Once again Sunday next provides a new team on the blocks on county football final day, but the chances of creating an upset will not be an easy task as Cortoon Shamrocks take on the might of Corofin in the Claregalway Hotel Galway Senior Football Championship final in Pearse Stadium (3.30pm).

ALL SET . . . Cortoon Shamrocks manager Barry Downey puts his men through their paces as they prepare for their first ever appearance in the Galway SFC final when they will take on Corofi n at Pearse Stadium on Sunday. Photo: Alan Gallagher.

It certainly throws out a novel contest with Cortoon's first appearance in a senior final, but last year Milltown were in their first final in years and success evaded them. In 2000 Killanin made a dream county final appearance and with the dreadful weather it was a day that even winners Corofin would want to forget.

One has to go back to 1996 for the last novel pairing in a Galway final when An Cheathru Rua defeated Oranmore/Maree in the final and this year Caherlistrane came within a whisker of the first day against Corofin of providing another novel pairing again.

Appearing in a first final is always difficult with local hype often getting to players, and to succeed on the first occasion is always even more difficult. And so it is for Cortoon Shamrocks on Sunday.

They have been around for a few years and after going senior in the early seventies in a team powered by Tommie Joe Gilmore and Mickey Rooney, they managed to reach the semi final on two occasions, losing to Caltra and Milltown.

Then then dropped again from senior status twice, but successfully fought hard to regain senior status and they are now at the pinnacle of Galway football.

It had never been easy for Cortoon and although they are one of the oldest clubs in the county, they are unique in that are the second senior football team in the one parish in Galway. Cortoon is a half parish of Tuam and with Tuam Stars for years the dominant team in the parish, it has never been easy for Cortoon. Picking from a small population for many years, they now find an increasing population emerging in recent years and this encouraged to club to develop excellent new facilities in Brownsgrove in recent years. At one stage when the rule from Galway Co Board came in of one team per parish, Cortoon successfully fought their right to have their own club as they fought for the rural community of Tuam parish.

Sunday is a big day for Cortoon Shamrocks and they come into this encounter backed by the vastly experienced Derek Savage, rising young stars like David Warde and young Michael Martin who starred for Galway minors in the All Ireland success last year. All three players are prolific scorers and can well lead Cortoon to the promised land, but they come up against a team that have quality defenders.

Corofin are one of the most experienced teams in Galway football. They won the first of a dozen titles in 1932 and added titles again in 1946 and 1977. However the emergence of an underage structure led to tremendous success in the nineties. Corofin captured the Galway senior titles seven times in twelve years between 1991 and 2002. The highlight of that era was undoubtedly winning the AIB All Ireland club title, the very first Connacht team to bring the Andy Merrigan Cup west of the Shannon. Corofin added another title in 2006 when they defeated Caltra in the final and many of that team are in action again on Sunday next. Gary Delaney, Kieran Fitzgerald, Michael Comer, Gary Sice and Damien Burke are among the finest defenders in the county and add in Greg Higgins and the evergreen Aidan Donnellan at midfield, with Kieran Comer, Alan Burke and Alan O'Donovan in attack and one sees just how big a task faces Cortoon.

However in David Finnegan, Brian Roache, John Martin and Mickey Costello along with the danger men of Derek Savage, Michael Martin and David Warde, Cortoon Shamrocks are in with a real chance. Having beaten Annaghdown, Killererin, Salthill/Knocknacarra and NUIG, they have earned getting to this stage which was not easy, they might only have one chance. They will give Corofin a real battle and followers could be in for a terrific Galway football final.

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