Roscommon v Tyrone ‘a hard game to call’
Diarmuid Murtagh lifts the Nestor Cup in front of Roscommon fans at King and Moffatt Dr. Hyde Park. Picture: INPHO/James Lawlor
Former Mayo defender, Lee Keegan, has predicted that Sunday’s opening round All-Ireland SFC game between Roscommon and Tyrone is “a hard game to call”, although he has a slight fancy for the Rossies.
While Keegan, writing in his RTÉ Online column, quipped that Roscommon are probably still celebrating their “Grand Slam in Connacht”, he warned that Mark Dowd’s side had serious matters to attend to when Tyrone come to town this weekend.
“Roscommon shocked Tyrone in the preliminary quarter-final in Omagh two years ago — and that was in the midst of what had been an otherwise poor season.
“Tyrone's form in the league was dreadful and they didn't get near promotion. But there was enough in their display against Armagh to suggest that they could catch form yet this year. Conn Kilpatrick, in particular, was exceptional in midfield.
“This one is especially hard to call. On balance, I'd lean towards Roscommon maintaining their momentum, with the backing of a home crowd behind them.
“They have, to their credit, already shown they can deal with expectation this year, in the Connacht final,” he dissected.
