Corofin’s Comer seeking to reprise past glories

TWELVE years have elapsed since that glorious season for Galway football when little Corofin won the All-Ireland SFC club championship and the county went on to win Sam Maguire for the first time since the three-in-a-row heroics of the mid-60s.

Both teams were captained by one of Corofin’s most famous sons, one Ray Silke, and it is arguable that the first victory – witnessed by a record crowd of over 36,000 – inspired the second, as Galway football rode a wave that ultimately crested in Croke Park on an unforgettable Sunday in September.

A substitute for Corofin that day was Kieran Comer and tomorrow, his parish are once more on the glory trail as they face Ulster champions St Gall’s in the All-Ireland semi-final at Parnell Park.

Kieran is still there, still scoring at will, but now he is the captain and tasked with providing the inspiration. He did so in the Galway county final win over Mountbellew-Moylough, did so again in the Connacht final walloping of highly-fancied Mayo champions Charlestown with his early goal setting the team on their way to a fifth Connacht title.

He’s been around the block a few times since 1998, winning an All-Ireland senior medal with Galway in 2001 when he came on as a sub, an U21 All-Ireland the following year and has seen many a good day with club and county.

He’s been off the big stage for a few years, having last played for Galway in 2005, after which he headed off to the USA for a while, but, given his recent run of form, it will be no surprise to see him back in maroon-and-white again under new manager Joe Kernan. For the moment, however, the focus is on Corofin, and the challenge in hand.

“For a few of us it is a last opportunity because some of us are getting a bit long in the tooth. In saying that, down through the years Corofin have never had consistency. We’d have a good year but then the next we’d fall apart. Earlier on in the year in Galway we were beaten in the first round and were lucky enough to get through, but we picked it up and moved on from there. They’re a good bunch of lads, there is always young talent coming through.”

It’s a typical rural GAA club, Corofin, drawing from a population of around 1,000 but, as has also been proven time and again by others such as Newtownshandrum, Caltra, Ballyhale etc., success even at the highest level is not about numbers, it’s about attitude.

“Lads are committed,” he explained. “They love playing football, and there’s always someone to take your spot if you lose a bit of form.”

Worked out well for Corofin in that Connacht final win when they were missing three of their biggest stars in county seniors Kieran Fitzgerald and Michael Comer, along with former U21 captain Tomás Costello, yet still romped home.

“I think we’ve learned a lot, grown up a bit – you always learn from defeats. A lot of strong teams are gone, but a lot left too – St Gall’s are a very good team, they showed that in 2005 and they have been there or thereabouts. They are a serious team."