Four Years on from their last victory in the Clare Senior Football Championship, the Intermediate champions of 2021 went in as heavy underdogs against fifteen time Jack Daly winners Miltown Malbay.
However a youthful yet fearless Corofin side showed no interest in outsider projections showing ruthless intent from the throw in racing into a 0-05 to 0-01 lead by the tenth minute , with Gearóid Cahill, Cillian McGoary as well as three well taken scores from dual star Robin Mounsey providing the advantage.
Cormac Murray led the fightback for Miltown with three first half points and was ably assisted by contributions from Cian Mahony, Darragh McDonagh,and Conor Cleary. However stubborn resistance from Corofin led by the dogged work rate of Colm Rice in the middle of the park ensured they were in the ascendancy at the break with Mounsey and Diarmuid Cahill tagging along further scores.
At the interval the scoreboard read Corofin 0-09 to Miltown’s 0-07
Seán Neylon put the minimum between the sides on the restart, however Corofin broke the momentum with the next three scores in a row courtesy of Kevin Keane and Gearóid Kelly to stretch their advantage to four.
On the forty-five minute mark the Fins maintained a 0-14 to 0-10 lead until St.Joseph’s produced the only green flag of the day when followed by a Cormac Murray point Brian Curtin took a quick break from his sweeper role to slice through the heart of the Corofin defence and bury the ball in the back of Luke Neylon’s net levelling the sides for the first time.
Cillian O’Connor in customary fashion re-instored Corofin’s advantage with immediate effect before Cormac Murray yet again and Kieran Malone combined to give Miltown the lead for the first time, leaving the score at 1-13 to 0-15 minutes with just five minutes remaining.
The stage was all set for a grandstand finish and the sides duly obliged, Jamie Malone levelled the scores for Corofin, however Cormac Murray in the final moment of regulation time scored his ninth point of the day to leave the champions of 2019 in front with just additional time to be played.
Fittingly however in this contest it was to be Corofin’s day. Gearóid Cahill stepped up and showed nerves of steel to split the posts from a placed ball to level the tie deep into additional time before the man of the hour Robin Mounsey claimed his sixth point of the day while securing a famous victory for the Fins.
It ended in Cusack Park Corofin 0-18 to St Joseph’s Miltown Malbay 1-14