Galway club Football and Hurling thread

[mouview]

My tip for last year, Cortoon, and one for this year, Caherlistrane, are still going strong. The latter won't have it easy against a hungry looking Corofin in the semi' but maybe it's now or never. Then again, a Corofin - NUIG final would be a decent clash too.

[MaroonAndWhite]

Caherlistrane will have a hell of a battle on their hands against Corofin.....it will be tough for them getting enough scores to win it with the quality in Corofin's backline but if they can turn it into a dour, low scoring affair they could get a result. Banjo, Rory Glynn, Connelly & Barry Lee might cause a few problems. I certainly hope they do as I have them backed since early in the year....

Cortoon beat Salthill without playing particularly well which is a good sign. Ronaldson seemed to case all the problems up fron the last day for NUIG but David Finnegan is a fine full back and he might hold him. Cortoon have the better forward line so alopt depends on how well NUIG can hold them

Both games down for Tuam Stadium with Cortoon -v- NUIG at 3.30pm and Corofin -v- Caherlistrane at 5pm

I reckon a Corofin -v- Cortoon final is on the cards

[Sligoper]

Will NUIG get a fair go at it this year though?

[Owenmoresider]

Cortoon beat the Students 0-14 to 1-10, no word on the other semi yet.

[magpie seanie]

Fantastic for Cortoon Their first senior county final I believe?

Caherlistrane were 3 points up early on against Corofin. Don't know how it ended.

[Owenmoresider]

I'd imagine it is.

Corofin 0-14 Caherlistrane 1-11, in injury time.

Hi Sligonian. *waves*

It finished that way. Replay on next Saturday. Chance missed for Caherlistrane?

PS good to know that there's a station in the form of GBFM that's worse than Ocean for sports coverage. Doesn't surprise that they have the same jingles though.

[MaroonAndWhite]

Delighted for Cortoon......very gutsy performance against NUIG who didnt fight as hard as Cortoon in December-like conditions. Cortoon worked very hard all through harrying and blocking and had the right man in Brian Roache to hold Ronaldson. Fiachra Breathnach and Gottsche didnt look like the relation of a county footballer. The retirement of Derek Savage from inter-county appears to have refreshed him as he was brilliant in the playmaker role and Michael Martin scored some beauties in the first half as did David Ward. First ever County Final now I think.....ya couldn't write them off now (as Ray Silke did  ) given the three big scalps they've taken in Killererin, Saltill & the College

Caherlistrane left it behind them....Corofin were blessed. Caherlistane did well to get back level after falling 2 behind with 5 min left but with a biit of cuteness they could have took it at the end. Can't understand how Brendan Murphy hasnt got a go with the county panel......theres very few midfielders in the county that are as good as him. Corofin backs resorted to alot of niggly shite. Corofin were poor but are unlikely to be as bad the next day....id fancy them to take it by 2/3 points

[mouview]

Delighted for Cortoon......very gutsy performance against NUIG who didnt fight as hard as Cortoon in December-like conditions. Cortoon worked very hard all through harrying and blocking and had the right man in Brian Roache to hold Ronaldson. Fiachra Breathnach and Gottsche didnt look like the relation of a county footballer. The retirement of Derek Savage from inter-county appears to have refreshed him as he was brilliant in the playmaker role and Michael Martin scored some beauties in the first half as did David Ward. First ever County Final now I think.....ya couldn't write them off now (as Ray Silke did  ) given the three big scalps they've taken in Killererin, Saltill & the College

Regrettably Breathnach has never looked like a county footballer, only Sammon cannot see this it seems. Savo' shuold have been brought back into the county panel for the Kerry game following his display v Killererin 6 weeks ago or so - his recent form has confirmed this. Caher' shouldn't be written off yet, the 'novelty' and 'fear' of playing in a semi' will be worn off for the replay and they have more scope to improve than Corofin.

On the league front, relegation beckons for Monivea/Abbey (grrrr..); they prop up the table on 2 points with 2 games remaining. Luck has not been friendly to them this year, they've lost 4 games by a point when denied results by struck uprights, narrow wides, bad ref. calls, soft goals conceded etc.  Shows how competitive and close the league is. Menlough look favourites for the drop also while Claregalway may get sucked into it too.

[MaroonAndWhite]

Wouldn't agree that Caherlistrane have more scope for improvement than the other shower  ......Corofin definitely can get better.....their over-dependance on O'Donovan on the day was remarkable. Kieran Comer was just back from injury so the half hour he got will bring him on a good bit. Trevor Burke is some man - jesus he must be 40 and he's still flyin but he wont contribute scores anymore. Caherlistrane forwards had a decent day.....Eric Monaghan in particular caused alot of problems and Id expect that he will be much better shackled than the last day. They have an edge on pace on Corofins backs but I think Corofin will smother them on Sat evening. Caherlistrane need Clive Monaghan to get into it in a big way....he was nearly anonymous the last day which you'd not expect from one of your county men. Eery man i blue and white at 110%.....

But I hope im wrong and come County Final night im suppin pints in the Cortoon Inn or Queally's........

[mouview]

And therein lies Corofin's constant weakness down the years - bad forwards. Over reliance on O'Donovan and Comer, who is hot and cold. When you see the likes of Trevor Burke and Aidan Donnellan, great club servants for sure, still playing at senior level you wonder do Corofin really have the depth of players that you are led to believe they have. Still maintain Caher' have a great chance.

The hurling c'ship resumes this weekend also with a few tasty clashes, e.g. Portumna v Cashel', Ardrahan v Clarinbridge. These are clashing with the AI final on Sunday, mores the pity.

[GalwayBayBoy]

And therein lies Corofin's constant weakness down the years - bad forwards. Over reliance on O'Donovan and Comer, who is hot and cold. When you see the likes of Trevor Burke and Aidan Donnellan, great club servants for sure, still playing at senior level you wonder do Corofin really have the depth of players that you are led to believe they have. Still maintain Caher' have a great chance.

The hurling c'ship resumes this weekend also with a few tasty clashes, e.g. Portumna v Cashel', Ardrahan v Clarinbridge. These are clashing with the AI final on Sunday, mores the pity.

Yeah Corofin have been let down over the past decade by their inability to produce at least one top class forward. At the same time they have a production line of good defenders but no go to man up front.

[MaroonAndWhite]

And therein lies Corofin's constant weakness down the years - bad forwards. Over reliance on O'Donovan and Comer, who is hot and cold. When you see the likes of Trevor Burke and Aidan Donnellan, great club servants for sure, still playing at senior level you wonder do Corofin really have the depth of players that you are led to believe they have. Still maintain Caher' have a great chance.

The hurling c'ship resumes this weekend also with a few tasty clashes, e.g. Portumna v Cashel', Ardrahan v Clarinbridge. These are clashing with the AI final on Sunday, mores the pity.

Yeah Corofin have been let down over the past decade by their inability to produce at least one top class forward. At the same time they have a production line of good defenders but no go to man up front.

My leaning towards Corofin is solely based on the fact that I can see their backs being alot tighter than last Sunday. Their defence is good enough to strangle the game on Caher'. I agree that their forwards are the achilles heel alright....Tomas Costello and a few of these lads never progressed from U21 at all. Id say Corofin are longing for the days of Derek Reilly, Shane Conlisk & Co in '98. But as I said, I fancy them to sneak it 

[GalwayBayBoy]

Corofin edged out Caherlistrane by a point in the replay.

Pity was hoping for two new teams contesting the final. Would have been a novel pairing.

Corofin v Cortoon Shamrocks it is then.

[MaroonAndWhite]

Corofin can stop a happy ending to Cortoon's fairytale
Galway Advertiser, October 02, 2008.

Giant-killers Cortoon Shamrocks are just one step from their first county title and a successful end to their fairytale championship when they face favourites Corofin in Sunday's Claregalway Hotel Senior Football Championhip final at Pearse Stadium (1.30pm).

Apart from dyed-in-the-wool Corofin supporters, the rest of the county would love to see Cortoon win their first senior title. Their run to the final has been fairytale stuff. They have seen off Killererin, Annaghdown, Salthill, and NUIG as if they were old hands at sitting in on the top table of club football in the county. Theirs has been a remarkable step-up in class for a club that only came up to senior in 2003. And now they are only 60 minutes from being crowned the best senior club in the county. That's serious progression.

There are many reasons for the rapid advancement. Most notably young talent like David Finnegan, Donal O' Neill, and Michael Martin have stepped up and taken on leadership roles in the team. Likewise the decision of former All-Star and club captain Derek Savage to focus exclusively on the club this season has helped them to establish a consistent pattern of play and gather considerable momentum going into this final. Savage's work-rate on the field of play and his experience, leadership, and self-belief have made him a wonderful role model for the younger members of the squad. Savage is a model pro who has always maximised his ability and he has been a massive factor in Cortoon reaching this stage. Another part of their jigsaw was the appointment of Dublin native Barry Downey as club manager. Downey had recently relocated to Cortoon and his was an inspired choice. He oozes modesty, despite possessing a massive knowledge of football and tactical awareness. Not unlike Mickey Harte he deflects praise from himself and instead is wholesome in his praise for the commitment and honesty shown by his panel of players for the cause.

"I offered a different voice coming in last March and it suited the lads this year. They have been magnificent and have done anything that has been asked of them. Every player on the panel has a terrific attitude and their work-rate both on and off the field makes them a joy to be involved with." Downey is the first to admit that his side have been underdogs all year and will again be this Sunday. "It is a great way to be and everyone knows about Corofin. They are a club that would be nationally recognised and they deserve to be favourites based on their successes in the past two decades. However we are here on merit and a final is there to be won. We are under no pressure and very few expect us to beat Corofin. The pressure is on them to perform and collect another county title. There is no pressure on us."

However he knows there are no guarantees about getting back to a county final anytime soon and he wants to make this opportunity count. "Some will feel it has been a great achievement by us to get to the final, but we have not got to this final the easy way and now that we are here, we want to win it."

While most commentators have been raving on about the Cortoon attack, Downey has a special word for his defenders. "Guys like Brian Gilmore, Brian Roche, John Martin, Donal O' Neill and David Finnegan have been outstanding all season and they held teams like Killererin and Salthll to just seven points. We have some tremendous forwards, but our defending is something we are very proud of and we know that it will have to stay at the top level next Sunday afternoon if we are to collect any silverware."

Corofin selector Eddie Steede, who famously kicked 0-7 of a total of nine points for his club in the county final of 1997 against Dunmore, knows the challenge his side faces. "Cortoon have been very impressive in all their games to date. You only have to look at the calibre of the teams they have beaten to get to the final. They have had the toughest side of the draw getting to the final and we will be treating them with the utmost respect. We know that it will take a top class performance from us to beat them." Steede, who along with Pat Curley, Brian Silke, and Ger Keane, make up Jimmy Sice's backroom team, has some genuine concerns about this tie; "We have been very sluggish in all our games and we need to start a lot better than we have been doing. We have been working on that, however it is something we need to get right for this weekend. If we let Cortoon get a lead up, they will be extremely difficult to rein in. "Up front we need more composure from our forwards and they will have to be at the top of their game to get much from Cortoon's backs who are tenacious and defend in numbers. Unless we work like demons all over the field, we will find ourselves in big trouble. A final at any level is never easily won and unless we improve on the performances we have delivered to get here, we will not be county champions. It's that simple."

Corofin do have some injury woes. Michael Comer twigged his hamstring against Caherlistrane and he and Kieran Fitzgerald are still on the physio table.

A victory for Cortoon would not be a major shock and at almost 2/1 they represent good value. The key man that Corofin must stop is Derek Savage. He is Cortoon's talisman, and if he was nullified, then the balance would swing massively to Corofin. However stopping Savo is no easy task. Corofin will relish playing in Pearse stadium and the mobility of Alan Burke, Joe Canney, Gary Sice, Kieran McGrath, and Greg Higgins if they open their shoulders for the hour may be the deciding factor. It will be a dogfight and Corofin will need to play a lot better than they have so far this season to collect.

They will have to be much more clinical up front then they were against Caherlistrane. However their fluid running game should cause Cortoon a lot of problems, and if a few of their forwards show some genuine leadership, guile, and keep the wide count down, I would expect them to annex their ninth county title since 1991.

The county senior football final is live on TG4 this Sunday. Coverage starts at 3pm.


The centrepiece of the Galway football season is this Sunday. Being an old romantic, id love to see Cortoon take Frank Fox home. It will be a tough task but im certainly not writing them off....as mentioned above, they have held better forward lines than Corofin's scoreless. On the flip side, the Cortoon forwards have not met the calibre of this Corofin backline. It will be a real test of the mettle of the likes of David Warde and Micheal Martin and how they deal with the attention of Mike Comer, Damien Burke & Co. Midfield will be a bit of a stalemate....Cortoon have the power advantage in this area while Corofin would have the edge in mobility.
A Cortoon win would be good for football in the county...one club winning 9 of the last 18 conty finals cannot be good. Not Corofin's fault but we need more clubs competing at a higher standard

[mouview]

Bit late, but what did  ye do to celebrate the 10th anniversary last weekend? Tell me at least that you pulled out and watched 'A Year Til Sunday' again...