Roscommon manager Davy Burke rued a few mistakes made by his side in the second half but in general he was full of praise for the effort his players had put in.
“We are disappointed with the result. It probably didn’t feel like it was a 12-point game but it’s the very, very top level of football here. That Dublin team is absolutely ruthless and if you make a couple of mistakes they go down the field and punish you. Look at the pace in that second goal. It’s hard to live with that. If you give the ball away cheaply they’ll do that to you. Ultimately, a couple of our own mistakes cost us”.
The manager bristled at any suggestion that the team had suffered a second-half fade-out again.
“On 61 minutes, we had a mark with the score at 0-16 to 0-13. A mark about 40 yards out, that against the breeze we probably should have went short (with) and work(ed) a score, and then we’re back to 0-16 to 0-14 and we wouldn’t be hearing too much from you about the second half, so I wouldn’t agree with you there at all now”.
Referring to the paltry crowd and poor atmosphere, Burke expressed the view that the game should not have been played in Croke Park.
“Coming out here… why is this place open today, like? It doesn’t need to be open today. The crowd could have been packed into Tullamore, packed into Parnell Park, packed in anywhere, you know that kind of way? There would have been a better atmosphere”.
Turning to this Saturday’s game against Mayo, Burke said he will not need to motivate any Roscommon players.
“If any Roscommon man can’t get up to play Mayo in the Hyde sure there’s no point in me travelling down the road” he said, adding that he won’t have to tell the Roscommon players how to play Mayo in the Hyde.
“If we had won today, Mayo were still coming. If we lost today, Mayo were still coming, and if we drew today, Mayo were still coming. Just like next Saturday and Cavan are still coming too” he concluded.
