Little to separate two evenly matched teams

Nearly five years on from their battle in the Connacht final, Pádraig Pearses will be looking to avenge their six-point defeat to Corofin in Tuam this Sunday.

Pearses lost out to a Corofin team that was arguably one of the best club teams ever assembled, as they went on to win a third consecutive All-Ireland club title that year.

Both teams have had similar success in the meantime, winning their respective county titles twice, with Pearses winning their first provincial title in 2021, defeating Knockmore.

It has been a period of evolution for both sides since their first encounter, with Pearses losing former Roscommon player Hubert Darcy and Conor Payne, and Corofin missing former All-Stars Kieran Fitzgerald who has retired, and Ian Burke who transferred to London club Fulham Irish earlier in the year.

It creates a blank canvas for two evenly matched teams who will have hopes of adding another Connacht title to their rolls of honour.

Fresh Faces With the loss of those aforementioned players, both teams have turned to their underage production lines.

Pádraig Pearses have been blessed with talent in that regard. Seven of their starting fifteen in their county final victory over Roscommon Gaels featured in last year’s U-20 county final defeat to St. Brigid’s.

Of those players, Declan Kenny has made the biggest impact so far. Kenny would be a frontrunner for a Roscommon senior football player of the year, giving a memorable performance in the quarter-final against a St. Brigid’s team with All-Ireland aspirations, kicking a monster score in the dying moments to bring the game to extra-time.

He followed that performance up with another impressive display against St. Faithleach’s in the semi-final, scoring a great individual goal in the second half.

Former county minor captain Eoin Colleran had a quieter campaign up until the county final, but timed his form to perfection, kicking 1-3 from play in a man of the match performance. Both Colleran and Kenny have the added experience of featuring in Pearses’ 2021 Connacht title campaign.

Corofin are not short of young talent either. Forward and Galway U-20 panellist last year, Jack McCabe, got Corofin’s opening goal in the Galway county final against Corofin.

Like Kenny and Colleran, he also has Connacht club experience, kicking five points from play in the semi-final against Ballina Stephenites. McCabe was called up to the Galway senior panel on the back of those performances alongside fellow U-20 player from last year, Patrick Egan.

Egan made his Galway debut against Roscommon in the league, and has been lining out at wing forward for Corofin this season.

It creates a potential matchup between Egan and Kenny, one that may tip the balance of the game.

The battle of wits As important as the energy that youth provides to a team, the value of experience is something that can only be gained with time. At the ages of 35 and 39 respectively, Niall Carty and Gary Sice provide that in boatloads to their clubs.

It is more than likely the two elder statesmen will be matched up on Sunday. The beauty of the club championship is that players who rely on using their heads more than their legs is still highly valued.

Carty has been excellent for Pearses this year, being an important fulcrum in Frank Canning’s defensive system. The former Roscommon captain has been quietly very efficient in his man marking duties also.

Like Carty, Sice is an important player for his side. He sealed Corofin’s victory over Moycullen in the Galway senior final with his second half goal, and has been consistently accurate from frees this championship, and is his side’s second top scorer this season with 1-10.

Corofin defense vs Pearses attack Pearses have received deserved praise for their defensive resilience so far, but Corofin have been even more impressive this season.

In six games they have conceded just over eight points per game, and only one goal. Dylan McHugh, who scooped an All-Star on Friday, has been playing at full-back off the back of an excellent season at wing-back for Galway, and has the support of 2022 All-star winner Liam Silke in corner back.

Few clubs can boast such defensive talent, but they will have the work cut out for them in the form of the aforementioned Colleran and the excellent Paul Carey.

The two have developed an excellent partnership in the inside forward line. When one wins the first ball, the other usually isn’t far away in support, creating headaches for their markers who can’t afford to give either player an extra second on the ball.

Whichever of the Pearses’ forwards is picked up by McHugh, they will have a busy day tracking his storming runs forward, who adds a scoring threat of his own with three points in the Galway championship.

That does leave an opportunity for players like the Daly brothers to catch McHugh out of position on the counterattack, and when left one-on-one inside, it’s rare that Carey or Colleran don’t take ad