Cork snuff out Roscommon's championship season

Cork 0-19, Roscommon 0-17

by Kevin Egan

Roscommon’s championship season came to an end this afternoon in Portlaoise as just like the Meath game a fortnight ago, a string of crucial misses in the dying embers of the game meant that a comeback effort fell short.

Diarmuid and Ciaráin Murtagh were both off target with two-point opportunities as Roscommon rallied from 0-17 to 0-11 behind to trail by a single point, with Micheál Aodh Martin’s stunning save in a one-on-one showdown with Daire Cregg also proving crucial to Cork hold on for the win they needed.

When Roscommon reflect on this game however, they’ll know that for too long, they were a distant second best. Whatever regrets Roscommon might have about their profligacy at the end, Cork will feel the same about their failure to make hay in the 15 minutes before half-time. Enda Smith’s powerful run and finish nudged his team 0-6 to 0-5 in front in the 22nd minute, and from there Cork lorded the Roscommon kickout and kicked five points in a row before half-time, including two Ian Maguire efforts that could have been goals just as easily.

Roscommon had no answer to Maguire and Colm O’Callaghan in the middle of the field, as they came up with clean catches and powerful smashes that piled the pressure on the Rossie defence.

Cork’s second trump card was their superior energy and running power. Without ever beating Roscommon defenders in one-on-one battles, their high-tempo possession game wore down the Rossies, creating the space for Seán McDonnell, Mark Cronin and Colm O’Callaghan to kick points in space from between the arcs.

Roscommon briefly surged into the game after half-time but Cork’s pattern of midfield dominance continued, with four points in a row making it 0-17 to 0-11 going into the final quarter.

Then the introduction of real pace off the bench helped to change the balance of power, as did Brian Stack pushing up to become a force in the fight for primary possession. Had Roscommon’s finishing also weighed into the fight, then that might have been enough.

Scorers for Cork: Mark Cronin 0-5 (0-2f), Seán McDonnell 0-4, Brian O’Driscoll 0-2 (tp), Ian Maguire 0-2, Colm O’Callaghan 0-2, Brian Hurley 0-1, Eoghan McSweeney 0-1, Paul Walsh 0-1, Cathail O’Mahony 0-1.

Scorers for Roscommon: Daire Cregg 0-5, Diarmuid Murtagh 0-2, Cian McKeon 0-2, Donie Smith 0-1, Ciaráin Murtagh 0-1, Senan Lambe 0-1, Enda Smith 0-1, Dylan Ruane 0-1, Ben O’Carroll 0-1, Eddie Nolan 0-1, Conor Carroll 0-1 (45).

CORK: Micheál Aodh Martin; Seán Meehan, Daniel O’Mahony, Seán Brady; Brian O’Driscoll, Maurice Shanley, Matty Taylor; Ian Maguire, Colm O’Callaghan; Paul Walsh, Seán Walsh, Seán McDonnell; Mark Cronin, Brian Hurley, Chris Óg Jones.

SUBS: Rory Maguire for Meehan (half-time), Eoghan McSweeney for S Walsh (41), Seán Powter for P Walsh (55), Ruairí Deane for Taylor (58), Cathail O’Mahony for Jones (61).

ROSCOMMON: Conor Carroll; Pearse Frost, Brian Stack, David Murray; Ronan Daly, Shane Cunnane, Senan Lambe; Eddie Nolan, Enda Smith; Dylan Ruane, Donie Smith, Daire Cregg; Ben O’Carroll, Diarmuid Murtagh, Ciaráin Murtagh.

SUBS: Keith Doyle for Nolan (41-44, temp), Colm Neary for D Smith (49), Cian McKeon for Ruane (52), Conor Hand for Daly (54), Ciarán Lennon for O’Carroll (55), Declan Kenny for Lambe (65).

Referee: Martin McNally (Monaghan).