In-form Corofin have the scope to sink champions

Date Published: {J}

FRANK FARRAGHER

WHEN two clubs, heavily laden with both ambition and recent success meet, then something has to give. A lot of pride and a year’s hard work will be on the line at Kiltoom on Sunday (2pm), when Corofin and St. Brigid’s battle it out for the Connacht club title.

Corofin and St. Brigid’s are very much ‘the big two’ in Connacht club football over recent years, with four provincial titles shared equally between them since 2006, while the Roscommon champions made it all the way to last year’s All-Ireland final before giving way to the power of Crossmaglen.

Indeed over recent seasons, St. Brigid’s seem to have the hex on Galway teams in the club championship, scoring last gasp goals against Killererin last year in Tuam Stadium, and also in 2006 at Hyde Park when Corofin just fell at the post in equally dramatic fashion.

Both teams to have one common thread running through their psyche – they are very difficult to beat, even when things aren’t really running their way.

St. Brigid’s struggled for periods of their Roscommon county final success over Elphin and made a terrible start in their Connacht semi-final against Sligo’s Tourlestrane and yet up ended up winning both games quite comfortably.

Corofin, could have – and probably should have – exited from the Galway championship in early round matches against Barna and Claregalway, but once they survived those close scrapes, they fairly took off in the latter part of the series.

By the time they had Tuam Stars beaten in the county final, most observers of the game in Galway accepted that they were the best side in the county, by a good stretch.

Corofin set high standards for themselves

, and deep down in the spiritual core of the club, lies a deep seated desire to emulate the achievements of the ’98 All-Ireland winning side, the first Galway club to lift the Andy Merrigan cup.

Since then, they have won four more Connacht club titles but haven’t managed to pass the All-Ireland semi-final stage, so Sunday’s Connacht final clash will be an important stepping stone along the way to fulfilling that ambition.

Manager Brian Silke, who has ran a tight ship all season in terms of focus and discipline, will of course look no further than 2pm on Sunday next, but at least he has a full hand to pick from. A good complaint, yes, but given the depth of quality in the Corofin panel, his selection will always give rise to plenty of local debate.

“I suppose the good news from a management point of view this week is that we are picking from a full panel and we really do have a lot of players striving to make that first fifteen.

“There is a lot of competition for places, and at the end of the day, everyone won’t be happy, but we just have to focus in on a complete team and squad effort for Sunday.

“St. Brigid’s are the current Connacht club champions . . . they went to last year’s All-Ireland final and with a bit of luck could have won it . . . and they are playing in their own backyard, so we are going to face one mighty challenge. We really have to perform at one hundred per cent, right from the opening minute to win this one,” said Silke.

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