Corofin 1-14
Micheal Breathnachs 0-11

Noel Carney at Pearse Stadium

HOT favourites Corofin made solid if unspectacular progress on the road to a possible three Claregalway Hotel senior football championships in succession by wearing down a spirited Micheal Breathnach’s outfit in comfortable fashion at Pearse Stadium on Saturday evening.

They now meet near neighbours Caherlistrane in a mouth watering quarter-final on August 15 while the current campaign ends in disappointment for the gallant losers who tried hard but who were just not good enough to topple opponents that they sensationally shocked in the first round of last year’s competition.

Although winning comfortably in the end, the victors failed to score in the opening ten minutes, at which stage they were two points in arrears courtesy of a brace of Peadar O Cionnaith frees, but once the deadly accurately Alan O’Donovan got them off the mark from a placed ball after Gary Sice was fouled, they gradually got on top.

Alan O’Donovan’s excellent kicking skills were in evidence as he added two more scores from placed balls and drove over two fine efforts from play before the interval, but the crucial breakhrough came when Greg Higgins ghosted in behind the defence where he collected a perfectly judged O’Donovan free and shot to the net on the half hour mark.

Micheal Breathnach’s, despite no shortage of commitment, were struggling to make any impact and their chances of doing so were greatly hampered by the sending off on a second yellow card of defender Ciaran Mac Fhearghusa after 20 minutes. The champions held a 0-3 to 0-2 advantage at that point and were just getting into top gear.

Corofin lost county star Kieran Fitzgerald before the start and he has joined Michael Comer and Joe Canney on the injured list, but their panel is simply so strong that they seem to take such blows comfortably in their stride. By half time, they had eased into a 1-6 to 0-3 lead after Padraig Hanly and Peadar O Cionnaith exchanged late points and the game was out of reach for the Indreabhain lads.

For more, read this week's Connacht Tribune.