Sports
St Michael’s and Corofin clash in Tuam Stadium on Sunday in County Final
Strange things have happened in sport . . . Munster beat the All-Blacks in 1978; non-league Hereford United knocked Newcastle out of the FA Cup in 1972; and in 1990 one Buster Douglas ‘stretched’ an unbackable Mike Tyson in Tokyo. . . but if St Michael’s topple Corofin in Sunday’s county final, it will be the local equivalent of those great sporting moments.
For Sunday’s senior football county final showdown between Corofin and St Michael’s at Tuam Stadium (4pm), the bookies are at least ‘taking money’, but it will take a hard earned 12 ‘grand’ to pull in a thousand profit on the hottest ever favourites for a Galway decider.
Finals though are always there to be won and St Michael’s will be hoping that the build-up to this county final will be an ideal ‘cover’ for them to make a serious bid for a first ever senior title. Most neutrals consider the final a ‘done deal’ before a ball is kicked, and in its own way that will bother Corofin and rankle with St Michael’s, in equal measure.
Corofin powered their way to this year’s final with margins of victory ranging from six to 24 points, and their 4-14 to 0-2 semi-final demolition of Milltown made up the minds of most people that the fate of this year’s championship had been decided.
Mountbellew-Moylough (twice) and Tuam Stars had been wiped out in previous rounds by the all-round power and integrated style of a Corofin side where players can seamlessly slip in and out of different positions. There is never a ‘one player’ to be marked . . . it’s a system that has to be taken on.
Corofin do have their ‘troubles’ in the run-up to Sunday’s final with influential forward Justin Burke ruled out with a knee ligament injury suffered in the first half of the Milltown semi-final.
It’s typical of the strength in depth of the Corofin panel that outstanding county U-21 forward of recent years Ian Burke, and brother of Justin, is now poised to fill that gap in the county champions attack. (There’s even strength of depth present in the one house!).
Corofin will also be without Gary Delaney (injured) and Padraig Kelly (honeymoon), while Greg Higgins is rated a doubt, so Corofin manager Stephen Rochford, and his selectors will have quite a few personnel issues to sort out over the next night or two when they sit down to pick their first fifteen.
St. Michael’s seem set to make very few, if any, changes from the side that defeated Barna by 0-9 to 0-7 after a very tight replay in Moycullen last Sunday.
Their big loss is inspirational full back Alan Glynn, who suffered serious internal injuries in the drawn game against Barna that will keep him out of the game until next season, while also out of action is corner back Eoghan Tummon.
The return of Neil Grogan to midfield for the Barna replay represented a considerable boost, allowing David Cunnane to slot back in the full back role to fill the vacancy left by the departure of Glynn.
St Michael’s, though, found scores hard to come by in both Barna matches with Eamon O’Donnell and Eddie Hoare presenting their main threats – the city club will know full well that they’ll need a 100% improvement in their strike rate if they’re to trouble Corofin.
John Kenny, manager of St Michael’s, told Tribune Sport that while reaching a first ever county final was a great achievement for the club, it was by no means an end to itself.
“I suppose we all know full well what a footballing force that Corofin are, and unless we go to Tuam on Sunday fully focussed and committed, we know what’s in store for us.
For more, read this week’s Galway City Tribune.
Galway 3-18
Cork 1-10
NEW setting; new opposition; new challenge. It made no difference to the Galway minor hurlers as they chalked up a remarkable sixth consecutive double digits championship victory at Semple Stadium on Saturday.
The final scoreline in Thurles may have been a little harsh on Cork, but there was no doubting Galway’s overall superiority in setting up only a second-ever All-Ireland showdown against Clare at the same venue on Sunday week.
Having claimed an historic Leinster title the previous weekend, Galway took a while to get going against the Rebels and also endured their first period in a match in which they were heavily outscored, but still the boys in maroon roll on.
Beating a decent Cork outfit by 14 points sums up how formidable Galway are. No team has managed to lay a glove on them so far, and though Clare might ask them questions other challengers haven’t, they are going to have to find significant improvement on their semi-final win over 14-man Kilkenny to pull off a final upset.
Galway just aren’t winning their matches; they are overpowering the teams which have stood in their way. Their level of consistency is admirable for young players starting off on the inter-county journey, while the team’s temperament appears to be bombproof, no matter what is thrown at them.
Having romped through Leinster, Galway should have been a bit rattled by being only level (0-4 each) after 20 minutes and being a little fortunate not to have been behind; or when Cork stormed out of the blocks at the start of the second half by hitting 1-4 to just a solitary point in reply, but there was never any trace of panic in their ranks.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.
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GALWAY United need to guard against any kind of complacency when they make the short hop down the M18 this Friday to take on Treaty United at the Markets Field (7.45pm).
The game is a meeting of the two form teams in the division, and as in previous meetings between the sides, will have an additional edge given the number of former United players in the home side’s ranks, and the pair of Limerick lads playing for United.
There might have been just the eight meetings between the sides since Treaty became the latest iteration to represent Limerick in the League of Ireland in 2021, and while United have yet to lose to the men in the candy-cane strips, there has never been more than a goal in four of their eight wins.
The most recent of those was back in February, when Rob Slevin scored the only goal of the game in Eamonn Deacy Park after a tough battle against a side who made a slow start to the season, before finally finding their groove in the past month.
Having taken just three points from their first six games before finally getting a win against Longford Town, they reverted to type with just one point from their next three games, but are now on a run of four wins on the spin, scoring 12 goals and conceding just one.
Their most recent win was a 3-0 victory away to Longford Town last Saturday, and they could have won by double that against the only side to have beaten United this season. That in itself is a warning.
For more, read this week’s Galway City Tribune.
Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App
Download the Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App to access to Galway’s best-selling newspaper.
Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
Or purchase the Digital Edition for PC, Mac or Laptop from Pagesuite HERE.
Get the Connacht Tribune Live app
The Connacht Tribune Live app is the home of everything that is happening in Galway City and county. It’s completely FREE and features all the latest news, sport and information on what’s on in your area. Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
Soccer Wrap with Mike Rafferty
While the Salthill Devon men’s team might have lost their grip on the Connacht Junior Cup that they held for two seasons, the club’s women’s side have picked up the mantle and on Sunday last in Headford were crowned provincial champions with a 4-3 win over Manulla.
Following midweek wins for Maree/Oranmore and Knocknacarra, the stage is now almost set for the semi-finals of the Michael Byrne Cup with Salthill Devon meeting St Bernard’s on Sunday in an outstanding quarter-final, with the winners advancing to a semi-final against Maree/Oranmore, while Colga will face Knocknacarra in the other last four contest.
Just one league issue remains to be decided, with the Championship runners-up position up for grabs, as Dynamo Blues have to win their two remaining games in order to overtake Colemanstown United who have finished their programme.
WOMEN’S CONNACHT CUP FINAL
Salthill Devon 4
Manulla 3
Ellerose O’Flaherty scored twice as Salthill Devon were crowned provincial champions with a win over a Mayo side who were losing in the final for the second year in succession.
Backboned by a number of players who previously had League of Ireland experience with Galway WFC, Devon suffered an early set back when Jess Nolan put Manulla ahead, before O’Flaherty levelled matters with a cracking finish on 20 minutes, which was quickly followed by a long-range free-kick from Aoife Walsh.
For more, read this week’s Galway City Tribune.
Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App
Download the Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App to access to Galway’s best-selling newspaper.
Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
Or purchase the Digital Edition for PC, Mac or Laptop from Pagesuite HERE.
Get the Connacht Tribune Live app
The Connacht Tribune Live app is the home of everything that is happening in Galway City and county. It’s completely FREE and features all the latest news, sport and information on what’s on in your area. Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
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