Gaelic Games

Corofin a cut above Nemo at Croke Park

Galway champions get their hands on All-Ireland club title again at a cold Croke Park

Corofin’s Michael Farragher celebrates scoring a goal. Photograph: Gary Carr/Inpho

Sat Mar 17 2018 - 16:07

Corofin 2-19 Nemo Rangers 0-10

Martin Farragher starred and Corofin became All-Ireland club champions again after a comfortable victory over Nemo Rangers at Croke Park this afternoon.

Corofin's last claimed the Andy Merrigan Cup as recently as 2015, when they got the better of Slaughtneil, and this time they were too good for the country's most decorated club.

The winners were brilliant in a first-half and were out of sight by the interval with goals from Gary Sice and Michael Farragher helping them to a 2-9 to 0-5 lead. They did the damage between the 12th and 20th minutes and Nemo Rangers couldn't cope as Corofin registered 1-5 without reply.

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Sice had already given them the ideal start when he added a goal to his earlier point and Corofin were 1-1 to 0-0 after seven minutes.

Luke Connolly hit back with Nemo's first point in the 10th minute, but then Corofin went on their run. Jason Leonard, Dylan Wall, Martin Farragher, Micheal Lundy and Sice all scored.

Then Daithi Burke got on the end of a brilliant move to give his hand pass to Michael Farragher, who in turn finished calmly to past Micheal Aodh Martin in the Nemo goal.

Nemo came on with a late rally half but they still trailed by 10 points at half-time, and Corofin were well on their way to victory.

The Cork outfit needed to score first in the second-half but Martin Farragher’s pair of points ended any hopes of a comeback.

Connolly was defiant and he sent over his fourth point of the day but Corofin were still finding space up front, and Martin Farragher was their main man in the full-forward line.

Kerry All-Ireland winner Tomás Ó Sé departed the scene eight minutes after the resumption, and there was no let him up from a relentless Corofin.

Corofin only reached this final after Liam Silke’s goal gave them a narrow 1-6 to 0-6 win over Moorefield last time out but they have learned from that and they were in complete control in the second-half.

Sice could have scored a second goal in the 51st minute but saw his shot blaze over the crossbar for another point. That gave Corofin a 2-15 to 0-8 advantage.

Martin Farragher was brought off after he scored his sixth point as Corofin sealed another massive victory.

Corofin: B Power; C Silke, L Silke, K Fitzgerald; C McGrath, D Wall (0-2), K Molloy; D Burke (0-2), R Steede; M Lundy (0-1), G Sice (1-4, 0-2f), J Leonard (0-1); Michael Farragher (1-1), Martin Farragher (0-5), I Burke (0-2). Subs: C Cunningham for Molloy (46 mins), Colin Brady for Lundy (49), B O'Donovan for Leonard (56), D McHugh for C Silke (56), Ciarán Brady for Burke (59), D Canney for Martin Farragher (62).

Nemo Rangers: M A Martin; A Cronin, A O'Reilly, K O'Donovan; T Ó Sé, S Cronin, K Fulignati; A O'Donovan, J Horgan; B O'Driscoll, P Kerrigan (0-1), C O'Brien; P Gumley (0-1), L Connolly (0-5, 0-3f), C Dalton. Subs: C Hogan for Ó Sé (38 mins), J O'Donovan for J Horgan (38), M Dorgan for Gumley (38), C Kiely for Dalton (48), C O'Shea (0-1) for Fulignati (53).

Referee: David Gough (Meath).

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