Misfiring Rossies leave their good form in Omagh
Conor Cox of Roscommon takes on Armagh’s Aaron McKay in the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Quarter-Final at Croke Park this afternoon. Pic. ©INPHO/Ryan Byrne
So Omagh wasn’t the turning of a corner; instead it was a brief bright spot in an otherwise dull and overcast season for the Roscommon senior footballers.
That season came to an end at the hands of Armagh this afternoon in Croke Park, and while Roscommon will look back with regret at the host of missed chances in the first half, not to mention a contentious second yellow card for Ruaidhrí Fallon just before the interval, they’ll know that deep down, too many of their big guns misfired for them to trouble an Armagh side that was unspectacular, but still consistent.
A super start that saw Niall Grimley win the opening throw in and set up Conor Turbitt for a classy point was a truly false dawn, as the remainder of the first half was dour, with no score for 15 minutes. In contrast to last week in Omagh when Roscommon were incredibly efficient, scoring 0-14 from 17 shots, this time around they were profligate, scoring just 0-4 from 14 first half attempts, with five dropped short, four wide and a blockdown from Oisín Conaty.
Armagh had six wides of their own, but a powerful surge forward and thunderous finish to the net off the crossbar from Barry McCambridge papered over those cracks, briefly pushing Armagh 1-3 to 0-1 in front before two Conor Cox frees, sandwiching a Niall Higgins point, left two in it at the break.
That still felt like a gulf, because Roscommon were hit with the hammer blow of a second yellow card for Ruaidhrí Fallon. The St. Brigid’s man was sanctioned for a frontal hit on Rory Grugan and while it looked like a genuine attempt to play the ball, he certainly gave Martin McNally a decision to make – and the Monaghan man duly made his decisive call.
In the opening minutes of the second half it didn’t seem to matter as Dylan Ruane and Eoin McCormack pointed to level the game, and while Stefan Campbell was transformative in the Armagh attack with two second half points and two assists after being called in, some heroic defending from Brian Stack kept Roscommon in the game throughout the third quarter.
But much like Joe Biden is experiencing in America right now, when the tide turned, it turned fast. Ronan Daly hit a dreadful wide at the end of a long spell of possession, Armagh punished them with a point from Conaty, and on the next kickout Conor Turbitt forced Niall Higgins to spill possession, Tiernan Kelly was sharpest in pouncing on the break and a quick pass back to Turbitt left the attacker with just the keeper to beat, which he did in fine style.
Roscommon’s levels of endeavour never dropped, but for all the fine work of players like Stack, Ruane, McCormack, Conor Cox and Daire Cregg, they never asked any questions of Blaine Hughes, and the only reason Armagh didn’t push on and win with a lot more to spare was their own high error count in possession.
Their incredibly consistent season will have at least one more chapter, while Roscommon’s period of reflection starts now.
Armagh: B Hughes; P McGrane, P Burns, A McKay; T Kelly, B McCambridge (1-2, one mark), A Forker (0-1); R O’Neill, B Crealey; O Conaty (0-4), N Grimley (0-1), J McElroy; R Grugan, A Murnin, C Turbitt (1-2, one free) Subs used: S Campbell (0-2) for Murnin h/t, O O’Neill for R. O’Neill 49, R McQuillan for Forker 50-58 temp, A Nugent for Grugan 55, C Mackin for Crealey 64, J Duffy for Forker 70.
Roscommon: C Carroll; N Higgins (0-1), R Fallon, R Dolan; D Murray, B Stack (0-1), E McCormack (0-1); E Smith, S Cunnane; R Daly, D Murtagh (0-1), D Cregg; U Harney, C Cox (0-5, four frees), D Smith Subs used: D Ruane (0-2) for Murray 7, C Lennon for Harney 15, A McDermott (0-1) for D Smith 55, C Heneghan for Daly 61, A Glennon for Cunnane 67.
Referee: M McNally (Monaghan)
