‘You can see what it means to the lads’ - Ros' minor manager
By Kevin Egan
As Shane Moran spoke to members of the media to share his thoughts after last Friday night’s memorable Connacht minor final, the joy was literally flowing all over the pitch.
Members of the panel came over to use their water bottles in a ‘gatorade’ style celebration with their manager, the adrenaline still flowing after the Rossies struck late to secure a sensational win.
“You can see what it means to the lads there, it meant the world to them to come here and get the win. They’ve worked so hard since we met in early January and this is their just rewards,” said the Roscommon Gaels clubman.
“Mayo made a couple of changes for the third quarter that made a big difference. They came out all guns blazing, they were physically very strong in the middle of the field, they lost a couple of players there due to injury and they replaced them with good footballers too.
“But you have to admire our lads’ resilience to get back into the game. We were four points down and we were worried, but we’d always encourage those lads to take control of games, to take ownership of what they do and they went on and did that.”
As with all big games, big contributions from players on the field were what turned the tide. Moran cited a handful of individuals that he believed were crucial to the win, including those that weren’t on the field for the opening throw-in, and others who perhaps hadn’t been as prominent as they had been throughout the group stages.
“Conor Kelly came on and made a massive catch there at the end. Seamie Carthy came on and had a big impact, Seamus Hussey, these are fine athletes and it’s a luxury to bring them into a Connacht final with 15 minutes to go," said Moran.
“There were parts of the game where they (Sam Hannon and Dara Curran) weren’t as influential as they normally are, but they came up trumps in the end. Diarmuid O’Higgins had an unbelievable game in the full-back line and he’s a guy that hadn’t played for Roscommon before this year, he’s been playing soccer and he’s a huge find.
“Tadhg Rogers died with his boots on, Conor Tighe was excellent, I can’t fault anyone. John Price got man of the match in the end, John is a workaholic out there, he got the scores but he never stops.”
The season will continue with an All-Ireland quarter-final against the losers of next Monday's Leinster final between Offaly and Louth. The Rossies will carry huge momentum into that fixture, and it’s Moran’s hope that the momentum gathered this year will stand to the players throughout their development as young footballers.
“We’ll have a look at that (the Leinster final) but we’ll enjoy tonight first. When you win Connacht titles, you enjoy them, and we’re going to do that.
“This game was never going to define us and it won’t; the plan is always to give these lads the best chance to play senior football for Roscommon. That’s always the primary goal, but I’m so delighted for the players that they have this win as a milestone to keep them going along the way,” Moran added.