Connacht SFC semi-final: Corofin (Galway) 0-16 Ballina Stephenites (Mayo) 0-12
Galway champions Corofin used all their experience and guile to see off Ballina Stephenites to advance to their 16th Connacht SFC club final.
They bossed this meeting of former All-Ireland champions from start to finish and having won a record 10 Connacht titles so far, will fancy their chances of more glory.
They dealt with everything the Mayo champions threw at them and shot 0-14 from play in a very impressive display.
Corofin used the strong Salthill wind in the opening half and went in leading by 0-9 to 0-3 as both sides battled with the difficult wet conditions. They used the wind well and raced into a 0-4 to 0-0 lead after 12 minutes with 39-year old Gary Sice leading the way with a couple of frees, while captain Dylan McHugh and promising midfielder Patrick Egan both went forward to shoot good points.
Ballina, already without Mayo player Pádraig O’Hora, suffered a further blow when they lost experienced full back Ger Cafferkey when the former All Star suffered a recurrence of a hamstring injury after just 11 minutes.
Frank Irwin got them off the mark at the end of the opening quarter when he pointed a free after Evan Regan was fouled. But Corofin hit back and struck for four points in a five-minute spell with Sice curling over a superb point from the left after a brilliant dummy past Jack Irwin. Egan went forward for his second point and Jack McCabe kicked two excellent efforts to lead by 0-8 to 0-1 after 22 minutes.
But they only managed one more score before the break, with McHugh soloing upfield to land an effort with his left foot after Regan had given Ballina hope with two pointed frees to leave six between them at the break in front of a crowd of about 1,000.
Regan pointed inside a minute of the restart but the Corofin response was good with Michael Lundy and Sice pointing into the breeze.
Ballina reduced the margin to five with efforts from Frank Irwin and Regan before McCabe got his third of the match with an excellent shot after 48 minutes to lead by double scores at 0-12 to 0-6 after 48 minutes.
Ballina rallied and points from Ciarán Boland and the Irwin brothers Frank and Jack, cut the gap to just a goal with 11 minutes remaining. Corofin did not panic and resumed control again with the experienced Michael Lundy coming in from the right to put four between them and then McCabe took his haul to 0-5 with two fisted efforts.
That left them 0-15 to 0-10 in front five minutes from the end and they closed out the win with ease with Galway hurling captain Daithí Burke coming on in the dying moments for his first football action of the year.
Ballina never looked like getting in for the goal they needed to complete a comeback as Corofin booked their place in another Connacht final.
COROFIN: B Power; L Silke, D McHugh (0-2), C Silke; M Farragher, C Cunningham, G Burke; P Egan (0-2), Ciarán Brady; B Cogger, M Lundy (0-2), T Gill; G Sice (0-5, two frees), D Wall, J McCabe (0-5).
Subs: O Burke for Power, D Silke for Wall (both h-t); R Mahon for C Silke (38 mins); G McHugh for Farragher (48); Colin Brady for Gill (52); D Burke for Ciarán Brady (59).
BALLINA STEPHENITES: D Clarke; L Golden, G Cafferkey, S Callinan; C Boland (0-1), D Tighe, S Regan; L Feeney, M Murray; N Feeney, C Treacy, F Irwin (0-3, one free); E Regan (0-5, four frees, one mark), J Irwin (0-1), C McStay (0-1).
Subs: J Doherty for Cafferkey (11 mins); M Dirrane (0-1) for Treacy (41); D Thornton for Murray (41-52); C Sweeney for J Irwin (56).
Referee: Barry Judge (Sligo).
