DRIVE: Joe Canny, Corofin, in action against Colin Brady, St. Gall's. AIB GAA Football All-Ireland Senior Club Championship Semi-Final Refixture, Corofin v St. Gall's, Parnell Park, Dublin. Picture credit: Ray McManus / SPORTSFILE

St Gall's 1-15
Corofin 1-11 (after extra time)
Corofin will look back on a dreadful rule within the GAA that surely cost them a place in the All-Ireland club final after they lost to St Gall's of Antrim in extra time in Parnell Park last weekend.

Rules state that after full-time St Gall's were allowed restore a player that was sent-off. Yet within two minutes Corofin were down to 14 players when Gary Sice, who had levelled the game in ordinary time, was sent off for a second yellow.

St Gall's however powered their way to victory when a wasteful Corofin, failed to find their scoring form in the opening half and looked ragged when they trailed by 1-5 to 0-2 four minutes from half time. C J McGourty had rifled the St Gall's goal midway through the half, but Corofin were given a lifeline, just before the break when a quick Alan O'Donovan free saw Kieran Comer crash the ball to the Antrim net to leave just three points between the sides, as the scoreboard read St Gall's 1-5 Corofin 1-2 at the break.

The game ebbed and flowed and in injury time Sice levelled and brought the game to extra time at 1-9 apiece. Corofin brought goalkeeper David Morris into attack for the second period and his 25-yard drive came close late on. Unfortunately for the Galway champions that score was all they could muster in the final period as the Belfast side powered their way to the final on St Patrick's Day.

St. Gall's: Ronan Gallagher; P Veronica (0-1), A McClean, C Brady; M Kelly, A Healy, S Kelly (0-2); A Gallagher, S Burke (0-1); T O'Neill, Kieran McGourty (0-1), Kevin McGourty (0-1); CJ McGourty (1-9, 0-8f), Rory Gallagher, K Niblock. Subs: K Stewart for Rory Gallagher (h-t), M McRory for Burke (70), S Kennedy for Healy (70), S Burns for O'Neill (73), C Gallagher for Niblock (76).

Corofin: D Morris (0-1); K McGrath, K Fitzgerald, C Silke; A Burke, D Burke, G Sice (0-1); G Higgins, A Donnellan; M Farragher, R Steede, T Goggins; J Canney, A O'Donovan (0-3, 0-2f), K Comer (1-6, 0-5f).

Subs: S Monaghan for Silke (h-t), G Delaney for Goggins (48), K Murphy for Donnellan (56), J Burke for Farragher (60), B Power for Monaghan (70), A Donnellan for Murphy (79).

Referee: C Reilly (Meath).

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