Three Minor (A) Football C'ship titles for Corofin in five years
By BILLY COSS Corofin 2-8 Salthill-Knocknacarra 0-10 
THE COROFIN club has known many great days at Minor level over the past two decades and on Sunday afternoon at Pearse Stadium they underlined their pedigree in the grade once more by overcoming the odds to defeat favourites Salthill-Knocknacarra in the SuperValu-sponsored County â€ËœA' Football Championship final. So often in the past, Corofin went into Minor final day carrying the favourites tag. Not so this time against a highly-rated Salthill-Knocknacarra side that dominated coming up through the age grades. When they met in the County U-16 final two years ago, the city team's margin of victory was 12 points (2-14 to 1-5). Fourteen points separated them when Salthill-Knocknacarra dismantled Corofin (4-12 to 1-7) in last year's Minor final and while many of the cast may have changed, eight of that line-up remained eligible this year â€â€ making it clear to see why the seasiders were so strongly fancied ahead of Sunday's match. That Corofin managed to turn the tables against that backdrop made Sunday's win all the more impressive. Nine members of their team saw action 12 months ago but they showed no scars from previous defeats as a huge appetite for hard graft, resilient defending and an ability to take scores at key stages all combined to pull off a shock win.[private] Defensively, they were outstanding throughout and managed to keep the door firmly shut on any hopes of a Salthill comeback late on, conceding just two points in the closing 20 minutes and none from play. David Wall kept his third clean sheet in a row at the business end of the campaign; full-back Cathal Reilly endured some difficult moments against the ever-dangerous Seán Hughes before finishing strongly with a couple of inspirational catches. Beside him, Kieran Molloy epitomised their commitment and attitude early on when diving full length to block Salthill's Seamus Garrity goal-bound shot. Liam Silke turned in an impressive afternoon at centre-back while his half-back colleague Colin Brady showed plenty of promise, linking up effectively in attack while also executing a couple of vital blocks. This year's Galway Minor captain, Conor Cunningham, took the game to Salthill at every opportunity and was a major influence for his side at midfield alongside Brian Raftery who got through a lot of work, while alongside Leonard in attack, Stephen Broderick put in another big shift around the field and Dylan Wall was always a threat. Martin Farragher was one of Corofin's stars in the campaign and stormed into it during the final quarter after operating on the fringes of the game for much of the opening 45 minutes. As well as finishing the match-turning goal, the St Jarlath's forward struck a classy point off his left and was fouled for another crucial, converted free â€â€ all telling blows late on when the game was in the melting pot. Back-to-back Minor titles may have eluded them but it has still been an incredibly successful season for Salthill-Knocknacarra at under-age level. The club's under-13 team took the County League, their U-14s represented Galway in the national Féile Peil na nÓg finals in Laois while their U-16 side won the Championship just over a fortnight ago. They played below their potential on Sunday, injuries not helping their cause, and while defeat brought huge levels of disappointment and regret, a wealth of talent is coming off the club's production lines and in the likes of Cormac O'Connor, Darragh Conroy, Seán Ó Leidhinn, Brian Seagrave and in particular Evan Wynne and Seán Hughes, Salthill-Knocknacarra have some fine prospects. Thankfully the wintry conditions that later ruined the senior final as a spectacle stayed away and this minor final produced some excellent passages of football. Early goals set Salthill-Knocknacarra on their way in last year's final but Corofin got off to the perfect start this time around when Jason Leonard's 45 dropped short in the Salthill-Knocknacarra square and Dylan Wall, scorer of the all-important goal in the North Board win over Mountbellew-Moylough, was on hand to scramble the loose ball to the net. That score, along with an early OisÃÂn Murphy point and three from Jason Leonard, helped Corofin to a 1-4 to 0-4 interval lead. At the other end, four points was a sub-standard return for all Salthill-Knocknacarra's possession in the half. They came away empty-handed from a couple of goal chances after some superb last-ditch defending by Corofin backs while they were also off-target from a number of attempts at points, including some very kickable frees. Corofin's first-half lead was wiped out early in the second as Salthill-Knocknacarra upped the ante to edge ahead, 0-8 to 1-4, by the 41st minute. Brian Seagrave accounted for three of those, all from play, and County minor Seán Hughes, a constant danger, was also on the mark. There was only one team in the game at that stage and after conceding five points on the spin it all looked to be slipping away from Corofin until their second goal arrived. A brilliant, free-flowing move ended with Colin Brady breaking forward into open country and releasing Martin Farragher to finish in style past Salthill â€Ëœkeeper Brian Brophy. Corofin were re-energised by that score and three more pointed frees from Leonard pushed them into a decisive lead, 2-7 to 0-8, with only seven minutes of normal time remaining. Mike O'Flynn's team pressed forward but Corofin were defending in numbers, with forwards tracking back as they did all day, while huge pressure was being applied on Salthill players in possession. A couple of Andrew Butler frees reduced the deficit but a fine score by Farragher gave Corofin some vital breathing space as they owned the final quarter and deservedly held on to secure a famous win. Corofin: David Wall; K. Molloy, C. Reilly, S. O'Boyle; L. Murphy, L. Silke, C. Brady; C. Cunningham, captain, B. Raftery; S. Broderick, J. Leonard (0-6, five frees), R. Ludden; Dylan Wall (1-0), M. Farragher (1-1), O. Murphy (0-1). Subs: D. Newell for L. Murphy, half-time; S. Veldon for O. Murphy, 42 mins. Salthill-Knocknacarra: B. Brophy; C. O'Connor, D. Conroy, N. Kane; M. Walsh, E. Wynne, captain, K. Tobin; P. Kitt, J. O'Reilly; A. Butler (0-3, all frees), S. Fahy, S. Garvey; S. Garrity, S. Hughes (0-3, one free), B. Seagrave (0-4, one free). Subs: D. Moloney for N. Kane inj., 9 mins; A. Byrne for Fahy, 32 mins; B. Durkin for Garrity, 37 mins; S. Ó Leidhinn for Garvey, 44 mins; A. Kane for Moloney, 60 mins. Referee: MáirtÃÂn Ó GrÃÂofa (An Cheathrú Rua). Herald Sport Man of the Match: Jason Leonard (Corofin).[/private]