St Brigid’s 1-13 Corofin 2-5
The brilliant Ben O’Carroll inspired St Brigid’s to a famous Connacht final win over Corofin.
O’Carroll scored 1-7, including 0-3 from play for the Roscommon champions, who delighted a partisan Dr. Hyde Park crowd to win their fifth Connacht senior football title.
Their first arrived in 2006, having defeated Corofin in the final, their third came in 2011, having again got the better of their Galway rivals and that Indian sign was again to the fore on Sunday, as they overcame this competition’s most successful ever club once more.
St Brigid’s got off to the perfect start here, with O’Carroll reeling off 1-2 without reply to ease them into the game. His performance is marked all the more impressive by the fact that he was picked up by Galway All-Star Liam Silke.
O’Carroll’s first score was a strange one, a long-range-pointed effort that dropped short before bouncing over Bernie Power’s cross-bar.
The 21-year-old’s next was more straight forward as he pointed a free and his third was crucial as he lashed a penalty into the Corofin net.
Games between these sides have traditionally led to plenty of fireworks, their rivalry having simmered throughout the 2000s and into the next decade too but unusually for them, Corofin were flat and never really got to the pitch of this game.
A Liam Silke goal just before half-time gave them a life-line as they went into the break trailing by 1-6 to 1-2.
Another green flag just after the break, this time raised by their captain Dylan McHugh would normally have provided all the spark they needed but Brigid’s recovered well. Indeed, the hard-running of Conor Cunningham and the accuracy of Jack McCabe were some of the only real positives the Galway side will take from the game.
On the other side, county men Eddie Nolan, Brian Stack and again O’Carroll stepped up when needed as they powered home to seal a five point win.
After the game, man-of-the-match O’Carroll said it was great to win a Connacht title once more, eleven years after their last.
“It’s a long time since 2012 so it’s great to win it again,” he told TG4.
“Growing up watching Brigid’s play was a great inspiration for us, watching Frankie (Dolan) and Senan and all of these guys, was brilliant. To win it ourselves now is brilliant as well.”
“We had to get back into it as quick as we could after the setback and we did.”
#GAABEO Lán Ama
"We put a huge emphasis on a big start!"
Comhghairdeas le Ben O'Carroll a ainmníodh mar Laoch na hImeartha inniu! @StBrigidsRos | @ConnachtGAA
BEO/LIVE ar @TG4TV pic.twitter.com/Obk64MhmFH
— Spórt TG4 (@SportTG4) December 3, 2023
They now advance to the All-Ireland semi-finals, where they will take on either Dingle or Castlehaven.
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