SuperValu Sam: No need to panic
Enda Smith's return will be a boost to Roscommon against Galway next Sunday. Picture: INPHO/James Crombie
The mood will shift from a low gear to a lower one if Roscommon lose to Galway in the Hyde next Sunday. But it shouldn’t.
Right now, both Davy Burke and Pádraic Joyce would happily settle for a draw. They could do without some of the online commentary already going into overdrive. How many key figures return for either side will probably swing the result.
Both teams were very poor in their respective second-half displays on Sunday. Tyrone should have won by more. Conor Carroll pulled off a couple of brilliant saves. His ability to stay on his feet right until the last moment is instinctive and brilliant.
Roscommon started relatively well. But they gradually faded. That is manageable in the long-term.
What’s much harder to manage is the depth of personnel available — it’s thinner than most sides in Division One.
It’s logical to point to the fact that without Enda Smith and the St. Brigid’s players, Roscommon were always likely to struggle.
On the other hand, Tyrone don’t appear to be a top-five side. Yet, they had more gears on Sunday. They looked like a team that had much more in reserve. It’s worth considering the fact that they had six debutants in their team.
Roscommon’s inexperienced players need to get up to speed quite quickly. If the likes of Colin Walsh, Daire Cregg and James Fitzpatrick are not making sizeable contributions in this year’s league and championship, the load will become too much for the “old reliables” at the knockout stages.
They will need more from players who don’t appear to be firing on all cylinders. Ciarán Lennon is one such player. His body language suggests that he underestimates what he’s capable of producing. He’s a much better player than we saw last Sunday.
Even allowing for it being round one of the league, there wasn’t enough physical contact applied by the Roscommon players. In the early stages, they looked good in possession. But without it, there almost seemed a reluctance to time and deliver hits.
In simple terms, Tyrone were better in possession. They looked to be further down the road in their preparations. Up front, Darragh Canavan was in superb form, without being at full tilt.
Tyrone’s starting forwards scored 0-11 from play. Roscommon’s starting front six scored 1-3 from play. Among those scores was Donie Smith’s goal. Few players can direct and measure a shot as well. In the space to get the shot past the defender and beyond the grasp of the goalkeeper, there was little room for error.
In an open type of game, you’d have expected Roscommon to produce more scoring chances.
On Sunday in the Hyde, with the neighbour factor added in, there may be a little more pulling and dragging.
A win is needed. A draw would suffice. There’s no need to panic just yet.
