Fast start crucial as clinical Brigid's clinch Connacht crown

Corofin (Galway) 2-05 St Brigid's (Roscommon) 1-13

St Brigid's stunned Corofin with a brilliant display to win their first AIB Connacht club senior football title since 2012, and fifth overall, at Dr Hyde Park.

Led by the superb Ben O’Carroll, who ended up with a haul of 1-07, the Roscommon champions outplayed their more fancied Galway counterparts and deservedly claimed the Shane McGettigan Cup.

After playing second fiddle in the opening half, Liam Silke’s goal on the stroke of half-time handed Corofin a lifeline, but they could never get ahead of a Brigid’s side that belied their young age profile with an extremely measured performance.

Jerome Stack’s side were the dominant force during the opening half, led by a superb defensive effort spearheaded by Brian Stack, Pearse Frost and Robbie Dolan.

Points from play and a free from O’Carroll got them up and running before a foul on Alan Daly resulted in a penalty, which was clinically dispatched to the net by O’Carroll after 14 minutes.

That score sparked Corofin into life, and a super team move ended with Conor Cunningham cracking an effort off the crossbar.

Darragh Silke pointed the resultant ’45, and when young Jack McCabe pointed from play moments later, Corofin appeared to have found their groove.

Brigid’s regained the initiative, and four points in succession from O’Carroll [one from play and one free] and Bobby Nugent [two frees] propelled them seven points clear.

But Silke’s goal on the cusp of half-time, after he was set up by Micheál Lundy, left Corofin 1-06 to 1-02 behind and still very much in the contest.

Brigid’s repelled Corofin’s onslaught at the beginning of the second half but the visitors’ pressure eventually told when captain Dylan McHugh found the net to leave