Sports
Victorious manager Rochford won’t be leaving classy Corofin in the lurch

COROFIN don’t want to lose Stephen Rochford after guiding the club to an All-Ireland club success and the completion of a three-in-a-row of county titles over the course of the last eight months, but it’s that incredible record that could send him on his way.
Rochford is very loyal to Corofin. After all, they were the ones from a Galway footballing heartland who ‘went up to Mayo’ three seasons ago for a trainer and then manager – it’s a trust that the Crossmolina man is still very touched by.
Quite understandably he has continued to ‘kick to touch’ on his filling of the vacant managerial position in his native county although he has always said that to take charge of Mayo is one of his ambitions.
“Corofin have been very good to me. They were the ones who gave me the chance and who put faith in me three years ago and I feel a very strong sense of loyalty to them. They went out on a limb that time to take me on and I want to repay them for that.
“I want to see this campaign through with Corofin and for now the only thing I’m looking forward to is our match against Mohill in two weeks time. That’s my priority over the next week and a half,” said Rochford.
Since coming in as trainer under David Morris three years ago, Rochford then took over the managerial reins last year, and as they say, the rest is history.
His reputation in Corofin for man management, preparation, speed and ball based training sessions, and for studying opposing teams in great detail, has mushroomed over the past couple of years. He is the man they want to try and guide them to back-to-back All-Ireland titles.
He is though a lot more comfortable in talking about Sunday’s success than looking into the future too much. “We knew that we had to step it up last Sunday and over the course of the season it has been hard to replicate the form we showed last February or March.
“I don’t think that any team in any sport can maintain a peak level of performance all year round. But I think that last Sunday showed the hunger and the desire is there among these lads.
“We started out by giving full respect to Mountbellew. They are a very strong side and came into this final on the back of some very good wins. I knew, and the lads knew, that we had to reach a higher level,” said Rochford.
In the end, there are those who might have considered Sunday’s contest to have been a one sided county final, but for the first half and for most of the third quarter, it was highly competitive. With 11 minutes gone in the second period, Corofin only led by 2-6 to 0-10 and Mountbellew had spurned a couple of point chances.
For more, read this week’s Galway City Tribune.
Connacht Tribune
Galway minors continue to lay waste to all opponents

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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CITY TRIBUNE
United wary of the threat from Treaty

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.
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Or purchase the Digital Edition for PC, Mac or Laptop from Pagesuite HERE.
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CITY TRIBUNE
Devon crowned Women’s Connacht Cup champions

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.