Corofin and St. James’ tipped for final showdown

WE’VE reached the business end of the Galway senior football championship as four teams battle it out this weekend to reach the 2013 decider, while at the other end of the spectrum two neighbours are in a scrap for survival in the senior relegation final.

Salthill/Knocknacarra will lay their title on the line in the all-city derby on Sunday when they take on St James’ at Pearse Stadium in the first of two semi-finals. A huge crowd is expected for the first meeting of the two urban clubs in senior championship action, and even more so given that it is preceded by the do-or-die local derby between neighbours Barna and Moycullen. The losers of the relegation final will drop to intermediate and the winners will remain senior.

Elsewhere on Sunday evening all eyes will be on the North Galway battle at Tuam Stadium between odds-on title favourites, Corofin, and second favourites Milltown who have some momentum behind them after defeating Cortoon Shamrock’s last weekend in the replay, after extra time. This is the clash of the heavyweights that most neutrals wanted to see.

Sunday: Salthill/Knocknacarra v St James’ (Pearse Stadium, 3pm)

Hunger is a huge factor in determining the outcome of tight games and it remains to be seen whether Salthill/Knocknacarra possess the necessary desire to win this season as they did last year when they swept all before them to take the Frank Fox Cup.

The city outfit certainly possesses the quality – it’s largely the same personnel from last year’s success with a few U-21s added in to spice things up – but Salthill has been extraordinarily sluggish in their championship outings so far in 2013.

Maybe fatigue is setting in; or maybe Salthill has timed their run correctly and they’re about to peak right about now, the business end of the competition.  Time will tell but the earlier rounds of the championship suggest Salthill/Knocknacarra are not the force they were – they lost to Carna/Caiseal the first day out, recovered against Micheál Breathnach in the back door before limping over Tuam Stars and then Caltra, both by just one point, in fairly unconvincing displays. Full preview in this week’s Connacht Tribune.