#corofin

Closing time in the Burren. #corofin #theburren #villagelife (at Corofin, Clare, Ireland)

Corofin v Castlebar When the Mayo championship turned into a blitz because of the All Ireland and replay, it struck me that Corofin should end up the beneficiaries. Corofin have always had at least a two week turnaround whilst Castlebar players have had to sit idle for months except for their county stars and now a rush to a finish which is normally a recipe for injuries at the tail end of the season. However I'm not seeing any sign the Mayo and provincial champions are struggling with the backlog of games. This match has all the hallmarks of a classic. Both like to play open football with attacking weapons worth the admission price. Both have now established a culture of dominance in their counties but for me the biggest sign of Corofin's strength and adaptability was dealing with the loss of Gary Sice last time out. You'd hardly have noticed their talisman wasn't on the field as Michael Lundy was drafted back from the states. Corofin should prove two points better on the day but look a tad short at 3/1 if you're thinking about All Ireland's already. With St Vincent's 9/4 outright favourite, it will be the winner from Connacht that will prove their biggest rival for the Club All Ireland. Once again it looks the best club province in Ireland so in theory 3/1 means Paddy Power would be making Corofin 11/10 to win from the semi final stage. I'd sooner back Corofin at 10/11 for Connacht and reevaluate the odds after that as I suspect they'll be bigger at that stage. Outright Connacht Odds: Corofin 10/11, St Brigids 2/1, Castlebar 11/4, Aughawillan 50/1. What's another year Always be a pessimist they say, that way you won't be disappointed. I have to admit though when it comes to having a flutter, my weakness is always to look for value in the upset. Having talked in last weeks column about the possibility of both the Cubs and Ireland ending long droughts I was lucky enough to be in America last week and although I have never been a baseball fan it was hard not to get caught up in the Cubs epic finale. It really was one of those iconic moments in any sport . On the flip side I happened to miss history in the rugby as my flight was on the way back. So 108 years and 111 year of misery respectively came to an end last week. This year has also seen Hibernian end a 112 wait for the Scottish Cup. Suddenly this supposed Mayo curse is not half as long as it sounds and Liverpool fans cribbing about a 27 year wait would want to get a hold of themselves. However I should qualify that remark. If we have awoken this morning to President Trump we can point to 2016 as the end of days. Some of the world's most cherished celebrities passing away before the Armageddon. Sporting teams finally giving long suffering fans something to smile about all before the impending a nuclear winter. Sorry Mayo and Liverpool, you may have missed the boat.

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