A DECADE AGO Michael Farragher was in the midst of preparations to play in his first AIB All-Ireland club semi-final.
Corofin’s hopes back then were to emulate their Class of ’98 but they were thwarted by Antrim’s St Gall’s in a thrilling clash, sent to the exit door under the Parnell Park floodlights.
Tomorrow in Ennis will mark Farragher’s sixth national last four assignment with his north Galway club. To have three All-Ireland medals to his name and be in pursuit of a fourth is a scenario of such promise and success that he could scarcely have envisaged when setting out on the senior club trail.
The season after that February 2010 loss, Farragher had decamped to Australia. He was fresh from an All-Ireland U21 victory with Galway but was swayed by the lure of a different sporting life, heading off with his club-mate Ronan Steede.
“We were playing with Grovedale Tigers, a feeder club for Geelong. We were there for a couple of months. It was nice, it was something different. At the end of the day, it’s not football either.
“I would have probably regretted it if I didn’t go along and do it. It was a nice experience in Melbourne and I spent a good bit of time in the Gold Coast as well.
“Obviously coming back then, (I’d been) missing the football probably a bit too much. So I came back two weeks before a county semi final against Tuam (in 2012), we ended up losing that game. It was a hard hit to come home from Australia and lose, be knocked out of championship.”
It’s not an experience he’s grown accustomed to in Galway. 2012 was the last time that Corofin have not taken ownership of the Frank Fox trophy in Galway for the winter. They’ve picked up five Connacht crowns since then and backed it up with that trio of All-Ireland wins.
That spate of successes wipes away any regrets that might linger about not having flourished at Aussie Rules.
“There’s no real what ifs because we’ve been so successful with Corofin. We’re blessed. I remember I was over in Australia and on my screensaver on my phone was the Corofin team from ’98, the team that won the All-Ireland. And on the other screen when you closed that was the current team. So you were just dying to get back, you missed it that much.”
It’s a heady time for the club but Farragher is one of the more seasoned operators who experienced the flipside.
“Obviously those (past) games hurt. I suppose that’s probably what has driven us as well over the last couple of years. Losing to Kilmacud and Galls in extra-time, they were tough days but thankfully we’ve had good ones since.
“There’s been savage teams in Connacht. Castlebar were very strong and Brigid’s, both beat us. There’s good teams in Galway and Connacht. The last couple of years we’ve struggled to get out of Galway.
“Look it’s great, it’s class. We don’t really dwell on it too much. We always just try to go back to that and forget about what we’ve won previously. That keeps us more driven.”
A refusal to succumb has helped dig them out of a couple of tight spots. Farragher recalls last autumn’s Galway county final when their hopes looked precarious with neighbours Tuam Stars on the verge of dumping them out.
“We just about got through the county this year against Tuam, only for a Gary Sice free to (save us). It was worrying there for a while. Look we need that bit of luck as well. You’re standing out on the pitch and thinking this could slip.
“I remember we had the ball at the back, probably a couple of minutes to go and I came out the field, I was sitting in the six position and I just thought we need to get a score. Thankfully we got the ball up the pitch and ended up doing that but that split second you just have to think and go again and push it.”
Corofin won that replay, proceeding to train their sights on provincial and national assaults. For a team on the hunt of the All-Ireland three-in-a-row, it may seem that they have endured a punishing schedule but a break in Chicago last summer served Farragher well.
“I was playing football over there with McBrides. Savage club. I’d recommend it to anyone, they look after you so well. Serious team. Three more Corofin lads – Dylan McHugh, Colin Brady, Brian Raftery – were over there.
“It was a very tight-knit group, a mixture between Dublin players, Armagh, Mayo, we just kind of gelled. Unfortunately we lost by a point in the final but overall the experience was unreal and delighted I went.
“They’ll (Corofin management) always be supportive of any decisions because thankfully we’re blessed with the panel we have and there are lads always chomping at the bit to get in. It doesn’t drop the standards of the team, it’s maintained so we’re lucky with the panel that we have.”
Nemo Rangers are the next obstacle in tomorrow’s AIB All-Ireland senior semi-final in Cusack Park. They renew acquaintances 22 months after Corofin pummelled the Cork side by 15 points on final day.
“Look it Nemo are flying it this year. There’s a couple of different things that will play a part. It’s a different venue. It’s a heavy pitch and some might say a narrower pitch down in Ennis. We have that to go up against and we have the likes that we beat them by such a big margin two years ago. They’re not going to forget that either. So we understand that they’re going to be biting at the bit to have a crack at us.”
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