Corofin-St Brigid’s rivalry to make for fascinating Connacht football final

Corofin forward Gary Sice has played down the suggestion of any heated rivalry with Sunday’s Connacht club football finalists St Brigid’s – “there is no history anymore”, he says – although that simply isn’t true.

It’s not just that Corofin, the 2015 All-Ireland club champions, are taking on the 2013 All-Ireland champions, on top of whatever Galway-Roscommon rivalry exists naturally.

Five years ago, following unruly scenes between the clubs in the 2011 Connacht final, the provincial council brought in a rule that prevents clubs from playing championship fixtures at their own grounds.

And, in the final 10 years ago, St Brigid’s snatched victory from the jaws of defeat, Karol Mannion hitting Corofin with a late, late winning goal. Both Mannion and Sice are also still involved this Sunday.

“Well, the two groups have changed so much,” says Sice, with a smile – knowing that deep down that rivalry is still boiling.

“They have eight or nine new players and so do we. Some of our younger lads don’t even know about what happened five years ago. That seems to be a trend with that age-group at the moment.

“The history is one thing, but the history is between a group, and the groups have changed so much. Even since 2013. They’re a quality opposition. They have been there on and off. They won five in a row in Roscommon (2011-2015), took a year out, and obviously they’re back now, so they’ve been building very strong.

Strong club

“Their minors won the Connacht final during the week so they’re a strong club and fairly like ourselves in ways, so it’s going to be a fairly interesting day on Sunday.”

Corofin won their second All-Ireland in 2013 to bridge the long gap since their first win in 1998, and Sice appreciates these chances don’t come along very often.

“I suppose you’d have to say we’re established. We’ve been solid now for a good while. I think teams are now very aware of us and we’re analysed to death.

“But we’re still putting in good performances year in, year out. We’ve four Galway titles in a row. That doesn’t happen too often. I think it’s nineteen-sixty-something when it happened before [Tuam Stars actually won seven in a row from 1954-60].

“So we’re performing on a good standard consistently, whereas before we were hitting highs and then lows. We’re happier with the way we’re performing now.”

Having Michael Lundy back on board has also helped, after he took a year out from the county set-up: “He’s flying it. He’s a great lad to have home. A huge advantage to us to have him home, you’re dropping an intercounty footballer into the group. His attitude, the way he addresses himself in training, the way he conducts himself for matches, he’s just a super lad to have around and is going really well.”

That rivalry then, heated or otherwise, will make for a fascinating, if not cagey, showdown: “I’ve no doubt in my mind that Brigid’s have something that we don’t know about and I know we have things they don’t know about.

Pure football

“And I think you have potential All-Ireland finalists every year out of Connacht. Like, our game against Castlebar the last day was as good a game as there’s been around in a while. It was pure football in a way, and it was hard. The referee did a good job, in my opinion. He let it rip.

“And I suppose as we get a little bit older, we start to realise that what we’re doing at the moment is going to grow what comes after it. To stand in Croke Park and for a 30-second window to look around you and realise, ‘Jesus, I’m after winning an All-Ireland with my club in Croke Park’, it was just epic. There’s no other word for it.

“But then it gives you a little taste and you think maybe we can have another cut at it. Even our younger guys coming through have been forewarned and I’m sure Brigid’s are thinking the same as we are.

“Legacies are hard things to talk about when you’re living it. It’s grand to sit down and have a cup of coffee in two years’ time and you’re retired. At the moment, legacy is not a concern. It’s the here and now and to do the business if you can.”

The St Brigid’s sentiments exactly, no doubt.