Four Roads and St. Dominic's dominate Hurling Team of the Year
Conor Coyle captained Four Roads to a three in a row of county hurling titles.
The Roscommon Senior Hurling Championship was one of the most dramatic in recent times.
From Four Roads’ late heroics to St. Dominic’s and Roscommon Gaels’ resurgence alongside Pádraig Pearses being eliminated in heart-breaking fashion at the group stages, it was certainly a championship to remember.
Here, the picks the 15 players who captured the imagination during a memorable campaign.
Noel Fallon’s county final performance sees him edge out Brendan Quinn, who scored 0-15 in the championship, and Mark Miley.
The Four Roads shot-stopper’s long puckouts are a huge weapon in his side’s artillery, particularly at this stage of the year.
He was unfortunate to see his goal ruled out against St. Dominic’s while his free from deep inside his own 45-metre line that moved Four Roads 2-11 to 2-10 in front capped a fine year for Fallon.
Despite his sending-off against St. Dominic’s in the opening round of the championship, Coyle was an invaluable asset to the Four Roads cause.
It is easy to see why Coyle has captained Four Roads to the Mickey Cunniffe Cup for the past two years as he is a vocal presence that spearheaded a defence that was the bedrock of their latest success.
Coyle’s role as the spare defender is perfectly suited to his game as his deliveries to attack are a major asset to the Four Roads cause.
Gilmore’s no-nonsense approach in defence helped Roscommon Gaels take a huge step forward this year in progressing through to the semi-final stage. He enjoyed an entertaining duel with Brendan Mulry in the last four game, holding the Four Roads full-forward to just a point.
His reading of the game and willingness to do the unglamorous side of the job helped provide Roscommon Gaels with the platform they needed to kick on from last year’s quarter final appearance.
Rory Coyle completes the full-back line after a fine championship campaign. Jimmy Hoey performed well during the campaign while James Dillon showed well in the group stages, but Coyle was consistent throughout the campaign.
Coyle goes about his defensive duties with the minimum of fuss while the produced the goods when needed most with his two points from play proving pivotal in the decider.
Coyle never lost track of his defensive duties either and played his part in restricting St. Dominic’s to just three points in the final half.
The St. Dominic’s half-back line led them on the road to a first county final since 2001. Martin was at the fulcrum of St. Dominic’s strong defence as he proved valuable under the high ball and helped his side establish a platform to attack.
Martin was able to fill in at centre-back when needed while he was comfortable in tracking any key forward or dropping deep to clog the central channel.
A fine year for the St. Dominic’s defender.
St. Dominic’s’ fell just short on the biggest stage but Micheál Byrne played a central role in giving his side the platform to grind out a famous victory in the county final. He produced another fine display in the final, as he never dipped below a seven out of 10 level of performance during the campaign.
His ability to sit deep in the pocket and mop up possession was crucial in St. Dominic’s run. A player who so frequently appears to have time on the ball even in the chaos that Championship can bring.
One of the county’s best young prospects highlighted his worth as Oran came close to backing up last year’s run to the semi-final stage. Hussey’s hurling brain is apparent while his ability to handle the rough and tumble of a championship campaign is admirable.
His move to the inside full-forward line for the second half of the quarter-final with Athleague didn’t have the desired effect but his inspirational clearances and ability to break the tackle were cornerstones of Oran’s campaign.
In a campaign where Athleague never found their rhythm and instead relied on moments of inspiration and dramatic late finishes to procure results, Ben McGahon was often at the coalface.
He was the main reason Athleague were within range of Oran in the quarter final before two late goals saw last year’s county finalists prevail.
His dead ball accuracy, his willingness to line out at centre-back or midfield alongside his ability to win ruck ball were all major assets. McGahon led by example as he conjured up vital scores throughout a disappointing campaign for Athleague.
A real leader in this St. Dominic’s side. Although he started at centre-forward, Lohan’s ability to drop deep and find pockets of space to pick out Naos Connaughton or Mickey Joe Egan was a huge weapon for his side.
Lohan can play the role of facilitator or scorer. His performance against an admittedly injury-hit Tremane in the group stage was majestic particularly during the opening half while goal scoring contributions against Four Roads and Pádraig Pearses also caught the eye.
Killion was the cornerstone of Roscommon Gaels’ attack as his ten-point haul in their quarter final victory over Tremane ensured the club enjoyed their finest day in many years. He struggled at times in the semi-final with the swirling breeze doing free-takers few favours but still finished with seven points, three from play.
His two late frees against Pádraig Pearses were struck over with impressive composure to eliminate the Woodmount based side and save Oran.
Although the Four Roads attack didn’t quite hit the heights of recent campaigns, Conor Mulry was an ever-reliable figure up front. The true value of a player can often be determined when they aren’t on the field of play with his withdrawal from the group game against Pádraig Pearses a case in point.
He had 1-3 scored in the first half but his withdrawal severely hampered Four Roads, who saw a seven-point half-time lead whittled to just two by the end of the contest. His semi-final performance was crucial in Four Roads achieving their 37th county title.
Last year he struck for a whopping 73 per cent of his side’s scores. This year however, Egan possessed a far greater supporting cast which lightened his scoring load.
Although he didn’t hit their heights he is capable of during the middle of his side’s campaign, Egan saved his best performance for the biggest day when firing home two goals in the county final.
He also excelled in the opening round game when he bagged 2-6 over the same opposition. Produced in the big moments!
What a way to mark your first senior county final
Conor Morris’ county final performance was one for the ages as his 2-5 was vital in Four Roads completing a remarkable turnaround.
His two goals highlighted his sharp instincts with his first time pull to the net resurrecting his side’s dreams in the opening half. The second major was a defining moment as his ability to engineer space was apparent once more.
Morris’ late equaliser against St. Dominic’s in the opening round of the championship kickstarted a fine campaign for the U-20 footballer.
An easy choice as the St. Dominic’s full-forward blasted home 10-16 in a memorable campaign.
His withdrawal through injury in the second half of the county final was a huge blow, particularly as St. Dominic’s struggled to make possession stick up front against a gale force breeze.
His four-goal semi-final display garnered national attention as he simply obliterated the Athleague full-back line.
The hat-trick of goals he plundered against Pádraig Pearses and his direct involvement in three majors against Four Roads in the group game were just some of his other memorable moments this year.
Although he didn't reach the high standards he's renowned for in the latter stages, especially the semi-final, Mulry provided a different dynamic to the Four Roads attack. His ability to win or break high ball is a huge asset while he marries that with a willingness to drop deep and break up play out the field.
He won the turnover that led to Conor Morris’ second goal in the county final while his presence disrupted the St. Dominic’s defence for Adam Donnelly’s late goal.
Mulry is another example of the fine young talent coming through the Four Roads ranks.
