The Nestor Cup - the trophy for the Connacht GAA Senior Football Championship. Photo: Sportsfile

Roscommon avoid big guns in Connacht SFC draw

Barring a surprise of major proportions, Roscommon will contest the 2022 Connacht senior football final.

The draw for next year's Connacht SFC, made last Saturday, saw the Rossies receive a bye into the semi-finals where they will meet either Sligo or New York.

The draw means Anthony Cunningham's charges will avoid Mayo (2021 All-Ireland finalists) and Galway until a possible Connacht final meeting.

While Roscommon have been in either Division 1 or 2 of the Allianz Football League in recent years, Sligo have operated in Division 4 for the past two years.

Sligo were relegated from Division 3 in 2019 after losing all of their seven games. In 2021, they operated in Division 4 North of the condensed format, winning one of their three games.

Galway and Mayo will meet in one of three quarter-finals on Easter Sunday, 2022 (April 17), with the winners to meet Leitrim (now managed by former Mayo star Andy Moran) or London in the semi-finals. Mayo defeated the Tribesmen in the 2021 Connacht final which was played at Croke Park in order to allow for a larger attendance.

Roscommon were crowned Connacht champions in 2017 and 2019, while Sligo's last provincial final appearance was in 2015 when they were hammered by Mayo.

In the 2021 Connacht championship, Roscommon lost out to Galway at the semi-final stage. For their part, Sligo (managed by Armagh's Tony McEntee) suffered a heavy defeat to Mayo (3-23 to 0-12) in their quarter-final.

Sligo didn't compete in the 2020 Connacht championship as Covid-19 issues caused them to give Galway a walkover and a straight passage into the provincial final.

Due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, New York didn't compete in the Connacht SFC for the past two years.

Sligo football did receive a boost earlier this year when their minors defeated Roscommon in the Connacht final at that age group (U-17). However, they have a considerable amount of ground to make up on Roscommon, who were crowned Connacht U-20 champions this year.

The draws for all four provinces are provided below.

2022 Connacht SFC draw

Quarter-finals

Mayo v Galway

New York v Sligo (at Gaelic Park)

London v Leitrim (at Ruislip)

Semi-finals

Roscommon v New York/Sligo; London/Leitrim v Mayo/Galway

2022 Leinster SFC draw

First round

Louth v Carlow

Laois v Wicklow

Offaly v Wexford

Quarter-finals

Dublin v Offaly/Wexford; Meath v Laois/Wicklow; Kildare v Louth/Carlow; Westmeath v Longford.

2022 Munster SFC

Quarter-finals

Tipperary v Waterford

Clare v Limerick

Semi-finals

Kerry v Cork; Tipperary/Waterford v Clare/Limerick

2022 Ulster SFC draw

Preliminary round

Fermanagh v Tyrone

Quarter-finals

A. Donegal v Armagh

B. Antrim v Cavan

C. Monaghan v Down

D. Derry v Fermanagh/Tyrone

Semi-finals: A v B; C v D