Farragher is a hat-trick hero as Corofin breeze through to another Connacht decider

Meanwhile, Castlebar also qualified for the provincial final after getting the better of Clann na nGael.

Corofin 4-14

St Mary’s 2-6

All Ireland champions Corofin cruised to a convincing Connacht semi-final win over St Mary’s at Markievicz Park.

Corofin were sharp and stylish early on grabbing two first quarter goals as they led 2-3 to 0-0 by the 14th minute.

A Jonathan Martyn foul on Micheal Lundy resulted in a third minute penalty for Corofin, who were keen to make a smart start.

That is precisely what they did as Lundy converted the penalty before Ronan Steede and Gary Sice kicked points.

Michael Lundy and Colm Colleran Corofin's Michael Lundy enjoyed a successful afternoon and tallied 1-03. Mike Shaughnessy / INPHO Mike Shaughnessy / INPHO / INPHO

Then the Galway outfit registered another goal in the 12th minute as Martin Farragher expertly finished a splendid move involving Steede, Ian Burke, and Jason Leonard.

St Mary’s responded with a major in the 18th minute when the promising Kyle Cawley bundled the ball over the line.

As the interval approached St Mary’s improved, but Corofin still departed at the break armed with a 2-6 to 1-3 lead.

After the restart the match followed a similar pattern as Lundy, Martin Farragher, and Ian Burke kicked some fine scores for Corofin.

Martin Farragher slammed a third Corofin goal in the 48th minute following a Fintan Ruddy save from Ian Burke.

Five minutes from the end Martin Farragher completed his hat-trick with another brilliant goal before Rory Guinan replied with a consolation for Mary’s.

Scorers for Corofin:

Martin Farragher 3-2 (1f), Micheal Lundy 1-3, Ian Burke 0-4, Ronan Steede 0-2, Liam Silke 0-1, Jason Leonard 0-1, Gary Sice 0-1 (f).

Scorers for St Mary’s:

Rory Guinan 1-2 (2fs), Kyle Cawley 1-0, Mark Breheny 0-2 (2fs), Colm Egan 0-1, Dylan Kilgallon 0-1.

Corofin:

1 Tom Healy

7 Liam Silke
2 Padraic Kelly
3 Kieran Fitzgerald

5 Ciaran McGrath
17 Conor Cunningham
6 Alan Burke

15 Michael Farragher
9 Ronan Steede

10 Gary Sice
12 Dylan Wall
13 Jason Leonard

14 Martin Farragher
11 Micheal Lundy
19 Ian Burke

Subs:

20 Greg Higgins for A Burke (31 mins)
30 Barry O’Donovan for Leonard (37 mins)
4 Cathal Silke for Kelly (48 mins)
18 Kieran Molloy for McGrath (51 mins)
19 Shane Monaghan for I Burke (53 mins)
23 Justin Burke for Sice (55 mins)

St Mary’s:

1 Fintan Ruddy

2 Stephen Keenan
3 Jonathan Martyn
4 Liam Henry

5 Niall McManus
6 Jonathan Davey
7 Gerard O’Kelly-Lynch

8 Mark Butler
9 Brian Smith

15 Mark Breheny
11 Rory Guinan
12 Colm Egan

10 Dylan Kilgallon
14 Stephen Coen
13 Kyle Cawley

Subs:

17 Cian Breheny for Cawley (31 mins)
22 Jonathan Lynch for McManus (40 mins)
21 Paul Kilcoyne for Smith (55 mins)
25 Nathan Rooney for Kilgallon (58 mins)
20 Christopher Kelly for C Breheny (59 mins, black card)

Referee: Liam Devenney (Mayo).

Castlebar Mitchels 3-08

Clann na nGael 0-13

Meanwhile, in Sunday’s other Connacht semi-final clash, Castlebar Mitchels grabbed two goals in the opening four minutes on their way to a four-point win over Roscommon side Clann na nGael.

Richie Feeney and Barry Moran found the net in quick succession but Paul Curran’s side started to put together some scores, with inter-county star Donie Shine particularly impressive from placed balls.

Roscommon inter-county star Donie Shine kicked nine points but it still wasn't enough for Clann na nGael to get the better of Castlebar Mitchels in today's other Connacht semi-final. Donall Farmer / INPHO Donall Farmer / INPHO / INPHO

And despite shipping a third goal before the break – Danny Kirby supplying the finishing touch for Castlebar – they trailed by 3-03 to 0-08 at the interval.

Still, their opponents always seemed to have the edge and with the pressure on, they kicked three points in a row and saw out the remainder of the game.