This article is from page 74 of the 2011-10-11 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 74 JPG
Kilrush Shamrocks 3-5 – Corofin 1-8 at Hennessy Memorial Park, Miltown
THE cry went out from Miltown all the way down the N67 to Kilrush and down plenty of other roads too – loud and shrill that the Shams are back.
That they’re minor champions after 21-long years was down to a team effort, of course, but 15-year-old Liam Madigan was the man with his brilliant return of 3-3 bringing the PJ Lynch/Tom Malone Cup back to the west Clare capital.
First off he put the Shams on the high road with a goal as early as the fourth minute, then in the second after Corofin were dominating af- ter pegging back a five-point deficit to two points, he bagged two goals in the space of three minutes to put them eight points clear entering the last ten minutes.
The Shams got a dream start when hitting 1-2 inside the first five minutes of the game, but more than that it was the tactics that they employed that suffocted the Corofin challenge.
Pat ‘Rico’ Clancy may be looking across the estuary at Kerry from his home out the Killimer road, but this was more Tyrone than Kerry as the tactic of dropping his half-backs deep closed down the space that Corofin forwards needed to make any im- pression on this county final.
By then they were fighting a losing battle after an early free from Liam Madigan, followed by a Gearóid O’Brien point from play settled the Shams into the game after four minutes, while they were on the high road a minute later after a long ball by the hardworking Con Prendeville broke kindly for Madigan to toe-poke the ball to the net.
When Madigan followed up with another pointed free in the tenth minute it looked as if this would be cruise for the Shams. And, it was for the rest of the half save a spirited Corofin burst in a five-minute spell that nearly brought them back into the game.
Gearóid Kelly opened their account with a free in the 15th minute, but a minute later they were unlucky not to strike for a goal when Jamie Malone’s rasping drive crashed off the inside of the post and back into play.
Gearóid Kelly did land another free in the 19th minute, but the Shams closed the half impressively with points from Jonathon Stack from play after a brilliant flick by Liam Madigan and then another Madigan free to lead by 1-5 to 0-2 at the break.
Corofin were vastly improved on the turnover with two inspirational points from Jamie Malone either side of a Gearóid Kelly free had them back in the game by the 40th minute.
When Kelly’s fourth free reduced the margin to two points the defending champions had the scent of victory, only for Madigan to tip the balance decisively in the Shams’ favour once more.
He drove home a penalty in the 48th minute after a foul on Jonathon Stack – then three minutes later slalomed through the Corofin defence soccerstyle and slammed to the net to kill the contest.
Corofin did battle back when hitting 1-2 without reply in the closing minutes, with Jamie Malone goaling from a penalty but the Shams, through Madigan had done enough to trigger off celebrations that would have done a senior team proud.