Tuam Stars are in with a shout of ending Corofin’s search for seven

Inside Track with John McIntyre

It’s probably only appropriate that the club standing in the way of Corofin winning a record-equalling seventh consecutive Galway senior football title is Tuam Stars. Between 1954 and 1960, they achieved what only Ballinasloe (1913 to ’19) had managed previously in the county – completing the magnificent seven in-a-row.

Now, the Stars have the opportunity of stopping Corofin from emulating their mighty feat at Tuam Stadium on Sunday, and while some observers give Tommy Carton’s squad little chance of inflicting a first domestic defeat on the title holders since 2012, the club’s great tradition can’t be ignored in a decider in which there’s some symmetry at play.

Seeking a first county title since 1994, Tuam looked to be on their way out of the championship when trailing flattering Moycullen by five points in the semi-final, but a critical save from Johnny Trayers and big individual contributions from the likes of Jamie Murphy, Ben O’Connell and Mikey Mannion saw the Stars turn the game on its head.

With county defender Gary O’Donnell another vital cog in the Tuam wheel, they will hardly be daunted at trying to halt the Corofin juggernaut. The fact that ground conditions are likely to be heavy on Sunday and Tuam Stadium hardly suits the champions as much as Pearse Stadium raises the prospect of a tight enough battle for supremacy.

Unfortunately, for Tuam, Corofin rarely do complacency and, if anything, they will be charged up to atone for their sloppy finishes in those knock-out victories over Mountbellew/Moylough and Salthill/Knocknacarra. Sure, they had done the damage early, both victories were wrapped up and personnel changes disrupted their fluency, but Corofin have high standards and won’t want that level of carelessness to permeate their ranks consistently

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

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