Time to get back to basics for Royal visit

I can’t remember the year. Ballinameen had dumped St. Michael’s out of the intermediate football championship. The consequence was a losers’ group game against St. Croan’s in Castlerea.

Morale in the St. Michael’s camp was understandably low. Instead of going directly to Castlerea, the late Dermot Cox, who was the manager at the time, summoned the players to Ardcarne Park beforehand.

We went for a stroll across the lush green sward, taking in the rugged, rolling landscape around us. Emotion crackled in Dermot’s voice as he reminded us why we pulled on the green and red jersey.

We didn’t beat St. Croan’s that afternoon but, despite being rank outsiders, we ran them mightily close. The feeling departing O’Rourke Park is that we could have done no more.

It’s doubtful whether Davy Burke will bring his Roscommon players to The Gaelic Chieftain in Boyle, Roscommon Castle, or Rathcroghan this week to remind them about their identity.

But if they strip things back, take a deep breath, and remind themselves why they sacrifice so much and what they’re capable of, they can beat Meath when the Royals arrive in King and Moffatt Dr. Hyde Park on Saturday evening for a 6 p.m. throw in.

If not, then Romantic Ireland is well and truly with O’Leary in the grave.

Roscommon have been inconsistent for some time now. The staleness hasn’t been pleasant.

While they were always going to be judged on these upcoming games against Meath and Cork, the reality that Roscommon don’t seem to be capable of living with the better teams remains a blot on their copybook. 

Remember, they have seven games against perceived stronger teams in Division One next year. But that argument is for another day.

Last year, Roscommon’s season came down to beating Cavan in the championship. Once they did that, the momentum, and confidence, ignited the belief that they could take Tyrone’s scalp in Omagh.

Nearly 12 months later, Roscommon find themselves at a similar crossroads. Beat Meath, and they’ll fancy their chances of taking care of Cork to finish second in the group and guarantee a preliminary quarter-final in the Hyde.

A loss next Saturday, and the season is probably gone beyond the point of no return.

Various managers have talked about turning the Hyde into a fortress but the walls to the citadel have regularly been breached. It’s nothing new for Roscommon senior teams.

Roscommon have only played three games at home this season but the defeat against Cavan told us everything we need to know about the “importance” of home advantage from a “Primrose and Blue” perspective.

In other words, it’s not a factor, although a raucous Roscommon crowd would help next Saturday evening. But they’ll need something to give them oxygen.

In the aftermath of the defeat in Navan last February, Davy Burke referenced Keith Doyle ending up in the stand on the first kickout. In other words, Meath were fired up for the challenge and they never relented.

And yet it was two goals inside a minute and a couple of two-pointers in quick succession that swung the pendulum in their favour when the wind was at their backs in the second half.

On Saturday, we need to see Roscommon players leaving Meath backs, midfielders and forwards on their backsides or horsing players in green and gold jerseys out over the sideline, as Ciarán Kilkenny did to Shane Walsh in Salthill.

If it is to be, as selector Mark Doran intimated in Killarney, their “All-Ireland final”, the Roscommon players need to display a controlled aggression that will allow the finer points of the game to be decided in their favour.

A phonecall to Dessie Farrell in the capital mightn’t go astray.

It’s not rocket science. The players don’t need to be reminded about their “Roscommon-ness” this week. They don’t need a lecture about how their form, and results, often determine the mood of the county.

They know all that. They also know that they haven’t become bad players overnight. One suspects they also know that they’re capable of turning over Meath.

By getting back to basics and lighting a collective fire in their bellies, they can get their season back on track.