An incredible game in Tullamore has seen the champions deposed
The two in a row dream for St. Vincent's is over after they came up against a well organised, physical and direct Corofin side this afternoon in the AIB GAA All-Ireland senior club football semi final in Tullamore.
The game was full of incident, as momentum seemed to swing one way and then another over the course of the hour. Ultimately, St. Vincent's had no answer to a hungrier more organised opposition and they slumped to a 1-14 to 1-9 loss.
Corofin's pressure from front to back had Vincent's in trouble throughout, and with Diarmuid Connolly and Mossy Quinn having their quietest games for the club side in many an outing, the champions struggled to keep the Westerners at bay.
The powerful running of Michael Lundy at full forward, and the experience of Gary Sice around the middle told as both contributed to to their side's win as they cut open the Vincent's defence time and time again.
The Connacht champions got their tactics spot-on as they did not get sucked into the prospect of letting St. Vincent's overload them in attack by powering forward themselves which forced the Leinster outfit to defend deep.
Both sides also had genuine issues with referee Padraig Hughes,who though he had generally a good game was involved in some strange decisions. Vincent's can feel rightly aggrieved they were not awarded a penalty midway through the second half for what seemed to be a clear pick up off the ground in the square.
The first half was an incredible 30 minutes of football as both sides attacked in waves. Corofin's pressure disrupted St. Vincent's momentum and with Michael Lundy and Martin Farragher in the inside line doing most of the damage, the Dublin side looked rattled.
Diarmuid Connolly had to forage around his half-back line to get possession but when an attack from the Galway side broke down Vincent's were able to power up the field and keep in touch. In a game full of drama the most crucial moment perhaps came in the 22nd minute when Lundy was fouled for a penalty but Gary Delaney smashed his effort against the bar.
Vincent's cleared it and then subsequently went up the other side where they won a spot-kick of their own for a soft enough looking foul on Shane Carthy. It was dispatched to the net by Mossy Quinn and from possibly going five points behind, the All-Ireland champions went one up and grabbed what seemed like a crucial foothold.
However just before the break Corofin rattled off 1-1 without replay as Martin Farragher slotted home after a break from the impressive Michael Lundy to give them a 1-8 to 1-6 advantage and a lead they never relinquished
Corofin deserved their win as the better side and can now relax ahead of tomorrow's second All-Ireland semi final as Austin Stacks face Slaughtneil in Portalaoise.
