Usual suspects line up for Frank Fox Cup

Date Published: 11-Aug-2010

Dara Bradley

THE return of the 2010 Claregalway Hotel Senior Football Championship this weekend will provide a welcome distraction from the off-the-field ‘guessing game’ of who will take over from Joe Kernan as the Galway senior manager, a topic that dominated talk in GAA circles in the county in the past week.

The quarter-final stage draw has thrown up four fairly evenly matched clashes that should all go down to the wire. The usual suspects dominate the quarter-finals – three teams in the remaining eight have between them hoisted the Frank Fox Cup eight times in the last decade including Corofin (2000, 2002, 2006, 2008, 2009), Killererin (2004, 2007) and Annaghdown (2001) – although surprise packets Barna are attempting to make it to the semi-finals for the first time ever and Caherlistrane haven’t won a county title since 1890.

Corofin are still the team to beat but it’s a wide open race with last year’s runners-up Mountbellew/Moylough looking to stay on course to reach back-to-back county finals for the first time ever; Moycullen have been knocking on the door of senior success since winning the All-Ireland intermediate title in 2008; and Milltown will be hoping to rekindle the form that saw them reach the 2007 county final.

The bookies have taken a cautious approach to setting the odds and for those looking to make a few quid, backing the draw might be a sensible option – three of the four clashes (Barna V Annaghdown, Moycullen V Killererin, Corofin V Caherlistrane) all ended in stalemate the last time they met in championship.

In the event of a draw, extra-time will be played and then a replay if the sides are still level.