Keegan: Murtagh close to All Star form 

Former Footballer of the Year Lee Keegan has stated that Diarmuid Murtagh’s form leaves him firmly in the mix for an All Star award.

Despite favouring Armagh to prevail, Keegan — writing in his RTÉ Online column — believes Daire Cregg and Murtagh in particular have struck form at the right time.

“We've been saying for a while that Roscommon's forwards are brilliant, on paper. Combined with the fact that Tyrone's defence has been pretty loose and porous for some time, I anticipated a shootout in Healy Park.

“What was a surprise was how the Roscommon defence coped so well with the threat of Darragh Canavan and co up front, especially when they came under heavy pressure in the second half.

“Roscommon were able to survive after half-time with minimal possession because of the efficiency of their forwards. Daire Cregg and Diarmuid Murtagh were nearly in shoot-on-sight mood on Saturday.

“Cregg's last point typified their approach. He won possession under huge pressure and, without a second thought, swung a shot on the spin and the ball ballooned over the crossbar. Murtagh is close to All-Star form this summer and he was absolutely sensational the last day.

“It's a sign of their depth in attack that they didn't even have Ben O'Carroll to call upon.

“They have so much less baggage heading into Saturday's quarter-final than their opponents. It'll be a big ask for them to win their first championship game at Croke Park in four and a half decades.

“If Armagh bring their Celtic Park form on Saturday, I'd predict a win, to the tune of five points or more,” he predicted.