Hurlers answer their county’s call

Roscommon senior hurling manager, Kevin Sammon, has revealed that it has been much easier to get players to commit to the Primrose and Blue this season.

An opening round Division Three League game away to London at McGovern Park, Ruislip, next Sunday (throw-in at 1 p.m.) represents a tough assignment, but Sammon is much more at ease with the general health of his panel than he was when he took over the reins at the end of 2023.

“We have 14 new guys on the panel. In fairness to them, the buy-in has been a lot better this year than the start of last year.

“We took over a team that had just survived to stay in the Nickey Rackard Cup. Our aim was not to get wrapped up in a relegation battle. We put that to bed early in the Rackard (last year). Overall, we had a fairly decent Rackard — played five, won three, drew one, and lost one. Donegal, who won every game, were the winners. You just accept that they were ahead of everyone else.

“Look, the hurler on the ditch is never happy. But, from a players’ perspective, those who were looking in from last year were probably saying, ‘right, there’s something happening here, and we’d like to be part of it’.

“When I was ringing around players for this year, there were guys answering phones. And if they didn’t answer the phone, they rang back. Word had obviously got around that things had improved. Numbers have been up from the start at training. Last year was good but I believe that this year will be better,” was Sammon’s assertion of what might be in store for 2025.

Sammon has added Matty Shannon from Corofin, and Patsy Fahy from St. Joseph’s Doora Barefield, to his management team. In his own words, they’re “good guys, highly respected, and the players have really taken to them.” 

But the manager is keen to accentuate that the players have put their faith in what they saw last year, which has made his life much easier.

“When we got the job in 2023, the only game we saw in Roscommon was the county final because we only got the job as week before the final. Obviously, we had our research done by looking at videos but nothing beats watching games.

“Last year, I only missed two championship games, and I was out of the country at the time. The fact that there are 14 new players in tells you that we saw some very good games in the championship. Some players produced very good performances. They got calls, and the majority of players answered those calls. They’re in with us now,” he highlighted.

The number of players from outside Roscommon clubs on this year’s panel has been halved to five, which is another positive development in Sammon’s eyes.

“It means that we have five extra Roscommon players in. 

"Our hands were tied last year because players wouldn’t even answer the phone. We had no choice but to go and look at different areas for players. 

"I really appreciate the guys that came in but having extra players from Roscommon can only be good for the game here,” he acknowledged.

A trip across the Irish Sea to face a London side hell bent on revenge following last year’s opening round reversal in Athleague represents a tough challenge, but, in general, Sammon feels that the quality in Division Three this season will be ideal preparation for the Nickey Rackard Cup, which follows hot on the heels of the league.

“It can be hard enough travelling up and down the country here, but leaving the county brings its own challenges as well. You’re flying and you’re away overnight. But it’s something to look forward to because it will be new for a lot of guys.

“We obviously want to do as well as we can in the league, but the main thing is to be competitive. We want to see improvements as we go along. It’s great preparation for us going into the Rackard because it rolls straight into that championship.

“London away are a Christy Ring team. Wicklow away is always difficult, we got a draw against them last year. Mayo were obviously one of the best teams in the Nickey Rackard, and we have them in Castlebar. So there are challenges because you have to get to the levels of teams like Mayo and Donegal who were in the Rackard final last year.

“You would be concerned about a fella picking up a long-term injury because he won’t have the time to get back, so it’s not simple managing injuries and workloads for players. But the time has just flown by. We started back on December 7th and here we are on the eve of the national league. It is condensed, but it’s the same for everyone,” he concluded.