Little time for festivities as Galway club teams face high-stakes semis

It’s hardly ideal that club teams are facing do-or-die championship matches with the Christmas turkey and ham barely settled in the players’ stomachs.

But that’s the scenario confronting three Galway county champions – the St Thomas’ and Micheal Breathnach hurlers and the Corofin footballers – this weekend.

The first Saturday and Sunday in January almost seems obscene to be playing such high-stakes matches, but it’s all part of the push to get the club championships finished in the calendar year.

Corofin set the ball rolling when renewing rivalry with Nemo Rangers of Cork in Ennis on Saturday (1.30pm). The following day, St Thomas’ clash with Borrisoleigh of Tipperary at the Limerick Gaelic Grounds (4pm), while earlier that afternoon Micheál Breathnach juniors face a daunting test against Russell Rovers of Cork in Kilmallock (1.30pm).

A Galway clean-sweep is unlikely in these All-Ireland club semi-finals, but in the words of Meat Loaf ‘Two Out Of Three’ wouldn’t be bad.