Goals the key as Roscommon reach Connacht minor football final
Dean Casey scored Roscommon's third goal against Galway in Tuam. Picture: Gerard O'Loughlin
It wasn't a brilliant spectacle but Roscommon won't care as they backed up their victory against Galway in the round robin stages of the Connacht minor football championship with a far more important triumph in Tuam this evening.
There was a lot riding on this game, and while Roscommon were far from their fluent best, goals from Eoin Collins, Dara Curran and Dean Casey sealed their place in the provincial decider against Mayo in Dr. Hyde Park next Friday evening.
More importantly, Roscommon will have an All-Ireland quarter-final to look forward to irrespective of what happens against Mayo, something manager James Duignan labelled as "crucial" for the development of his players afterwards.
Two goals just before half time by Collins and Curran laid the groundwork for this success.
A cagey semi-final saw Galway lead by 0-4 to 0-3 after 25 minutes but those two goals were the deciding factor in swinging the pendulum in the Rossies’ favour.
There was little between the sides early on with points from Dean Casey, Stephen Tighe and Joe McKeon edging Roscommon 0-3 to 0-2 ahead at the end of the opening quarter.
Two points from the lively Killian Joyce had got Galway off the mark and two points from full-forward Niall de Paor inside a minute edged the home side in front.
But when Eoin Collins snaffled a Galway kickout, the wing-back was on the end of an incisive move to calmly slot home Roscommon’s opening goal after 27 minutes.
It got better for the visitors as Dara Curran went for the jugular after overturning Galway in their own full-back line, and suddenly Roscommon were 2-3 to 0-4 ahead at the break.
A black card for Galway wing-back Shay Rabbitt didn’t help their cause, and they could only add one further point to the tally in the third quarter — a free from Joyce.
Dara Curran swung over a free for Roscommon before playing a delightful pass into the path of Dean Casey for his side’s third goal with ten minutes remaining.
Roscommon duly snuffed out any Galway threats in front of goal, and all the home side had to show for their efforts were a couple of points from play by Joyce.
Curran became his side’s top scorer with an audacious effort off his right foot in injury time to confirm his side’s place in the provincial final and the last eight of the All-Ireland Series.
ROSCOMMON: P Gaynor; L Finneran, G Casey, C Murray; E Collins (1-0), K Kelly, D Kennedy; D Devaney, C Enright; J McKeon (0-1), D Curran (1-2), A Conroy; S Tighe (0-1), S McGuinness, D Casey (1-1). Subs: S McDonnell for McGuinness (40), A Cox for Murray (47), S Malec-Hannon for McKeon (52), J Oates for Conroy (57), M Connaughton for Finneran (57).
GALWAY: J King; D Hughes, S Martyn, E Forde; S Rabbitt, R McGrath, C Rafferty; A Burke, J O’Sullivan; C O’Donnell, C Killeen, F Ó Braonáin; K Joyce (0-5, two frees), N de Paor (0-2, one free), S O’Callaghan. Subs: B O’Malley for Rafferty (42), L Dempsey for O’Callaghan (42), M Leahy for O’Sullivan (48), J Oifoh for de Paor (48), D Kilraine for O’Donnell (57).
Ref: J Gilmartin (Sligo).
