Watch: Agony for Slaughtneil in All-Ireland Final

A sublime first half from the Connacht champions Corofin laid the platform for their victory with the movement of their forwards in particular tormenting the Slaughtneil rearguard.

In the end all the Corofin forwards scored in the final, their Slaughtneil counterparts just unable to match the scoring power of their opponents.

Slaughtneil received a boost before throw-in with the news that Christopher ‘Sammy’ Bradley had recovered from a collarbone injury in time to take his place in the starting line-up.

The Emmetts got off to a fantastic start and registered the opening point of the game within two minutes, Sammy Bradley showing no ill effects from the injury to fire over the Corofin bar.

It could well have got so much better when Ronan Bradley picked out Paul Bradley putting the full-forward in on goal.

He appeared to be caught just before he went to shoot but referee David Coldrick waved play on.

Talisman Gary Sice took advantage for Corofin at the other end pointing in the eighth minute, but the Slaughtneil response was immediate.

Chrissy McKaigue ran at the Galway side’s defence and fired over from the right win, just outside the 20 metre line.

Micheal Lundy would cause problems for the Slaughtneil defence all afternoon and he really gave the Connacht champions the springboard they needed into the game in the 13th minute.

The lively wing forward made no mistake with two well taken points from play before adding a third following a rebound when the Galway men might well have goaled.

Corofin midfielder Daithi Burke found himself baring down on goal but saw his shot brilliantly saved by Slaughtneil goalkeeper Antoin McMullan, the rebound falling to Lundy to point.

The goal mightn’t have come with that move but it did arrive for Corofin shortly after with Gary Sice finding Martin Farragher making no mistake from close range.

Things were beginning to fall apart for the Emmets and the Galway men continued to pile on the pressure as Micheal Farragher added a point from play and then Gary Sice converted a free to leave Corofin in front by seven points.

Slaughtneil got their first score in 16 minutes when Gerard Bradley got on the end of a beautiful team move but Corofin weren’t finished.

Gary Sice found Gary Delaney who pointed for the westerners and wing-back Liam Silke then hammered over a free from distance to cast the Derry men well adrift at the break.

It might well have been worse had McMullan not produced a stunning save from point blank range from Martin Farragher.

Slaughtneil got their second half off to a positive start in the second half with a point from a Padraig Kelly free.

But the Galway men responded with a Gary Sice free and a point from Ronan Steede to bring the lead to nine points.

Gerard Bradley did his best to narrow the gap with a point from play but once again Corofin responded with a point from Ian Burke.

Bradley struck again for Slaughtneil, again from play but the Galway me were determined to keep Slaughtneil out.

Gary Sice was his usual accurate self from placed balls as Corofin topped up their led the only reply from Slaughtneil coming from the book of Paul Bradley.

As both teams ran their bench Corofin substitute Joe Canney added his name to the scoreboard before the Emmets won a late penalty.

Cormac O’Doherty was fouled and he stepped up himself but could only blaze his effort wide of the left upright.

With that David Coldrick brought the game to a close and shattered the dreams of the Slaughtneil faithful.