Mountbellew/Moylough have the scope to really test county champions

ACCORDING to the bookies it’s a foregone conclusion  . . . Corofin at 1/4 will romp their way to a first ever three-in-a-row of senior county titles . . . but out in the long grass a suspicion lurks that this could be a far tighter contest than the money men suggest.

Corofin are All-Ireland champions – and worthy ones too – but it can be hard to keep an edge on the hook after a lot of corn has been cut, and Stephen Rochford’s men have looked vulnerable at times this season.

Despite the near misses, most notably in their two quarter-final clashes with Tuam Stars, Corofin though have survived the scares and when it comes to final day in Tuam Stadium on Sunday (3pm) they bring with them a wealth of experience and composure.

Mountbellew-Moylough’s task – whilst formidable – is not without hope. Six years ago, they lost a county final to Corofin after a replay, and last year they were one of the few sides not to be obliterated by the men in yellow.

Victories over St. James’, Killanin, Annaghdown and Salthill-Knocknacarra in the county semi-final have undoubtedly moved them into the second best team in the county slot . . . to go that final mile is now their big target.

Beating Corofin is a bit like trying to overcome Kilkenny in an All-Ireland hurling final – the pretenders to the throne probably need to be four or five points a better team to win by one. Recurring champions are that for a reason.

This year’s championship though has been no sprint for Corofin. In the earlier rounds they had only three points to spare against Salthill, two when taking on Micheál Breathnach and then a stalemate against Tuam Stars.

For those closing minutes of that drawn game against Tuam Stars, the Corofin players saw the end in sight but a late Gary Sice point saved the day for them, and they came through the replay with four points to spare.

A 2-11 to 0-7 semi-final win over Cortoon in the semi-final might, on a scoreline analysis, indicate a return to their blitz form of last year, but in truth their opponents had a complete off day and made things easy for the county champions.

A few things must click into place if Mountbellew-Moylough are to entertain serious hopes of pulling off an upset. Early on they will need to stick to a pretty tight defensive plan with a bit of extra cover pulled back; they will want to get an even break around midfield and their lively attack will want to introduce that little extra level of composure that they lacked against Salthill.

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