Corofin (Galway) 2-13
 

Gweedore (Donegal) 1-12

Corofin are through to a second All-Ireland club senior football championship final in as many years after seeing off Gweedore’s challenge this afternoon in Carrick-on-Shannon.

Gary Sice posted 1-7 in an outstanding display as the holders set up a St Patrick's Day showdown with Dr Crokes. Sice and Martin Farragher scored goals either side of a Kevin Cassidy major as Corofin took a 2-7 to 1-5 lead into the break. The six-in-a-row Galway champions had Micheal Lundy black-carded six minutes after the restart for dragging down Odhrán McFadden-Ferry, but they were able to hold off the Donegal and Ulster kingpins to leave themselves just 60 minutes away from retaining the Andy Merrigan Cup. 

Gaoth Dobhair opened the scoring through a super Dáire Ó Baoill effort in the third minute, but Sice soon had Corofin level from the first of his seven frees. The winners had opened up a 0-4 to 0-2 lead before Sice rattled the net in the 14th minute after Kieran Molloy's initial shot had been saved by Christopher Sweeney.

Gaoth Dobhair hit back with a similar goal. Christopher McFadden's initial effort was stopped by Bernard Power, but Kevin Cassidy was on hand to bury the rebound.

Jason Leonard and Ian Burke traded points with Odhrán Mac Niallais and Niall Friel before Cian Mulligan left the minimum in it. However, Farragher's goal after Sice and Ian Burke had combined put Corofin in a strong position at half-time.

Gaoth Dobhair resumed with points from MacNiallais and Eamonn Collum, but they couldn't take advantage of the Lundy black card as Corofin replied with another Sice free.

Further scores from Cassidy and Collum left a goal between the sides with seven minutes remaining, but the more experienced Corofin men were able to close out the game with late points from sub Gavin Burke, Leonard and Sice.

Corofin - B Power; C Silke, K Fitzgerald, L Silke (0-1); D Wall, D McHugh, K Molloy; D Burke (0-1), R Steede; J Leonard (0-2, 1f), M Lundy, Michael Farragher; G Sice (1-7, 0-7f), Martin Farragher (1-0), I Burke (0-1). Subs: G Burke (0-1) for D Wall, C Brady for M Lundy (BC), C Cunningham for D McHugh, C McGrath for Martin Farragher, D Canney for G Sice.

Gweedore - C Sweeney; G McFadden, N McGee, C McFadden; N Friel (0-1), O McFadden Ferry, D O Baoill (0-1); E McGee, O MacNiallais (0-2, 1f); D McBride, M Carroll, N O Baoill; C Mulligan (0-2), K Cassidy (1-2), E Collum (0-2, 1f). Subs: J Carroll (0-2) for N O Baoill, J Boyle for C McFadden.

Referee - M Deegan.

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