Corofin and Tuam Stars will do battle once again this coming Sunday to determine the 2019 Galway Senior Footall Championship winners.
Throw-in is 2pm in Tuam Stadium where supporters will be hoping forsome of the same drama of the epic drawn game almost a fortnight ago.
In what was the best county final in terms of entertainment in a number of years, the atmosphere was aided by the addition of the new Tommy Varden stand in Tuam Stadium which is a testament to some of the work being done off the pitch by the DAFTS committee.
The two sides will have had much to ponder over the past 11 days and it will be interesting to see what tactical tweaks each team makes, or if there will be any changes in personnel.
Tuam Stars manager Tommy Carton and his players will have taken great belief of their ability to claim a scalp from the drawn match. The perception that Stars have missed the boat after coughing up a two-point lead deep into injury time in the drawn game does not take into account their season.
Tuam have suffered only had one loss all year in both league and championship, the one defeat was at the hands of the champions in the group stages.
This is a resilient side, a feature which appeared absent in Tuam teams in previous campaigns when they were regarded as pushovers. Now, there is quality throughout, with such as experienced campaigners as Gary O’Donnell, Noel Henry and Jamie Murphy, sprinkled with two new young guns Brian Mannion and Ben O’Connell, who have shone this year.
Corofin manager Kevin O’Brien will be grateful to have a second bite of the cherry after the reigning champions seemed to be dead and buried. They will need to improve their efficiency in front of goal, having only converted 15 out of 34 scoring opportunities on the first day out.
This is untypical of his side which is usually so ruthless infront of goal. They do seem to be lacking their usual sharpness in their play, but they have the ability to turn it on in a flash. It will be interesting to see if any changes are made to the starting team - Micháel Lundy and Dáithí Burke started on the bench, while stalwart Kieran Fitzgerald was sidelined with a muscular injury.
There is also a depth of talent in the Corofin subs, which was not utilised fully when alittle injection was needed first time out.
Corofin will have to change their match-ups as Tuam's Brian Mannion and Ben O’Connell, in particular, ran riot. Perhaps Corofin underestimated these young players, but they will no doubt be alert to the threat they pose on Sunday.
Tuam Stars, meanwhile, were not particularly troubled much as Ian Burke faded out of the game after a bright start and Brian O’Donnell kept Martin Farragher quiet for long spells. Corofin’s Michael Farragher was the standout forward for his side, and it will be interesting to see where he is deployed as he often roams the pitch.
Spectators will be hoping for an action-packed game. If it can offe half the drama of the drawn match, they will be in for a great spectacle. Corofin should have enough in the tank to get over the line this time, but possible only just.
