Rossies are not finished yet - selector

ROSCOMMON selector Declan Hoare has praised the mature reaction of the panel members to winning the recent Connacht SFC - and has declared the Rossies' ready for Sunday's All-Ireland quarter-final clash against Cork (Croke Park, 2pm). Fergal O'Donnell's side surprised many people with their Connacht success when turning over Sligo in a memorable affair in Castlebar. But Hoare is adamant his players are not finished yet. "We left the celebrations to the supporters, to be honest, and that was important. A lot of smaller counties who win provincial titles get a bit carried away with the moment, and tend to overdo it. But we were determined to keep the players grounded and to get them back to training as soon as possible. We trained the day after the Connacht final and, if anything, the level of training has picked up in intensity and determination since then. It's a great credit to this bunch of players that they're determined not to rest on their laurels. They could just bask in the Connacht final win but they don't seem interested in that. They gave the impression they're determined to go to Croke Park on Sunday and put up a major fight against Cork," said Hoare, who also said the management have been at pains to help the players avoid a repeat of the county's defeat to Galway in the All-Ireland quarter-finals in 2001. "It's something we have discussed with the players. It was the same in 2001 when we beat Galway and Mayo to win in Connacht and then we went to Castlebar for a quarter-final and the life was sucked out of us against Galway," Hoare said. "Fergal (O'Donnell) has already mentioned it to the lads. That was his last game for Roscommon and he told them how disappointing it was for him to end his career with the county that way." Roscommon do have injury concerns over goalkeeper Geoffrey Claffey, who made a crucial and very memorable point-blank save from Sligo's David Kelly during the last quarter of the recent Nestor Cup decider. Claffey is nursing a knee injury at present and looked a major concern towards the latter end of last week, but his condition seems to be improving. Hoare said: "Yeah, Geoffrey looked in some real discomfort last Friday but seems to be responding to treatment now. We are very hopeful on Geoffrey but a firm decision won't be taken until later in the week. The same applies to David O'Gara, who has a back problem, but I think both players should be okay to play on Sunday. The signs are good now." Hoare rates Cork as "the toughest team" remaining in the quarter-final stage, and says Roscommon are rightly regarded as "massive underdogs" for Sunday. "It's a hugely difficult game but if we're not fully tuned and really competitive we could be rail-roaded, like against Galway in 2001, and nobody wants that," said Hoare. "It's a great opportunity for the players to play in a big game at Croke Park and everybody connected with the team just wants the players to do themselves justice, and hopefully they will on the day," he added. WEEKEND'S ALL-IRELAND QUARTER-FINAL FIXTURES Saturday: Kerry v Down, Croke Park, 2pm Dublin v Tyrone, Croke Park, 4pm. Sunday: Roscommon v Cork, Croke Park, 2pm Meath v Kildare, Croke Park, 4pm.