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14 January 2009
Early days yet despite decent start
At the start of any season, you look for signs of encouragement in the hope that they might unveil possible trends for the year ahead. In that regard, those leaving Abbey Park, Boyle on Sunday week last would have been quite pleased.
It wasn’t so much that Roscommon won the match convincingly. It was the attitude and approach adopted by the players from the first whistle. Roscommon left the starting blocks with such ferocity that the game was beyond Sligo IT before the students realised what damage had been done.
Of course, it won’t be like that every week and it will be interesting to see how Roscommon fared last Sunday and, more importantly, how the team shape up against Mayo next weekend. The last few matches between the sides have been very one sided. It’s fair to say that Roscommon’s progress report will become much clearer after the trip to Ballyhaunis on Sunday next.
While the development of Roscommon’s younger players will be monitored with interest, Fergal O’Donnell will be hoping that his more experienced ones can rediscover their confidence in the coming year. Roscommon have some excellent players coming through the ranks but they need the comfort of having players beside them who know what it’s about at this level. With that in mind, 2009 is a big year for players like Paddy O’Connor, Seanie McDermott, David Casey, Michael Finneran, Seamus O’Neill, Karol Mannion, Gary Cox and Ger Heneghan. These are the players that O’Donnell must coax out of hibernation and into the line of fire. When Roscommon are under pressure in games, these players must stand up and be counted, something that wasn’t possible last season as confidence had been drained from their veins after a series of crushing defeats in the league.
That’s why the performance against Sligo IT was so encouraging. David Casey was immense at centre-back while Gary Cox scored 1-7 from wingforward. Paddy O’Connor, Michael Finneran and Karol Mannion didn’t put a foot wrong. Seanie McDermott, lining out at wing-forward, pounced for a goal before reverting to cornerback when Enda Barrett got injured. In the coming weeks, more of the experienced players will return and how they perform will be crucial in how Roscommon get on this season. When the chips are down, supporters should be turning to these players and not the minors from 2006 to stem the flow.
It was interesting to note that many of the good traits that characterised O’Donnell’s minor teams a few years ago were very much in evidence against Sligo IT. Roscommon tackled properly, rarely gave the ball away and paraded conviction in attack. It’s far too early to be making any concrete assessment of life under Fergal O’Donnell but the initial signs are encouraging. We’ll know more after a couple of games in the league.
Celebrity Bainisteoir There’s a huge buzz in my own club, St. Michael’s, about its participation in RTE’s Celebrity Bainisteoir this year. The cameras have visited Cootehall already and will do so again in the coming weeks as we get used to life under Castlerea native John Waters and mentor Tony McManus. Our first game against Rockwell Rovers from Tipperary, managed by former Miss Ireland Andrea Roche, takes place on February 21st and we’re really looking forward to it. We just want to win the first game and see where it takes us. Obviously, it’s great that we’re at home but the visiting team can develop a great camaraderie from spending the few days in the lead-up to the game together. As a result, we’re under no illusions about the huge task that faces us.
On our own pitch, however, we’d like to believe that we’ve a decent chance of making the semi-finals. If we do well, it will reflect well on the intermediate championship in Roscommon, which is so difficult to win because most of the teams are evenly matched. It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity for St. Michael’s. All the players have vowed to give it their best shot although John Water has already declared a ban on fake tan being used for the cameras. That will make life a little more difficult for a couple of players I won’t mention!
Can Liverpool hold on? It promises to be an intriguing few months in the Premiership as the battle for supremacy gathers momentum. Liverpool’s problems over the last few seasons have stemmed from not being in contention for the title at Christmas. This time it’s different and Liverpool have always done better in the second-half of the season. Imagine the cushion the Reds would have if they didn’t slip up at home against Stoke, Fulham, West Ham and Hull. The games will be coming thick and fast in the coming months and being top of the table at this time of year is a totally new experience for the Liverpool players. One would hope, however, that Fernando Torres’ injury problems are now behind him. Replicating the form he showed last season will probably be the key to Liverpool sustaining their title challenge.
As long as Torres stays injury-free, Rafa holds his fire and we keep Stevie G away from DJs who support Manchester United, we’ll remain in contention.
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