Everyone says Tuam have missed the boat but Corofin look fatigued

Inside Track with John McIntyre

The great teams nearly always find a way out of trouble. For the second county football final running, Corofin were staring down the barrel of having their long reign as Galway champions ended at Tuam Stadium last Sunday. Like 2018 against Mountbellew-Moylough, the title holders were behind deep into injury time.

Outsiders Tuam Stars had carried the fight to the champions from the start – hardly surprising given the club’s proud tradition – and when a Jamie Murphy free edged them two in front as the clock wound down, Corofin’s quest for a record-equalling seventh county title was hanging by a thread.

On a day they fielded without Kieran Fitzgerald – his house has no room for anymore county medals – Daithí Burke and Micheál Lundy, Corofin somehow pulled the match out of the fire with two late Gary Sice frees sending the final to a replay for the second consecutive year. The 1/8 favourites had dodged the hangman’s noose again.

A big crowd of almost 6,500 gathered at Galway football’s spiritual home to see if Corofin could emulate the feat of Tuam Stars and St Grellan’s in completing the ‘Magnificent Seven’. But it was never a comfortable experience for Kevin O’Brien’s charges – the most they ever led was by a point and the most scores they managed on the bounce was three. They also failed to find the net.

Against those statistics, Corofin were certainly vulnerable, especially against a team which had the extra motivation of stopping the champions from emulating the Stars’ own seven-in-row between 1954 and 1960. With Gary O’Donnell, Conor Rhatigan, Ben O’Connell and the excellent Brian Mannion to the fore, Tuam were never intimidated by the challenge and with time running out, they stood on the brink of a famous triumph.

Yet, for all their difficulties on the day – highlighted by Liam Silke’s first-half penalty rebounding off the post and other missed goal chances from Michael Farragher and Ronan Steede – Corofin still had the inner resolve to dig out a result. Veteran Sice landed their last three points and the former county player certainly came to the team’s rescue in a big way.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.

Get the Connacht Tribune Live app

The Connacht Tribune Live app is the home of everything that is happening in Galway City and county. It’s completely FREE and features all the latest news, sport and information on what’s on in your area. Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.