Getting the ball off the Corofin forwards is like trying to take a leg of chicken from a crowd of hungry dogs.
You’re could have men stuck to the ball, to Burke, Leonard and Gary Sice but that means Lundy and the two Farraghers are running around the place like mad men.
And there’s no chance they’re going to give you the ball.
It’s a game of pass the parcel then and they’re just queuing, begging and sprinting to be next in line. Gaoth Dobhair tried to intercept, they tried marking tight but you never get the ball in the middle of a pumped up pinball machine.
The All-Star Burke is the man who makes them tick. He was tightly marshalled for most of this game but it was still his moments of magic that made the difference.
Like this one after a period of Gaoth Dobhair dominance. He’s not the biggest of men, the dandy full forward, but he springs like a salmon and he was up above Neil McGee and down giving the perfect pass to Martin Farragher just like that.
Martin Farragher goal for Corofin just before the break! pic.twitter.com/e7QnCZTDdt
— The GAA (@officialgaa) February 16, 2019
Gaoth Dobhair rallied, putting in a performance that their parish, Donegal and Ulster can be proud of, but Corofin always looked to have that bit of extra cuteness about them and that extra gear in them.
Afterwards, the Corofin manager Kevin O’Brien shared the secret of Corofin’s insatiable, unrelenting appetite.
“I know there’s a lot of happy lads in the dressing room there today, but there’s a lot of disappointed lads as well that didn’t get a chance to get a run today.
“That’s the key to our success…We brought in a few minors this year too just to show them what this team is about,” he said.
Before he went onto pay a heartfelt tribute to the men of the north west of Donegal, after a difficult few weeks for them.
“We tried to give our greatest respect to them by going out, playing football and by going as hard as we could at them,” he said to TG4.
“We knew they would be prepared, they’re a very proud people, a proud club. They’ve had a fantastic year, it’s just a pity what has happened in the last few weeks…I’d like to send our condolences as a club to them, they’re a great bunch of lads as well – you could see they gave everything they had out there today and it was a fine sporting game too.”
A fitting tribute to a great bunch of Gaoth Dobhair men.
“Today wasn’t our day but we’re still proud of the huge effort the lads have put in. They gave us a wonderful year. Thanks to the supporters who made the journey today and everybody who supported us during the year. Fair play,” Tweeted Gaoth Dobhair afterwards.
Ní raibh an lá linn inniu ach tá muid fíor bródúil as a iarracht mhór atá curtha isteach ag na leaids. Thug sibh bliain iontach dúinn. Buíochas don lucht tacaíocht a rinne an turas inniu agus gach duine a thug tacaíocht ar dhoigh ar bith i rith an séasúr. Maith sibh.
💚🇳🇬💚 pic.twitter.com/SFEqh8t0rk— CLG Ghaoth Dobhair (@gaothdobhairclg) February 16, 2019
