Rory and the Rossies have similarities

Has there been a more compelling sporting storyline than Rory's quest for a green jacket in recent years? I'm not sure there has been.

Last weekend was absolutely gripping television. Going into Sunday night, even with his two shot lead, you just knew there would be drama.

There's a school of thought out there that we love our sporting heroes to be flawed, that defeats or poor performances only make the victories all the sweeter.

I think back to Sonia O'Sullivan losing out to those three dodgy Chinese runners at the ‘93 World Championships and the joy at seeing her come back to win gold in Gothenburg in ‘95.

Katie Taylor has been a phenomenon since the early days of her amateur career, obliterating all around her and bringing great pride to the country with her fabulous gold medal at the London Olympics in 2012. She carried that level of dominance into the professional ranks. Her defeat to Chantelle Cameron a couple of years ago showed a vulnerability that only further endeared her to fans, especially when she came back to win the rematch and reclaim the world title.

Even look at Tiger Woods. In spite of all the controversy in his private life, he probably peaked in popularity when he won his 15th major at the 2019 Masters unexpectedly after years of injury problems.

The ups and downs of following these stars turn into their own mini-drama series. We’re sucked in.

It’s all a bit like following the Rossies. All the bad days just serve to make us appreciate the good ones even more.

I’ve said it before. I think the current crop are as good a group of footballers as good we’ve had in many years.

They come into this weekend though after a number of iffy performances which leave a fair few question marks. That might seem harsh, but it’s in measuring them at a standard comparable to the top teams when I say that.

That’s surely how this group must look at themselves — capable of mixing it with the best. In that context, you’d have to say they’d be aiming to win Connacht, and in the All-Ireland Series, progression to a semi-final would be a realistic target to have.

Now all that’s a heck of a lot easier said than done. Galway will be warm favourites this Sunday for good reason.

Roscommon need to find a big jump up in performance level. It wouldn’t be the first time we’ve done it in recent years though.

There’s also a feeling out there that, having won three Connacht titles in a row, Galway will have a bigger focus on peaking for the All-Ireland series this time and so might be a bit vulnerable this weekend.

I look at Galway and think that, of all the top teams, they are perhaps best placed to adapt to the new rules. You need at least three good man markers in defence, and Galway’s full-back line are all excellent in the traditional combat of man-on-man defending.

Then you look at the middle third, and they have super athleticism as well as ball winning ability with the likes of Matthew Tierney, Johnny Maher and Paul Conroy.

Up front, if they manage to keep all three fit, then Comer, Walsh and Finnerty will make an excellent inside line.

To compare Roscommon with them, the first thing that jumps out at me is that we’re not nearly as settled as they are in terms of our first 15. That can be overcome, but it wouldn’t fill you with confidence.

We have enough firepower to cause them problems. Ben O’Carroll seems to be coming into form at just the right time. At the other end though, you’d have to think that if Galway have enough ball, their inside line will do damage.

I do think it’s quite likely that Roscommon management will have had one eye on this Sunday from a couple of months ago after having a good start to their league campaign.

That gives me some confidence that we’ll be well primed to deliver a big performance on Sunday. We’ll need it.

On a wider view, as we’ve seen a few championship matches now under the new rules, the tentative early view is that they are working well. The biggest thing for me is that the game has become all about the one-on-one contests once more.

Breaking ball is savagely important. Players with the ability to take their man on and get past him consistently add huge value to a team. Ultimately, while we’re not seeing any stark tactical changes, it’s simply the teams with the best players who are winning games.

That jumped out at me as Tyrone beat Cavan on Sunday so impressively. They had the beating of their opponents all over the field. Their athleticism seemed superior across the pitch.

The fact that 13 of their starting 15 scored just underlined their dominance. They had impressive organisation on their press of the Cavan kickout, which reaped big rewards. On the other side, Niall Morgan was excellent again in goal and showed great variety in his ability to get kickouts away successfully to a Tyrone man.

Their transition play, in particular, is very effective, usually through strong support runners, but they’re well able to kick it too. The return to form of Kieran McGeary is a massive boost for Tyrone. They’re sharp up front with Darren McCurry in particular very impressive. Add to that the fact that their top forward, Darragh Canavan, was missing through injury and should be back in a few weeks.

They are absent from many people’s considerations of All-Ireland contenders but I’d have them right up there near the top.

We’ll see a team right up at the top of that list for many people, Galway, this weekend. Roscommon may be underdogs, but we definitely have a strong enough outfit to travel with some hope.

The best victories come when least expected. We have the potential so let’s hope for a cracker of a performance once more in Salthill.

We’re very like Rory actually in many ways — the ability to play some outstanding stuff mixed with the propensity for sloppiness.

Can we please follow in the footsteps of his famous win on Sunday night last?