Parish on brink of last eight after best start in 26 years

St Joseph’s Doora/Barefield 1-14 Corofin 1-12
Clare senior football championship, group 2 round 2

While it was far from straight-forward, for the first time in 26 years St Joseph’s Doora/Barefield have won their opening two matches in the county senior football championship following a relieving triumph over Corofin in Cusack Park on Saturday afternoon.
That 1998 burst catapulted the then intermediate champions into a first senior semi-final in a century but ironically this time the Parish aren’t even assured of a quarter-final berth. What is certain is that they will be contesting the business end and not the relegation series, a fate that’s not as clearcut for opponents Corofin following back-to-back reverses.
The result was merited though as St Joseph’s had led from start to finish and were as much as seven clear by the midway mark and still six in front by the turn of the last quarter.
But it would prove an exceedingly tense run-in after Donagh Vaughan’s side not only failed to close out the contest but ended the contest with only 13 men after a second yellow for Michael Nash was quickly followed by a black card for Tom Curran.
By then the gap was down to just a goal with injury-time and despite two missed placed balls, an Eoin Davoren ’45 and Diarmuid Cahill point slashed the deficit to just the minimum before substitute Jack Hannan fisted over the insurance point.
The Parish also opened the hour with the first three scores, with Tom Curran unlucky with an early lob that just shaved the top of the crossbar before turning provider with an inch-perfect pass over the top for Eoghan Thynne to flick to the net at 1-2 to 0-0.
Curran and Kieran Thynne stretched the lead to six before Corofin grabbed a lifeline at the start of the second quarter when a foul on Gearoid Cahill earned a penalty that Damien O’Loughlin dispatched to the net at 1-4 to 1-2.
Doora/Barefield were given a penalty of their own six minutes later but this time goalkeeper Eoin Davoren kept out Kieran Thynne’s attempt albeit that they fully made up for that miss by soaring to the last six points of the half, two from Darragh O’Shea, to take a 1-10 to 1-03 cushion into the interval.
Despite now facing into the conditions, St Joseph’s managed to match their opponents’ comeback attempts throughout the third quarter but their inexperience did surface somewhat through panic nearing the finish line before fittingly captain Jack Hannan clinched both points with his side’s first point in almost 20 minutes.

Player of the match
Tom Curran (St Joseph’s Doora/Barefield)
Tom Hannan controlled matters effectively in the middle third but in only his second season at adult level, it was the latest Tom that stamped their authority on this tie from the outset as he was unlucky not to grab an early goal, did tee up Eoghan Thynne for a major and finished as his side’s top scorer with five points.

St Joseph’s Doora/Barefield: Tom O’Brien; Eoghan Boyle, Conor O’Brien, Fionn Kelleher; Kieran Thynne, Tom Hannan, Cian McDonough; Darragh O’Shea, Odhran Ó Conaill; Nicki Hardiman, Joe Rafferty, Eoghan Thynne; Tom Curran, Michael Nash, Tom McDonald
Subs: Jack Hannan for K. Thynne (37), James Curran for E. Thynne (37, inj), Paddy Bugler for Rafferty (49), Conor Daly for Hardiman (57), Cathal O’Brien for Boyle (64, inj)

Scorers: Tom Curran (0-5, 1f, 2m); Eoghan Thynne (1-0); Michael Nash (0-3, 1m); Darragh O’Shea (0-2); Kieran Thynne, Tom McDonald (f), Cian McDonough, Jack Hannan (0-1 each)

Corofin: Eoin Davoren; John Rees, Cilléin Mullins, Colin Fitzgerald; Colm Rice, Sean O’Brien, Damien O’Loughlin; Kevin Keane, Gearoid Kelly; Caoimhin O’Donovan, Gearoid Kelly, Cillian Clancy; Diarmuid Cahill, Cillian McGroary, Evan Doolin Subs: Josh Ryan for Fitzgerald (42), Cian Doolin for Clancy (48)

Scorers: Gearoid Cahill (0-3, 1f); Damien O’Loughlin (1-0, Pen); Cillian McGroary, Diarmuid Cahill (0-2 each); Gearoid Kelly, Kevin Keane (m), Evan Doolin, Josh Ryan, Eoin Davoren (’45) (0-1 each)

Referee: Barry Keating (Lissycasey)