Hurlers aiming to sow more seeds of encouragement in the Orchard

The Roscommon senior hurlers will be aiming to sow the seeds for what they hope will be a long and fruitful Division Three League campaign when they meet Armagh this Saturday in the Box-IT Athletic Grounds (throw in 2.30 p.m.).

After their smash and grab win over Wicklow last time out, Roscommon embark on a four-game stretch where they will face teams that are competing in this season's Nickey Rackard Cup.

Three of those games, including this Saturday’s affair, are on the road, but Adam Donnelly’s injury-time goal last time out has ignited hopes that Roscommon can at least challenge for a league final berth.

However, Brian Hanley has challenges to contend with. He will be without the suspended Cian Bowes for Saturday’s trip, while Niall Fleming’s thumb injury is also set to rule him out. Eamonn Mulry was forced off just moments into the second half of Roscommon’s win over the Garden County, and he too is doubtful for Saturday afternoon’s encounter.

But Hanley can take confidence from the way his side eked out the win against Wicklow. Conor Mulry stepped up to the plate with five points from play, while Eoin Kiernan proved a menace when moved from centre to full-forward.

Meanwhile, Adam Donnelly looked more comfortable when he dropped deep, while Tommy and Conor Morris didn’t look out of place on their first intercounty starts. The impacts of Liam Óg Coyle, Daniel Staunton, Paddy Fallon and debutant Ethan Connaughton off the bench will also have pleased the Roscommon management.

Roscommon romped to a 15-point win over Armagh in last year’s league campaign. But the three-point difference between these sides in the championship is likely closer to how much should separate them this time around.

After their gritty win over Wicklow, however, Roscommon can sow more seeds of encouragement for a promising league campaign.

Verdict: Roscommon