Big two weeks ahead for Roscommon's prospects

And breathe.

When the dust settled on a rollicking, frenetic, rollercoaster match in Hyde Park last Saturday, players and fans needed time to process what had just unfolded.

Eyebrows were raised when Jim Gavin said the ambition of the Football Review Committee was to make Gaelic football the most entertaining amateur sport in the world, but the evidence keeps stacking up — this pulsating draw between Roscommon and Meath in Hyde Park was highly entertaining.

Neutrals would have revelled in a gripping match between two evenly-matched teams. Partisans on both sides had a more nuanced view. It can’t be ignored that mistakes, turnovers and misplaced passes were a contributory factor to the thrills and spills.

Needless to say, the error count on both sides would have been punished by any of the leading teams.

However, equally prevalent was the quality of the score-taking, particularly the two-pointers which were a feature of the match, with ten scored in total. The two-pointers may turn out to be the FRC’s masterstroke — no lead is insurmountable if a team get in the groove and, in Roscommon’s case, has proven long-range kickers such as Enda Smith and Diarmuid Murtagh.

Over the last few months, Roscommon, whose forwards were expected to revel in the new rules, have struggled to adapt to football’s radically-changed landscape. While the Rossies still move the ball too slowly compared to most other Sam Maguire-level teams, last Saturday marked a return to the opening league matches in early spring in terms of hitting two-pointers.

Last year Roscommon added Tyrone to the list of counties they’ve beaten in championship football. Last Saturday was the chance to gain a maiden win over Meath after four previous defeats. For those of us of a certain age, the All-Ireland semi-final of 1991 still galls all these years later.

Given the wind-assisted home team were one point up with nine minutes remaining, they should have closed out the match.

Infuriatingly, they hit five wides down the stretch. Allied to Roscommon’s wastefulness, the Royals are regaining their legendary resilience and, in a nerve-shredding finale, this was a game that could have gone either way.

When the opposition has the ball as the hooter sounds, you’re normally goosed. Nevertheless, in keeping with the nature of the match, Meath fluffed their lines when they should have sealed the deal. Roscommon regained possession and almost snatched victory themselves only for Seán Rafferty to make a daring block as Ben O’Carroll was poised to kick the winner.

Meath will be the happier with the result. Any point on the road is a good one, and the draw clinches their place in the knockout stages. Their clash with Kerry will decide who tops Group 2.

The Royals came to the Hyde in big numbers and seemed to have as many fans as the home team in the estimated 7,500 attendance. Despite losing the Leinster final, Meath have the aura of a team on the rise.

And where are Roscommon? Up to last Saturday, the vibes were of a team in decline. It felt like this season, and Davy Burke’s tenure, was drifting towards a drab conclusion. When the rumour factory cranks up production in Roscommon, it usually signals an era is coming to an end.

While the bookies made the Rossies the narrowest of favourites, expectations were low heading to the Hyde. What ensued was a second-half display that was Roscommon’s best since the league win over Monaghan.

The next league match after that Monaghan win was away to Meath. That day in Navan, Meath shoved around the visitors in the manner of the fearsome Royal teams of old — put simply, they bullied the Rossies.

In truth, Roscommon haven’t been the same team since.

Roscommon fans will hope this latest clash with the Royals marks another turning point, but a positive one this time. Meath attempted to set the physical agenda again on Saturday — only this time Roscommon stood up to them. Players like Ronan Daly, Senan Lambe and Shane Cunnane didn’t take a backward step.

The first requirement for this match was for Roscommon to show heart, spirit and a refusal to be cowed. All those boxes were ticked.

Nevertheless, problems that have been evident all season persisted. The Roscommon defence was too open in the first league match against Down in January and remains too easy to get through as the season moves into June.

It doesn’t help that the occupants of the full-back and centre-back positions still haven’t been nailed down. Brian Stack can’t fill both positions simultaneously and, as is customary, the team captain eventually ended up on the opposition’s most dangerous forward — the elusive James Conlon who wreaked havoc in the first-half.

The other much-analysed pinch point is midfield. As in the league match, Meath dominated the central area, especially on Roscommon kickouts in the first half. Conor Carroll’s kicks often hung in the strong, swirling breeze, and were punched down by Meath’s behemoths where team-mates pounced on the breaks.

The defenders’ union will argue that it is Roscommon’s struggles at midfield that is leaving the backline exposed.

The catalyst for Roscommon’s improved performance was easy to identify — the brilliance of Enda Smith. This has been a frustrating year for Smith and all of us who admire his class as his form slumped. Yet, last Saturday, we saw the Enda of old — Roscommon’s talisman carried the team on his back in a throwback to 2023 and the Connacht final of 2017.

A player who has made converting penalties look effortless missed for the second time this year. Like all great players, he shrugged off that miss to kick three magnificent two-pointers and energetically drive Roscommon forward.

Now we are back in 2023 territory as Burke’s team face into a knockout showdown with Cork. Even Smith at his best couldn’t get Roscommon over the line back then. Two years on, it seems the team are still as dependent on the Boyle player as they were during his annus mirabilis. It is vital he carries last Saturday’s form into the next match.

The management was rewarded for sticking with Cunnane and Lambe who, apart from Smith, were Roscommon’s best performers. They must do the same with others, particularly the graduates from the U-20 class of 2021.

The stalled progress of many of those players has been one of the most disappointing features of this year. They represent the future, but are also integral to the present and have to be persisted with.

For example, Daire Cregg and Ben O’Carroll are still waiting to catch fire this season. O’Carroll is dynamic and, as he showed with his goal last Saturday, potentially lethal. But he needs to up the scoring return from the possession he gets.

Cregg is struggling to rediscover the form which made him the talk of the country after the 2024 Sigerson Cup final. Alongside his Boyle clubmate Smith, Cregg was Roscommon’s best player in the agonising defeat in Páirc Uí Chaoimh two years ago. Now is the time for him to light up the big stage once more.

Cork aren’t great, but it will still require Roscommon to carry the zeal for the battle they showed against Meath to overcome the Rebels. A big two weeks await.