Corofin can end Salthill’s reign in football showdown

IT’S probably the pairing last Spring that most knowledgeable pundits of the game would have selected for a county final joust . . . Salthill-Knocknacarra, the reigning champions, and Corofin, always the most likely suspects to plunder the Frank Fox cup from its resting place west of the Corrib.

Salthill-Knocknacarra’s path to a second county final appearance in a row at Tuam Stadium on Sunday (4.0) has been a measure more artisan than Corofin’s progression – the North Galway side have clocked up some big scores right from the start of their campaign last May against Micheál Breathnach.

A preliminary round defeat for Salthill at the hands of Carna-Cashel was a humbling enough experience for the county champions but they took that setback in their stride and got back on track for a retention of their crown with a five point win over Micheál Breathnach.

Solidity rather than flash has been the hallmark of the Salthill-Knocknacarra campaign so far with tight wins over Tuam Stars, Caltra and St. James’, but through all those matches they have shown a steely resolve when the pressure came on near the end.

Corofin’s roadway to the final has been far more spectacular. So far in their championship progression, they have scored 3-17 against Ml. Breathnach, 0-17 in their win over NUIG, a whopping 6-18 in the defeat of Naomh Éanna/Leitir Mór and 1-12 in the semi-final victory over Milltown.

One of Corofin’s big concerns in the run-up to this final will be the ‘small talk’ around the county about them being a good bet not only to take the Galway title but to go on to bigger stuff such as the Connacht and All-Ireland crowns. That is not the kind of thought that manager David Morris will want to infiltrate into the mind-set of his players.

“We have just one match on our minds and that’s next Sunday. Salthill-Knocknacarra are a proven team with a lot of experience, a side that over recent years have gone all the way to win an All-Ireland title.

“I think that they are a very physically strong team that will give little away in defence. I don’t think that we are a match for them physically so we’ll need to play a fast moving game.

“One of the things about Salthill this year is that they have come through a lot of tight games and that’s always a big help on final day. This is our biggest challenge of the year,” said Morris.