Could have been worse, could have been better — that was the general feeling in the Roscommon camp as they began to digest Sunday’s four-point defeat against Mayo moments after the final whistle. Sure, there was disappointment with the result but there was also satisfaction gleaned from the manner of the team’s comeback in the final quarter.
By Ian Cooney
“We were 1-10 to 0-4 down midway through the second half, having not played that well. The Mayo goal just after half time was disappointing because we were fortunate just to go in two points down at the break.
“Mayo emptied their bench and they were able to bring on players like Alan Dillon and Cillian O’Connor. In fairness to our lads, we responded well. There were a couple of silly passes towards the end but the better team won.
“Conditions were tough but you’d have to say that Mayo were a stronger team. They’re longer on the road and the conditions would have favoured them today,” explained joint-manager Fergal O’Donnell.
The former Roscommon captain pointed out that there were a number of reasons why his side hadn’t played with the same freedom they had enjoyed in recent matches.
“We lost three players — Cian Connolly, Senan Kilbride and Niall Daly — the day before the match. We were already a number of players down. If you look at the balance today and the players Mayo were able to bring on. We brought on some of our U-21s, even though we had to try and protect them for next weekend’s Connacht final, and they made a big impact.
“We’re disappointed with the performance in some ways but we’re very happy that we didn’t fall away. I’ve played on Roscommon teams where things went downhill once Mayo got on top of us. That didn’t happen today. As I keep saying the conditions just didn’t suit us,” he reiterated.
With the visitors desperate for points, Mayo rolled out their big guns and O’Donnell accepted that they had some quality players to choose from.
“Mayo were just a lot stronger. They had the three O’Sheas. We don’t have players with that power. We’re in the first stage of our development. Some of the Mayo lads have been in a lot of All-Ireland semi-finals and finals.
“It wasn’t pretty, it wasn’t brilliant but we’re happy with the fight the lads showed. There’s plenty of promise. They know themselves that they’ve lots to improve on. We have to be realistic. Donegal won their first three games and they’ve lost their last three. We’re not going to win every game,” he emphasised.
Unless Roscommon lose very heavily against Dublin next weekend, their current +25 scoring average should be enough to see them into the league semi-finals. But O’Donnell wouldn’t be drawn on the approach against All-Ireland champions Dublin on Sunday next.
“We’ll reassess things this week. We might look at the panel if we think we’re going to be in the semi-finals. The U-21s won’t be available, so we’ll just have to wait and see how things pan out,” he concluded.
Niall McInerney and Alan Dillon splash around looking for posession during Sunday’s league match between Roscommon and Mayo at Dr. Hyde Park. Pic: INPHO/James Crombie
