Ladies make sweet music in Croker

Did anyone else come out of Croker on Sunday thinking we need a new song? Or at least a modern recording of ‘Men of Roscommon’?

Maybe, Rose of Castlerea deserves a twist as the song of choice when we win a big title. This might be the one area in which you’d say Mayo have the upper hand on us!

‘Roscommon, you mean more to me than any place on Earth’. That’s a great line from Land of the O’Connor. It’s the kind of powerful ballad which would suit as our anthem. I believe it was written by Bealnamulla man Paddy Lohan and performed by Johnny Johnston, although I don’t think there’s any official recording out there.

Isn’t it mighty to be in a position to critique the song choice after an All-Ireland win? What a day for the Rossiettes and all who have toiled over many years for the Roscommon LGFA cause.

I wrote a couple of weeks ago that I was very happy for the players who had given many great years’ service and were finally going to get the chance to don the Primrose and Blue in Croke Park. Well, that happiness for them multiplied ten-fold on Sunday as they got the job done in commanding fashion and we can finally say we’re a senior football team.

The sight of the two Mammies — and two legends of the game in Roscommon, Laura Mannion and Jenny Shine — celebrating on the pitch with their baby sons, Eanna and Cillian, afterwards was particularly heart-warming. Another leading legend, Helena Cummins, gave a great speech after receiving the Mary Quinn Cup.

Speaking of legends, I met Sinéad Kenny and Alice Kelly in the Applegreen on the way back. They were buzzing with the result and the occasion. It’s legends like those who laid the platform for Sunday’s victory through the high standards they set over the years.

I met Aimee O’Connor there too — a super footballer who we’ll hopefully see representing Roscommon in senior championship football now.

The legends were sprinkled all across the Hogan Stand. Players I’d watched in Croke Park back in 1998 and in 2001 were there in support. There’s a rich football heritage there alright — we just needed the wee bit of success to bring it out. Hopefully, this big result can be the harbinger of an upturn in playing and supporting numbers in the coming years.

Back to Helena’s speech. She spoke brilliantly, and thoughtfully. She touched a lovely, moving note in remembering Marie McAleer and Rochelle Mullaney. Many of the elder players on the panel would have played with Rocky. I believed they planned to hit the Red Parrot in Roscommon Town, run by Rocky’s family. I’m sure that was apt and poignant.

I thought many times in the build-up last week about the 'Godmother of Ladies’ Football in Roscommon', Marie McAleer. She’d have loved Croke Park on Sunday. When I talk of all the legends that have gone before this current crop and paved the way, Marie is top of that list.

Martina Carroll would be in that bracket too and I hope she got great joy out of this win. There were plenty of faces there from more recent years too — the likes of Sandra Shanagher and Micheál and Martina McHugh. All those years of toil seem more worthwhile when there’s a tangible reward earned.

It was an unusual match, in that the outcome was clear from a long way out. The Rossiettes were utterly dominant in every aspect of the game. From 1 to 15, it’s hard to pick out an individual battle that Fermanagh actually won. Their corner-back and captain, Shannan McQuade, made some excellent tackles, but her defiance was but a minor inconvenience for the incessant Roscommon attacks.

LEADING LIGHTS

Saoirse Wynne got the official Player of the Match award. She was typically brilliant in the tackle and excellent throughout. If you want to see the definition of textbook tackling, look at Saoirse, or her sister Róisín for that matter.

Róisín, another mighty player, was there supporting, and hopefully we’ll see her back in Roscommon colours next year.

For anyone who watched their father, Gary, win multiple Connacht titles for Roscommon in the eighties, it’s easy to see that the apple has fallen very close to the tree. Gary has done great coaching work in the past with this group.

In Croke Park, the tackling, all over the pitch, led by Saoirse, was outstanding.

Ella Thompson must also have been in the conversation for Player of the Match. It was exactly the type of performance we’ve come to expect from her, winning dirty ball and constantly breaking defensive lines to set up dangerous attacks.

Yet I’d have plucked for one of the forwards in the Player of the Match selection. In fact, you could go so far as to call this the Aisling Feely final. As the crowd were still settling in, as most of the players were just getting a feel for the occasion and their surroundings in the opening exchanges, Aisling got straight down to business and had the game sewn up in a matter of minutes.

All-Ireland finals are often very cagey at the beginning, and naturally so. It would have been understandable if Feely just wanted to recycle the ball and keep possession early on.

But no, that first point was a statement of intent. It was excellent in terms of execution, but more than that, it smacked of leadership and a desire to grab this game by the scruff of the neck early on.

She had the game put to bed inside the first quarter. From then on, it was a procession.

Finbar Egan, Marie Kelly and their management deserve huge praise for how they had these girls peaking with such a commanding performance on All-Ireland final day. Okay, Fermanagh were very poor, but you can only beat what’s put in front of you, and the Rossiettes did that in style.

Looking back, the semi-final against Westmeath was the big one. That was a tremendous victory. Management had the team perfectly primed to peak for that game and they managed to hit another high level of performance on Sunday.

I’m off now to get down to the village to welcome them home. Our own club player, Niamh Watson, will get to bring the cup to the heart of St. Dominic’s. We’ll gather near the Jamesie Murray statue and salute our county’s newest heroes.

I brought the whole family with me to Croker today. The kids absolutely loved it, and I saw that mirrored in countless families across the Hogan Stand. These days are magical. The memories made for the kids will last lifetimes and give rise to the next generation of Rossies to play, and win, in Croke Park.

Ros Comáin abú!