Roscommon face their biggest test of the season

With the priority of promotion signed, sealed and delivered, the Roscommon intermediate ladies’ football team will hope to nail down the added bonus of league silverware when they renew their rivalry with Clare in Saturday’s Lidl-sponsored Division Three League final at Grant Heating St. Brendan’s Park, Birr, at 4 p.m..

For a group of players that couldn’t buy a win last season, the subsequent off-field controversy that surrounded Ollie Lennon’s position as team manager must have raised doubts, particularly among some of the more experienced players in the group. But they backed their manager, and they’ve translated their words into action by going through this year’s league campaign unbeaten.

The two best teams in the division have reached Saturday’s national decider. When they met in Ennis on February 11th, the stalemate that ensued suggests that there’s little between the teams.

Clare will feel that they have unfinished business in both this year’s league and championship, having lost last year’s Division Three decider, after extra time, against Kildare before suffering an agonising one-point defeat against Diane O’Hora’s side in the All-Ireland intermediate final later in the year.

In Caoimhe Harvey, Fidelma Marrinan and Chloe Moloney, they have a trio of players that can take charge of proceedings, while Ailish Considine’s return from Australia is also a huge boost, particularly to the Banner ladies’ strong running game, which is something that Roscommon will need to contain.

From a Roscommon perspective, captain Niamh Feeney is targeting a return to action for the Connacht championship in early May after dislocating her shoulder in training nearly six weeks ago. There’s better news for Aisling Feely who suffered what looked like a serious knee injury in that league game against Clare. Thankfully, the injury wasn’t as bad as first feared and the Boyle forward might be fit enough to see some action on Saturday. Long-term injuries to Caoimhe Lennon, Róise Lennon, Orla O’Neill and Millie Hagan mean that they’re unavailable this weekend.

“When January 2025 comes around, Clare and Roscommon are going to be in Division Two. That’s going to be huge for Roscommon. But promotion has been parked. There’s a league title up for grabs. Absolutely, 100 per cent, we want to go out and try and win that national title because they’re very hard won. That’s the only thing on the players’ and management’s minds — to try and win this game,” manager Ollie Lennon told the Roscommon Herald.

Trying to decipher nuggets of knowledge from the group game between the teams has procured an obvious conclusion — that Saturday’s opponents are a good side.

“It was what we expected. We did well in the first half. We knew that Clare would come at us. Clare’s results before and after our game have shown what a really good side they are.

“They came within a kick of the ball of winning the league and championship last year. Having lost them, they’re going to be gunning for this one. They have quality players that would cause teams in Division One problems. So we’re really going to have to be on our game,” he accepted.

But Lennon’s belief in his players is unwavering. Last year’s difficulties on and off the field has made the group stronger, and the manager has nothing but the height of praise for the way they’ve gone about their business this season.

“At the start of the year, winning just one game was the priority. The girls have shown huge character, particularly in recent games against Wexford, Offaly and Antrim. In similar games last year, things didn’t go our way. Huge credit has to go to the players for the way they’ve applied themselves to the league.

“For me, to go through the league unbeaten tells you everything you need to know about these girls. But I know that there will be huge disappointment within the group if we can’t go out and win the final on Saturday.

“I can’t speak highly enough of them. What they went through in the league last year when there was defeat after defeat, to come back this season and do what they’ve done is just brilliant,” he highlighted.

With a Connacht final to look forward to against Leitrim in Kiltoom on May 12th, Roscommon are in great shape. A second league title in three years would reward perseverance when there were a million different reasons in the players’ minds to question where Roscommon LGFA was going before Christmas.

But Clare are a decent side. The Banner ladies will be hoping that the mantra “you have to lose one to win one” will come to pass next Saturday. Roscommon will need their best performance of the season to prolong their opponents’ final heartache.

That’s well within this talented and improving side’s capabilities.

HERALD VERDICT: Roscommon