Next Sunday will see the two most successful clubs in Galway club football go head to head in the county senior football final as Tuam Stars and Corofin meet for the 5th time in a decider. Tuam were the last team to beat Corofin in championship football in the 2012 semi-final and, since then, Corofin have gone on to claim 6 county championships in a row, 4 Connacht titles and 3 All Irelands. It has been a truly devastating and dominant time for Corofin who stand on the brink of matching both Tuam Stars (1954-1960) and Ballinasloe (1913-1919) in winning a record-equaling 7 in a row.
The sides first met in the 1988 final when Tuam Stars were victorious 1-8 to 0-5, but 6 years later there was a changing landscape in Galway football as a new force had emerged in 1991 when Corofin beat Salthill to win their 4th county title. They repeated that feat against the same opposition in '93 and were looking to retain the crown for the first time ever in 1994 when they came up against a Tuam Stars team that featured current manager Tommy Carton as a young 19 year-old forward. The Stars player-manager was Pete Warren and the tale of that 1994 county final was told by Jim Carney in The Tuam Herald...
THERE was a sense of poetic justice about Tuam Stars' narrow but deserved
victory in the delayed county senior football final last Sunday, for they were
unwittingly drawn into a major row not of their own making in the semi-final
on/off /on again saga and their well orchestrated challenge for the premier
title was in danger of being derailed by external forces rather than defeat on
the field of play.
Had the eventual winners been beaten in either the semi-final
against Salthill or the decider itself, the Stars would have been entitled to
feel that fate had conspired against them ... so victory was all the sweeter,
especially as they had to win twice in seven days to regain the title they last
held five years ago, when they completed a splendid and elusive two-in-a-row.
Earlier in the decade, they'd won the Centenary Year final in 1984, and their
record shows they now top the honours list with 24 championships, seven ahead
of Ballinasloe and nine up on Dunmore MacHales.
Corofin were themselves bidding for back-to-back titles, and their third
since they made a big breakthrough in 1991, but they relinquished their crown
when Tuam's 19-year-old right half-forward Tommy Carton kicked a brilliant,
spectacular last minute point from play after the scores were twice tied in a
hard fought, often thrilling and utterly absorbing second half.
There were many passages of top class, exciting football in the first
half, too, and both teams deserve immense credit for serving up a grand final
in heavy conditions, late in the season. The downside, of course, was the low
scoring, and it's always disappointing when a final fails to produce a goal,
but overall I considered it a good game and even better than anybody might
reasonably have expected in all the circumstances. Both sides were committed
and highly motivated, and no man afield shirked his duty, but in the final
analysis the deciding factor was individual excellence and Tuam were clearly
superior in this regard, even allowing for the fact that only a point separated
the teams at the last whistle.
The new champions were driven onwards towards their objective by their splendid
captain Cathal McGinn who was dynamic and invincible on the right flank of
their defence; they had a brilliant full back in the towering Seamus Fallon who
played a magnificent second half, in particular; the three brothers Martin,
John and Jarlath Fallon, first cousins of the full back and centre-half, also
played key roles, as did Adrian Tyrrell, a fine goalkeeper, and the
match-winner, Tommy Carton, was the best and bravest forward on the field.
McGinn, one of three survivors from the Centenary Year
fifteen, played the game of his life and was inspirational from start to
finish. He led by personal example, either winning the through ball cleanly orwinning it back from an opponent in possession; he blocked, covered and
cleared with sheer determination and total commitment, and his clearances were
invariably well thought out and expertly executed. He was, in all respects, a
general of stature confidently taking charge of a willing army and it was leadership
that drew out of all those around him the perfect response. No less important
or significant however was the superb display of Seamus Fallon at full back
and, in the second half, right across the whole inside line. Pitted against a
formidable opponent in the equally skilful Eddie Steede, the tall Tuam man's
reading of the game and his intuitive positioning proved crucial to the outcome
and he ruled his territory with a calm assurance that no amount of Corofin
pressure could ruffle or break. The same kind of coolness, holding of ground,
sense of purpose and shrewd use of the ball also marked the play of left
halfback Martin Fallon, one of the most consistently outstanding defenders in
the county over the past decade, while the rest of the backs also did quite
well.
Corofin, too, had their best players in the rearguard. Brian
Silke, though carrying an injury, battled bravely at full back and gritty corner
man Pat Cullinane repeatedly came to the rescue with strong interceptions and
first time tackling; Raymond Silke won a lot of good ball at centre-half and
captain Danny Ryder was typically spirited and committed, but all of the
defence had their hands full in primary marking duties and hadn't the scope or
freedom to instigate attacks or support their midfield. Young goalie Glen Comer
wasn't really tested but he still looked the part and kicked out really well,
and the loss of such an experienced and inspirational 'keeper as Martin
McNamara wasn't felt as much as might have been feared.
In the conditions, though it was a mild and surprisingly pleasant day,
the midfield battle was always going to be a hard slog, and so it proved. In
the early stages Tuam lost their resident strong man, Willie Forkan, to a
recurrence of his semi-final injury, but they improvised well, bringing out
Jarlath Fallon from right corner forward; sending Kevin Reidy upfield from wing
back, and bringing in Carl Donlon who had himself missed the semi-final through
injury. Ja Fallon did many good things in both halves, most notably a
magnificent point from play seven minutes from the end, which gave his side a
6/5 lead at a time when they were struggling a little, and this was a major
blow to Corofin's hopes which were then rising to a peak.
The Corofin centre-field pair, Gerry Burke and Tomas
Greaney, were now giving it everything for the cause but they never succeeded
in winning as much quality possession as John Fallon who played one of his best
ever games for Tuam. Tireless and determined, he managed, above all, to be an
effective link between his defence and attack and his instinct for closing off
gaps and helping out a colleague under pressure was always spot-on. Of great
importance, too, was the role played by Peter Warren, who had stood down mid
season to take up the manager's job but he made a dramatic comeback to action
at a crucial stage of the second half and, playing as a defensive midfielder,
he brought stability, strength and inspiration to a developing situation that
badly needed all those qualities. One vital catch in front of his own goal was
in itself justification for this surprise move and the winners' other mentors
are to be warmly praised for good judgement and tactical awareness.
As the scoreline suggests, neither attack prospered on the day. Tommy
Carton for Tuam and Michael Donnellan for Corofin were the exceptions,
especially Carton, who was electrifying. His winning point was straight out of
Roy of the Rovers, but even better, in my view, was his point on the run, from
the left-hand side of the town goal, in the 27th minute of the first half. This
was an absolutely brilliant score, fired over with a low trajectory from a
tight angle, to finish off a searing burst that carried him past two hard
tackles. This hardy, pacy young forward, as he also proved later on, is utterly
fearless.
Many observers felt that Tuam's half-time lead of 0-5 to
0-3, after playing with whatever advantage was in the wind, might not be
sufficient to enable them to hold out but there was never a team yet who'd
prefer to be two points down than two up. Tommy Carton (2), Kevin Reidy (free),
Ollie Hynes and Odie Monahan got Tuam's first half points — they were all
delightful scores — while Michael Donnellan, Michael Kenny and Eddie Steede
replied for Corofin. It had been 3-all only seven minutes before the break but
Monahan and Carton then got the points that powered the Stars to the front. The
statistics show that they got only two points in the second period, during
which frees by Ger Burke made it 5/5 and 6/6, the latter kick in the 55th
minute coming two minutes after Jarlath Fallon had landed a mighty point for
Tuam, from the left wing. Then, at 6/6, it was up for grabs and fittingly it
was Cathal McGinn who drove the ba ll long to the middle for Pete Warren to
flick it on to Tommy Carton who shipped a tackle and launched the guided
missile that set the Stars sparkling.
Corofin, who had stormed Into it midway through the second
half, were left, in the end, to rue two bad misses. Michael Kenny, two-goal
hero of last year's final, blazed wide on the pull of the breaking ball after
Tuam 'keeper Adrian Tyrrell had brought off a dazzlingly executed diving save
from Eddie Steede's blistering goal effort, while later, in injury time, wing
back Aidan Fahy sent an attempted equaliser wide when he might have advanced a
little further for a seemingly certain point. These two wides were
heartbreaking for the outgoing champions, but that's all part of the game and
one day they go in or go over ... and the next day they go wide. Incidentally,
the cool, agile Adrian Tyrrell also caught and safely held a very dangerous dropping
ball at a vital stage of the first half and he emerged as a real hero on the
day.
It was amazing to reflect in the aftermath of this final that
though Corofin were beaten by a mere point, they had hardly anybody apart from
Pat Cullinane and Raymond Silke in the running for the Man of the Match
accolade which goes to the Tuam captain Cathal McGinn for a superlative
performance, allied to truly great leadership — edging out Seamus Fallon, Tommy
Carton, John Fallon and Adrian Tyrrell.
Two final points worth making: Corofin might have had injury problems but
it was surely to their cost that they used only one sub, while Tuam, in sharp
contrast, used their full complement. The double substitution (Peter Warren and
David Geary on together) when something special was desperately called for, was
a mighty psychological blow to strike as it upset Corofin's rhythm, roused the
whole Tuam team to renewed effort and shook up the very game itself. It was the
move that ultimately made the difference between victory and defeat.
Tuam Stars: A. Tyrrell; C. McGinn, capt., S. Fallon, S. Finnegan; K.
Reidy (0-1, free), K. Fallon, M. Fallon; W. Forkan, John Fallon; T. Carton
(0-3), P. O'Dea, O. Hynes (0-1); Jarlath Fallon (0-1), J. O'Dea, O. Monahan
(0-1). Subs; C. Donlon (for W. Forkan), P. Warren and D. Geary (for O. Hynes
and K. Reidy).
Corofin: G. Comer; O. Burke, B. Silke, P. Cullinane; D. Ryder, capt., R.
Silke, A. Fahy; T. Greaney, G. Burke (0-2,frees); M. Kenny (0-1), M. Donnellan
(0-2), T. Reilly; A. Donnellan, E. Steede (0-1), T. Burke. Sub., J. Lardner (for
T. Reilly)
Referee: Con Moynihan (Ballinasloe)
Man of the Match: Cathal McGinn (Tuam Stars)
