High flying Corofin set to coast past the challenge of Leitrim champions

THE way the bookies are laying Corofin for this year’s club championship, one could be forgiven for believing that the North Galway outfit have a bagful of All-Ireland titles under their belt.

When the Galway champions step out on the green grass of Pairc Seán MacDiarmada, Carrick-on-Shannon on Sunday (2pm), they will be starting their game against Leitrim champions, Aughawillan, as 1/200 on favourites.

The turnover last Sunday of All-Ireland club specialists, Crossmaglen Rangers, has now left Corofin as either joint, or outright favourites, to win the All-Ireland club title on the 17th day of March next year.

For Aughawillan, the figures coming from the websites of the bookies will be welcome motivation for a side that already has defied the odds by pulling off surprise wins in both the Leitrim county final and the Connacht club semi-final against Tubbercurry.

The Corofin team and management will be trying to obliterate from their mindsets any notion of being ‘dead certs’ to book their passage for a Connacht final joust again either Mayo champions, Ballintubber or Roscommon’s St. Brigids.

Whether Aughawillan can make a decent stab at bridging the gap between themselves and a club of Corofin’s overall power, remains to be seen, but the South Leitrim side are certainly not short of heart and determination.

By all accounts, their Leitrim county final successes against St. Mary’s, Carrick’ (1-13 to 1-10) and over Tubbercurry in the Connacht club first round tie (2-12 to 0-13), were based on a very committed work ethic.

The legitimate question has to be asked as to the quality of club football in both Leitrim and Sligo, but one thing is for certain – Aughawillan will give it their best shot and won’t be found wanting in terms of effort.

Michael Quinn, Sean Quinn, Sean Flanagan, Mark Plunkett, Ciaran Gilheany, Gary Plunkett and Morgan Quinn are all accomplished club footballers who will relish the chance of pulling off what would be the shock of the decade in club football.

Their full forward line of Ciaran Gilheany, Gary Plunkett and Morgan, accounted for 11 points of their 2-12 total against Tubbercurry, indicating a decent level of firepower close to goal.

Corofin though are a team well battle hardened after putting two Galway titles back-to-back but their biggest ‘health check’ in the run-up to this Connacht series will be the memory of last year’s defeat at the hands of Mayo champions, Castlebar Mitchels.

For more, read this week’s Galway City Tribune.