plentiful and Moorefield shot five of them as well as two shots short compared to Corofin’s four.
Moorefield equalised twice but there was an injury-time chance for Micheál Lundy to find the net when he was found close to goal by Ian Burke but he dragged his shot wide.
G. Sice (0-3, frees); L. Silke (1-0); J. Leonard, I. Burke, R. Steede (0-1 each).
Scorers for Moorefield: E. O’Connor (0-2, frees); D. Whyte, A. Mullins, J. Murray, C. O’Connor (0-1 each).
B. Power; K. Fitzgerald, C. Silke, L. Silke; K. Molloy, D. Wall, Michael Farragher; D. Burke, R. Steede; M. Lundy, G. Sice, J. Leonard; C. Brady, M. Farragher, I. Burke.
B. O’Donovan for C. Brady (51); C. Cunningham for Michael Farragher (60+1); D. McHugh for D. Wall (60+2); D. Silke for J. Leonard (60+3); I. Burke (black, 60 – not replaced).
Martin Farragher (2, straight).
T. Kinsella; L. Callaghan, L. Healy, M. Dempsey; J. Murray, K. Murnaghan, S. Healy; R. Sweeney, A. Masterson; A. Durney, D. Whyte, C. O’Connor; E. O’Connor, N. Hurley-Lynch, E. Heavey.
A. Tyrrell for A. Durney (36); I. Meehan for E. Heavey (41); M. Murray for A. Tyrrell (black, 46); A. Mullins for N. Hurley-Lynch (48); A. Sweeney for D. Whyte (60+1).
D. O’Mahoney (Tipperary).
