Cooraclare ease into O’Gorman Cup decider

Cooraclare 2-18   Clondegad 0-5

AT their ease, Cooraclare advanced to the O’Gorman Cup final in Kilmihil last Saturday evening. Although they kicked 11 wides, including eight while playing with the breeze in the first half, Cooraclare were completely dominant throughout.

They led 1-9 to 0-1 at half-time, with man of the match, John Looney kicking 1-4 of that total. The goal came from a penalty won by Thomas Donnellan, which was Cooraclare’s second penalty. Declan McMahon took the first spot kick, which was well saved by Clondegad goalkeeper Declan O’Loughlin.

Cathal Lillis, Enda Considine, Thomas Downes and Seán Maguire added the winners’ first-half points, while Kieran Browne was the sole Clondegad man to kick a score in the opening half.

Deploying Colm Quinlivan at full-forward led to Clondegad playing some direct football early in the second half. Cooraclare reacted to this by placing Thomas Downes as an extra defender and he excelled in this role, picking up several breaks off his own full-back line and supporting the play as his side counter-attacked.

While Quinlivan, James Murphy and Eoin Donnellan added to Clondegad’s meagre total, Cooraclare didn’t slacken off on the scoring front. Looney, Lillis and Caoimhín Donnellan added an array of scores, while Looney buried their second goal from a late penalty.

While Cooraclare will be stringently examined by Kilmurry in Sunday’s final, they can reflect on a near flawless semi-final display. John Looney, Cathal Lillis, Enda Considine, Michael Chambers and Thomas Downes performed exceptionally well for a very fit-looking Cooraclare team.

Without Gary Brennan, Clondegad lacked impetus and leadership. However, they have already won promotion to the Cusack Cup, which suggests their non-performance last weekend isn’t an accurate reflection of where they are as championship approaches.

Cooraclare: Declan Keane; Michael Chambers, Conor Marrinan, Shane Donnellan; James Burke, Declan McMahon, Thomas Donnellan; Michael Kelly, John Looney; Seán Maguire, Colin Kelly, Caoimhín Donnellan; Enda Considine, Cathal Lillis, Thomas Downes.
Subs: Joe Downes for Colin Kelly and Robert Ryan for Shane Donnellan.
Scorers: John Looney (2-7, 2-0 pen, 2f, 1 45’), Cathal Lillis (0-6, 2f), Enda Considine (0-2), Thomas Downes, Caoimhin Donnellan and Seán Maguire (0-1 each).
Wides: 11; Frees: 11; 45s: 1.

Clondegad: Declan O’Loughlin; Flan Enright, Conor Gavin, Cormac Ryan; Francie Neylon, Brian Carrig, Tadhg Lynch; James Murphy, Paddy Breen; Kieran Browne, Eoin Griffin, Francie O’Reilly; Eoin Donnellan, Colm Quinlivan, Pat Coffey.
Subs: Paddy O’Connell for Tadhg Lynch, David Brassil for Pat Coffey and Ian Carigg for Francie O’Reilly.
Scorers: Colm Quinlivan (0-2, 1f), Kieran Browne, James Murphy and Eoin Donnellan (0-1 each).
Wides: 5; Frees: 6; 45s: 2.
Referee: Pat Cosgrove (Corofin).