Ger Keane has been involved with Corofin football in different ways for the past 25 years or more. And next Sunday he will bring his team to O'Hara Park, Charlestown, in another big day out, where they face the home side, in their own back yard, in the Connacht club final (2pm ).
It will not be easy.
Keane knows that and that his team face a tough job, but he has a lot of belief in his panel.
"We will be favourites after our display in the semi-final – even playing away from home, but we are an experienced outfit at this stage. Kieran [Fitzgerald] and Michael [Comer] are big losses, but we’ll just have to get on with the job in hand.
“On the plus side Alan O'Donovan is back doing light training and he may have a role to play this weekend.”
The team will be selected next Saturday, but after a good win in the semi-final over Manorhamilton, there are unlikely to be many alterations.
“Charlestown will be very difficult to beat, especially down there. They have no big stars but they work really hard for each other. We don’t expect anything easy, but we have belief in ourselves and in the panel, and if we play as we are capable of we are optimistic about taking another step forward.”
For that to happen, key players like Aiden Donnellan and Greg Higgins at midfield, defenders Damien Burke, Cathal Silke, and Tony Goggins, team captain Kieran Comer, Joe Canney, and youngsters Ronan Steede and Michael Farragher up front will all have to do the business.
The play anywhere trio of Gary Sice, Alan Burke and Kieran McGrath should also have the pace, stamina, and penetration to make a big impact.
* The game is live on TG4 this Sunday as the Galway champions attempt to claim back-to-back Connacht titles for the first time in their history.
