Last Saturday evening Roscommon scored what was a very satisfying win against a moderate Cavan side at Kingspan Breffni Park.
I must say that I was surprised and disappointed by John Evans’ comments on the national airwaves after the game. He seems to think that everyone in Roscommon was against him and the team.
I saw and heard all the comments after the Sligo game and no one was criticising any of the team. Indeed every Roscommon supporter appreciates the quality of the team and also the huge sacrifices that the players are making on behalf of Roscommon GAA.
The only things that were questioned after the Sligo match were the team selection, and the lack of a visible game plan. Both these issues were dealt with in a fair manner and why John Evans got so hot under the collar is baffling to me. When one takes on the role of a county team manager one should expect criticism and debate about team selection, substitutions and tactics.
I am sure Eamon Fitzmaurice will take flak for what happened to Kerry in the Munster final but I doubt that he will be shouting on the national airwaves. Back to the game itself and there were some fine individual performances and some great score-taking from Roscommon. I have to say that Ultan Harney was superb from start to finish. He won a lot of hard ball and always seemed to take the right option. There were also some fine displays from Neil Collins, David Keenan, Donie Shine, Conor Daly, Seanie McDermott and Enda Smith, especially in the second half.
There is no doubt that we have a huge crop of quality players emerging and this panel seems to be getting stronger. One aspect that worried me last Saturday was our kick-outs. We don’t seem to be able to find our men with the kick-outs and that is essential in the modern game.
This Sunday the 12th of July we travel to Brewster Park in Enniskillen for what is sure to be a tough match against Fermanagh. They are well coached By Peter McGrath and have made progress under his stewardship.
But it is a game that Roscommon are well capable of winning and I expect that we will get through after a tough battle.
A great Munster Final
Last Sunday the Munster football final was a great match and a great advertisement for Gaelic Football.
It is a pity that a poor refereeing decision was probably the defining moment of the game. After what happened against Mayo last year one might have thought that Kerry might not get too many more favourable decisions from the man in the middle but it looks like all referees are afraid of losing favour in the Kingdom.
That aside, Cork will probably rue a missed opportunity. It is doubtful if Kerry will play as bad again, even though their defence looks porous.
Eamon Fitzmaurice will be glad of a second chance after his strange decision to substitute Brian Sheehan which might well have cost Kerry the match when James O’Donoghue missed that late 45.
Also, the dropping of The ‘Gooch’ Cooper does not seem to have worked and it seems to have upset the overall balance of the team. I am sure that Kerry will learn from this scare and that we will see a better Kerry team the next day.
This weekend…
This weekend sees a lot of action in hurling and football. There is no doubt that Westmeath take on a massive challenge when they play Dublin in the Leinster final. They have done extremely well to have got this far but in reality they face a massacre in Croke Park.
In the qualifiers Galway face a tough task against Armagh, but this Galway team will improve after their match against Mayo. Kevin Walsh appears to be a good manager and I expect Galway to progress.
Armagh appear to have gone backwards under Kieran McGeeney this year. I would also expect wins this weekend for Kildare, Derry, Tipperary and Tyrone.
The Munster Hurling Final could be a cracking match. Waterford have improved all year under their very shrewd manager Derek McGrath.
He also possesses a lot of quality players. But I fancy Tipperary to win the All-Ireland this year and I think they will be victorious on Sunday.
