Avoiding major scars could be top of Roscommon's agenda

By Kevin Egan

Cork’s recent victory over Limerick in the Munster SHC was a highlight of the GAA year so far for a lot of people who watched the game on TV, and probably for the vast majority of the 40,000 and more supporters who were in SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh for the game itself.

Since then, Cork have gone on to rack up a big win over Tipperary, and while nobody thinks for a minute that losing one round robin game will be fatal to Limerick’s hopes of completing five in a row later this year, there is a widely-held opinion that John Kiely’s troops may live to regret leaving the Rebels in the All-Ireland race, since they should certainly pose a much bigger threat than a team like Waterford, who would have been likely to sneak in as the third-placed team (at worst) if for example, Patrick Horgan’s late penalty had been missed.

However there is a second consequence to the defeat which is also coming up in conversation, which is the idea that Limerick are losing their “aura” of invincibility, and that this will make them vulnerable.

Sadly for Roscommon, the Dubs’ air of invincibility remains, to the point that on the Stolen Sheep forum over the last week – one of the prime locations for Roscommon GAA discussion online – there was a significant body of opinion suggested that the Rossies should field a much-weakened team in Croke Park on Saturday (throw-in 5pm), and ensure that players are fit and ready for the visit of Mayo.

The All-Ireland champions didn’t exactly brush Louth aside with ease but they still never looked like losing, and even the most ardent of Roscommon fans would struggle to see a way that their heroes might somehow overcome Dessie Farrell’s troops.

Certainly on the form that’s been shown in league and championship so far this year, there hasn’t been any evidence put forward to suggest that yet another tight battle is on the cards between these panels.

Recent challenge match form, albeit in games against much more moderate sides than the boys in blue, has been moderately encouraging for Roscommon and while he will hardly see game-time this week, the introduction of Shane McGinley to the senior panel is sure to shake things up a little bit. There is a fearless, relentless quality to the Strokestown player and even though he’s likely to receive few (if any) minutes this weekend, even his presence on the training field is likely to be hugely beneficial.

Chances of Davy Burke fielding a weakened team are almost non-existent, but the same could be said about Dublin under Dessie Farrell - see team lists below.

If Roscommon are to travel with a spirit of anything approximating confidence, the trick to things will be to strike a balance between that much-loved spirit of being “written off”, while at the same time getting into the tactical weeds to try and figure out a way to neutralise the Dublin attack as a whole.

To tackle the “invincibility” aspect, Roscommon first have to find a way to visualise what a win would look like, and take some steps on the road towards bringing that vision into reality. Whether that’s deploying Enda Smith in a more advanced role so he doesn’t have to spend the game chasing Brian Fenton, or perhaps a shake-up of the forward line to try and get some players in that have fewer scars accumulated, it doesn’t matter. What matters is that the Rossies have something to latch onto as their source of confidence and hope, so that their season isn’t effectively – albeit not practically – over by Saturday night.

Given that Cavan shipped a heavy beating to Mayo, they too are trying to regroup right now as the clock ticks down towards their next game – also against Dublin. Logic would dictate that Roscommon and Cavan are headed for a decisive final round showdown, when the team with the least amount of psychological and physical scarring is sure to have a meaningful edge.

To that end, expect slow, methodical, careful football on Saturday in Dublin. It’s a lot easier to manage a game when players are in possession than not, so expect this to be the template, based around restricting Dublin to a lot less than 40 shots on goal and hoping that from there, Roscommon will somehow find a way to at the very least, match the achievements of the losing Leinster finalists.

It’s not much, and it’s certainly not a hint towards the likelihood of another Cork versus Limerick classic, but if Roscommon come through unscarred, that might be seen as a price worth paying.

Roscommon (vs Dublin): Conor Carroll; David Murray, Brian Stack, Niall Higgins; Niall Daly, Robbie Dolan, Eoin McCormack; Enda Smith, Tadhg O'Rourke; Dylan Ruane, Donie Smith, Ciaran Lennon; Conor Cox, Daire Cregg, Diarmuid Murtagh.

Subs: Colm Lavin, Patrick Gavin, Shane Cunnane, Ruaidhrí Fallon, Ben O'Carroll, Cian Connolly, Ultan Harney, Keith Doyle, Conor Hussey, Adam McDermott, Conor Hand.

Dublin (vs Roscommon): Stephen Cluxton; Eoin Murchan, Michael Fitzsimons, Cian Murphy; Seán MacMahon, John Small, Seán Bugler; Brian Fenton, Tom Lahiff; Niall Scully, Cormac Costello, Ciarán Kilkenny; Paul Mannion, Con O'Callaghan, Colm Basquel.

Subs: David O'Hanlon, Theo Clancy, Brian Howard, Jack McCaffrey, Ross McGarry, Killian McGinnis, Daire Newcombe, Peadar Ó Cofaigh Byrne, Lorcan O'Dell, Killian O'Gara, Paddy Small.