FIVE YEARS AGO, they broke through in Roscommon for the first time in their history, putting to bed a run of eight consecutive county finals that didn’t yield a single win. Two years later, they added a first-ever provincial title to their second domestic senior championship, and now in 2024, Pádraig Pearses are right in the mix to add the Andy Merrigan cup to the roll of honour.
That might seem like an over-reaction to what was a one-off win over a Corofin team that never got their attacking game going, but whatever about the viewers on TG4, the 2,377 supporters left Tuam Stadium in no doubt as to the quality of the performance they just saw.
The first half was little short of breathtaking, as the South Roscommon side produced utterly devastating football both in attack and in defence. The second half was all about game management, and even when Corofin rattled off four points in-a-row in the closing stages, it still felt as if Pearses were just making sure that they maintained the philosophy of “bend, but don’t break”.
Then Liam Silke hoisted over a skyscraper to make it 1-10 to 0-10, and on the next play Declan Kenny picked up the break from the kickout, sent an immaculate pass over the top of the Corofin defence through to substitute Jack Nevin, and Nevin duly knocked the ball ahead on the deck before tapping it into an empty net, with Bernard Power stranded at midfield.
Points in the first five minutes from Dylan Canney and Darragh Silke suggested that Corofin were just picking up where they left off in their comprehensive Galway final win over Maigh Cuileann, but a dramatic shift in momentum was at hand.
Advertisement
Jack Tumulty’s driving run set up an Eoin Colleran free to get Pearses off the mark, Niall Daly landed a trademark boomer from 50 metres out to level the game, and the South Rossies were just getting started. Tumulty collected an ‘out ball’ from the defence and gobbled up the ground before playing in Paul Carey.
In the finest GAA tradition, Carey’s overcarrying and Conor Cunningham’s pull on the Pearses attacker were deemed to offset each other, Carey slotted the ball into the empty net, and Corofin were wounded. Not mortally, but the salt was about to be poured on.
Carey and Colleran were rampant up front while Conor Daly, David Murray and Niall Daly dominated their respective fiefdoms. By half time it was 1-8 to 0-3, and notwithstanding Paul Carey heroically clearing a Brian Cogger shot off the line, Corofin had little cause for hope.
For the first half, the Galway side were battered. For the next 20 minutes, they were caged. Pearses lost their attacking rhythm to a certain extent, not scoring until the 46th minute when Carey pointed a free, but they never looked like letting Corofin into the game either and came up with a run of outstanding defensive plays.
Desperation crept into the Galway side as the lead was still seven points going into the closing minutes, when they finally gathered a head of steam. David Murray was unlucky to be pinged for bumping Jack McCabe and Dylan Canny pointed the free, and that was followed by a run of excellent scores from Kieran Molloy, Canny and Liam Silke.
Throughout this run however, Corofin were pushing 15 men up, taking huge risks at the back. Kenny and Nevin made them pay, and the scoreboard finished up much more accurately reflecting the superb performance that Pádraig Pearses had just produced, the most impressive of their five wins in six Connacht Club championship appearances.
Scorers for Pádraig Pearses: Paul Carey 1-4 (0-2f, 0-1m), Eoin Colleran 0-3 (0-1f, 0-1m), Jack Nevin 1-0, Niall Daly 0-1, Declan Kenny 0-1, Conor Harley 0-1.
Pádraig Pearses: Paul Whelan; Gavin Downey, Niall Carty, David Murray; Declan Kenny, Caelim Keogh, Conor Harley; Conor Ryan, Niall Daly; Conor Daly, Ronan Daly, Adam McGreal; Eoin Colleran, Paul Carey, Jack Tumulty.
Subs: Seán Canning for McGreal (41), Mark Richardson for Downey (51), Jack Nevin for Tumulty (53), Conor Lohan for Harley (59), Emmet Kelly for Colleran (60+2).
Corofin: Bernard Power; Cathal Silke, Dylan McHugh, Liam Silke; Brian Cogger, Conor Cunningham, Kieran Molloy; Patrick Egan, Michael Farragher; Dylan Canny, Tony Gill, Colin Brady; Darragh Silke, Gary Sice, Jack McCabe.
Subs: Gavin Burke for C Silke (24), Jason Leonard for Gill (half-time), Micheál Lundy for Cunningham (half-time), Martin Farragher for Sice (43), Ross Coen for D Silke (53)
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
Close
6 Comments
This is YOUR comments community. Stay civil, stay constructive, stay on topic.
Please familiarise yourself with our comments policy
here
before taking part.
Pádraig Pearses stun Corofin to progress to Connacht semi-finals
AIB Connacht Club SFC Quarter-Final
Pádraig Pearses 2-10
Corofin 0-10
Kevin Egan reports from Tuam Stadium
FIVE YEARS AGO, they broke through in Roscommon for the first time in their history, putting to bed a run of eight consecutive county finals that didn’t yield a single win. Two years later, they added a first-ever provincial title to their second domestic senior championship, and now in 2024, Pádraig Pearses are right in the mix to add the Andy Merrigan cup to the roll of honour.
That might seem like an over-reaction to what was a one-off win over a Corofin team that never got their attacking game going, but whatever about the viewers on TG4, the 2,377 supporters left Tuam Stadium in no doubt as to the quality of the performance they just saw.
The first half was little short of breathtaking, as the South Roscommon side produced utterly devastating football both in attack and in defence. The second half was all about game management, and even when Corofin rattled off four points in-a-row in the closing stages, it still felt as if Pearses were just making sure that they maintained the philosophy of “bend, but don’t break”.
Then Liam Silke hoisted over a skyscraper to make it 1-10 to 0-10, and on the next play Declan Kenny picked up the break from the kickout, sent an immaculate pass over the top of the Corofin defence through to substitute Jack Nevin, and Nevin duly knocked the ball ahead on the deck before tapping it into an empty net, with Bernard Power stranded at midfield.
Points in the first five minutes from Dylan Canney and Darragh Silke suggested that Corofin were just picking up where they left off in their comprehensive Galway final win over Maigh Cuileann, but a dramatic shift in momentum was at hand.
Jack Tumulty’s driving run set up an Eoin Colleran free to get Pearses off the mark, Niall Daly landed a trademark boomer from 50 metres out to level the game, and the South Rossies were just getting started. Tumulty collected an ‘out ball’ from the defence and gobbled up the ground before playing in Paul Carey.
In the finest GAA tradition, Carey’s overcarrying and Conor Cunningham’s pull on the Pearses attacker were deemed to offset each other, Carey slotted the ball into the empty net, and Corofin were wounded. Not mortally, but the salt was about to be poured on.
Carey and Colleran were rampant up front while Conor Daly, David Murray and Niall Daly dominated their respective fiefdoms. By half time it was 1-8 to 0-3, and notwithstanding Paul Carey heroically clearing a Brian Cogger shot off the line, Corofin had little cause for hope.
For the first half, the Galway side were battered. For the next 20 minutes, they were caged. Pearses lost their attacking rhythm to a certain extent, not scoring until the 46th minute when Carey pointed a free, but they never looked like letting Corofin into the game either and came up with a run of outstanding defensive plays.
Desperation crept into the Galway side as the lead was still seven points going into the closing minutes, when they finally gathered a head of steam. David Murray was unlucky to be pinged for bumping Jack McCabe and Dylan Canny pointed the free, and that was followed by a run of excellent scores from Kieran Molloy, Canny and Liam Silke.
Throughout this run however, Corofin were pushing 15 men up, taking huge risks at the back. Kenny and Nevin made them pay, and the scoreboard finished up much more accurately reflecting the superb performance that Pádraig Pearses had just produced, the most impressive of their five wins in six Connacht Club championship appearances.
Scorers for Pádraig Pearses: Paul Carey 1-4 (0-2f, 0-1m), Eoin Colleran 0-3 (0-1f, 0-1m), Jack Nevin 1-0, Niall Daly 0-1, Declan Kenny 0-1, Conor Harley 0-1.
Scorers for Corofin: Dylan Canney 0-4 (0-2f), Kieran Molloy 0-2, Darragh Silke 0-1, Jack McCabe 0-1m, Micheál Lundy 0-1, Liam Silke 0-1.
Pádraig Pearses: Paul Whelan; Gavin Downey, Niall Carty, David Murray; Declan Kenny, Caelim Keogh, Conor Harley; Conor Ryan, Niall Daly; Conor Daly, Ronan Daly, Adam McGreal; Eoin Colleran, Paul Carey, Jack Tumulty.
Subs: Seán Canning for McGreal (41), Mark Richardson for Downey (51), Jack Nevin for Tumulty (53), Conor Lohan for Harley (59), Emmet Kelly for Colleran (60+2).
Corofin: Bernard Power; Cathal Silke, Dylan McHugh, Liam Silke; Brian Cogger, Conor Cunningham, Kieran Molloy; Patrick Egan, Michael Farragher; Dylan Canny, Tony Gill, Colin Brady; Darragh Silke, Gary Sice, Jack McCabe.
Subs: Gavin Burke for C Silke (24), Jason Leonard for Gill (half-time), Micheál Lundy for Cunningham (half-time), Martin Farragher for Sice (43), Ross Coen for D Silke (53)
Referee: John Gilmartin (Sligo).
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
club call Club GAA Match Report Padraig Pearses