Opportunity knocks for flag bearers
With the domestic club football championships galloping up the home straight with the intermediate and Junior A football finals taking place this weekend, thoughts will turn to the Connacht club championships, which commence in mid-November. For Roscommon clubs, they offer hope of potential victories along the journey.
Meat Loaf’s song “Two out of Three ain’t Bad” springs to mind. The Roscommon senior and intermediate champions have avoided heavyweights Galway and Mayo in the early stages.
Éire Óg or Castlerea St. Kevin’s will jump straight into a provincial intermediate semi-final clash against Sligo champions Easkey. St. Brigid’s will have to go the extra mile to win the Connacht championship as they have drawn Sligo champions Coolera-Strandhill in the quarter-final. If they are successful, they will face Leitrim champions, Mohill, who are managed by former Sligo star, Eamonn O’Hara, in the last four.
Win, lose or draw next Saturday, St. Michael’s will represent Roscommon in the Connacht JFC, but the Cootehall-based side, who are enjoying a wonderful year, will want to go into Europe as county champions.
They will have to do it the hard way as they have the Galway champions away in the quarter-final. The Mayo champions await in the semi-final. If they’re still standing after that double date, a novel final against the Sligo or Leitrim champions awaits.
Winning last Sunday’s county title will not turn St. Brigid’s heads. Privately, they will feel that a place in the Connacht final is up for grabs, especially as they would have either the Galway or Mayo champions at home in the decider.
For Éire Óg and Castlerea St. Kevin’s, they are on the road to Sligo in what will be a 50/50 game where the carrot of a provincial final is on the cards for the winners.
Of the three Roscommon representatives, St. Michael’s face the most daunting task with a trip to Galway.
In a week when Storm Babet caught so many off guard in Cork, many of my weekly Teaser gang were also left stranded with no flood barriers in place.
Can you name the first soccer player to win both an English FA Cup and FAI Cup winners’ medal? It was Raich Carter who won the FA Cup with Sunderland in 1937 and the FAI Cup with Cork Athletic in 1953.
Liam Dooley, Ballyhaunis, was first to have the sandbags in place, with QPR, Frenchpark; Mary Gilfillan, Kilmore; Murt Hunt, Ballyhaunis, and Pat in Sligo also managing to protect their properties from the deluge.
This week’s Teaser: Can you name the first Irish soccer player to score a Premier League goal?
Answers by e-mail willieefc@gmail.com or by text to 086 8356227. This week’s Teaser comes from London.
With Jonathan Sexton and the rest of his Irish rugby team-mates at home, four brave and hardy boys from Roscommon represented Ireland at both World Cup rugby semi-finals in Paris last weekend.
A few weeks back, the “Fab Four” — made up of my two brothers Jimmy and Patrick Hegarty (Kilmurray) along with close friends Peter O’Connor (Ballintubber) and Francis Hussey (Castleplunkett) — took a huge gamble by booking flights, accommodation and tickets for both World Cup semi-finals. They took account of the fact that Ireland, who had beaten South Africa and were playing great rugby, might not even make the last four as the All-Blacks were waiting in the long grass in the quarter-finals.
While Ireland couldn’t keep their part of the bargain, the boys still made the trip and had a brilliant few days in Paris. They joined a select band of Irish supporters who attended both semi-finals of a World Cup, despite the harsh reality that Ireland have never made it that far since the competition began in 1987.
To see both New Zealand and South Africa play rugby any day of the week is special. To see them play in World Cup semi-finals will take some beating. The lads saw an enthralling second semi-final between South Africa and England last Saturday night, which ended their trip on a real high.
Star pupil: Cormac Sheehy — the St. Brigid’s goalkeeper conceded no goals during his side’s six games en route to winning the Fahey Cup.
Crucial win for: the Athleague senior camogie team who defeated St. Dominic’s in last Saturday afternoon’s county final.
Much do better: England letting a wonderful chance of reaching the Rugby World Cup final slip from their grasp in the closing moments against South Africa, Spot of bother: How cruel sport can be as Boyle have lost two successive SFC finals by a point.
Weekend highlight: Ingredients that make a special county final day — glorious weather, immaculate pitch, huge crowd, cracking atmosphere and two great teams.
We had all five in Dr. Hyde Park last Sunday.
What a cracker: After 50 days, it’s down to New Zealand and South Africa. Here’s hoping they close out the Rugby World Cup with a thriller.
“Four things to tell yourself every single day — I am a warrior, I can do it, I am a winner and today is my day. Always remember you become what you feed your mind.”
Triplets Liam, Seán and Tomás Corbett from Ratoath in Meath played together for DCU against UCD in a Third Level Freshers A League football match last Wednesday night.
Roscommon Gaels duo Ethan O’Reilly and James Connolly were on the winning UCD side.
While Liverpool fully deserved to win last Saturday’s Merseyside Derby, there is no doubt that visiting teams playing at Anfield wouldn’t even get the flu from the match officials such are the decisions that always go in the Reds’ favour on home soil.
