U-20 hurlers suffer third successive All-Ireland final defeat
Roscommon U-20 hurling captain, James Dillon, and his team-mates had to give second best to Down in Croke Park. Picture: Gerard O'Loughlin
Defeat for Roscommon for the third year in a row in the Richie McElligott Cup final, and Kevin Sammon’s U-20 hurlers could have few complaints as they were outhurled across the full hour of action in Croke Park this afternoon, even if it was only in the final 20 minutes that it showed on the scoreboard.
Shea Pucci at centre-back and Finn Turpin in the half-forward line were the key figures as Down took control of the middle third of the field, but they struggled to put early scores on the board and put their first three efforts wide of the target.
Meanwhile, Roscommon’s very first attack saw Liam Óg Coyle flick the ball into the path of Seán Canning, who duly split the uprights for the game’s opening score, giving an element of hope to the underdogs.
And so it continued for much of the first half, with Down doing more of the hurling, but Roscommon making their efficiency count on the scoreboard.
Turpin and team captain Michael Dorrian were the next two scorers after Canning’s opener, but Roscommon looked sharp when they got the ball into scoring positions and a lovely long-range effort from Ryan Conlon nudged them 0-5 to 0-3 in front by the midway point in the first half.
However while Down racked up the wides, shooting nine in all the first half, Roscommon missed a couple of good chances too, with Paddy Fallon shooting for goal from nearly 25 metres out when a point might have been the safer option, while Conor Morris turned inside his man well and tried to drive for goal, but looked for a pass when it wasn’t really on – albeit he might have felt aggrieved about the lack of support available.
Turpin pointed on the run and Noah Rogers picked off a fine effort as Down moved 0-8 to 0-6 ahead after a good run, but a superb flick of the wrists from Tommy Fleming before half-time would have given Roscommon heart as they turned around to play with the aid of the swirling breeze, which seemed to blow from the Davin End of the ground.
A run of Paddy Fallon frees, punctuated by scores from Dorrian and Turpin, left it finely poised at 0-10 each with six minutes gone in the second half, but Down were about to step up a gear and leave Roscommon behind.
By now both sides were guilty of wides, including several Fallon frees, but overall the Rossie forward division was starved of possession and gradually, but inexorably, Down started to turn the screw.
Turpin, Shea McCarthy, Shea Pucci and Odhran Birt hurled a lot of ball and they could have killed the game with two goal chances, only for the crossbar to save Roscommon on both occasions, first denying Dorrian and then Birt.
Down were undaunted, and the point of the day from the Hogan Stand side from Rogers pushed them three clear, and they never led by less than a goal again.
Canning’s third point of the day didn’t stem their momentum and the last six points of the day all went the way of the Mourne County, with late goal chances for Fallon and Micheál Hussey both blocked to deny the Rossies even a consolation goal on what is their third successive defeat in this fixture, following on from their loss to Down two years ago and to Derry last year.
