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.