Majestic Corofin blow final first-timers away in retaining Galway crown

THE mystique surrounding Corofin training sessions is growing.

Perhaps they’re not quite in the mould of the Kilkenny senior hurling sessions under Brian Cody, but Corofin training must be ferocious all the same.

We know this to be true because the players say so. And because the performances on the pitch reflect levels of preparation unrivalled at club level in the county.

The North Galway club could soon charge entry fees at the gates of their training facilities at Belclare.

It’s got to the stage now where training matches in Corofin are more competitive than championship matches. Maybe it was always like that.

But this year more than most as Corofin cruised to another county title, their sixteenth, with a cricket score against St Michael’s, who were making their senior final debut.

Corofin don’t ‘do’ sentiment; they don’t ‘ease up’ to spare anyone’s blushes.

Corofin can’t afford to, because if they do, the 15 players on the field know full well that there’re lads on the bench itching to get a chance to play, and steal their place.

Many of the bench warmers – Greg Higgins, Joe Canney to name two – would start for any other team in the county. All of the bench believe they’re good enough to start.

But that’s Corofin – they have an embarrassment of riches, and they use it to embarrass other teams.

Milltown learned that the hard way in the semi-final when they succumbed to the might of Corofin, 4-14 to 0-2. It’s nothing personal; it’s business.

On Sunday, at Tuam Stadium, on county final day, Corofin flaunted those resources again when showing no mercy to the city club.

The score board at the end read: Corofin 5-12 St Michael’s 0-9. It could have been worse.

The old romantics among us had hoped for an upset; had yearned for a miracle in which David would slay Goliath.

It wasn’t long before Corofin, slapped the romantics in the jaw and roared: ‘snap out of it’. It was 12 minutes, to be exact, before Goliath was squeezing the life out of David. By then, the St Michael’s fairytale had turned to a nightmare.

By then, Corofin had rattled the net twice – Michael Lundy and Michael Farragher the scorers – and had picked off three points, against a converted free from Eddie Hoare, the first score of the day.

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