Roscommon’s Roses to bloom in Croker
Fermanagh footballer Shannan McQuade and Roscommon captain Helena Cummins with the Mary Quinn Memorial Cup ahead of Sunday's TG4 All-Ireland intermediate ladies' football final in Croke Park. Picture: Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile
The two top seeds in Wimbledon, Jannik Sinner and Alexander Zverev, reached the final, the top four seeds reached the World Cup semi-finals, and the number one ranked hurling side, Limerick, won the All-Ireland championship. In other words, the heavyweights justified the favourites’ tag.
In sport, I love the underdog having their day in the sun — think Mayo — and this year's All-Ireland intermediate ladies’ football championship has seen the form book torn up by two teams that weren’t in the championship conversation at the start of play.
Next Sunday, on the hollowed turf of Croke Park, Roscommon and Fermanagh will battle it out to be crowned All-Ireland LGFA IFC winners, with the victor playing senior championship football in 2027.
The three teams Roscommon have beaten — Down, Leitrim and Westmeath — had ambitions of winning the title. Meanwhile, the Erne ladies took out Down and won away in Clare to take their seat in the decider.
Ironically, both teams have lost to Leitrim during the season. Roscommon took a knockout blow in the Connacht final while Fermanagh were second best to Johnny Garrity’s side in the opening round of the All-Ireland Series. For good measure, both teams have beaten Down.
As the favourites fell, Roscommon and Fermanagh kept the faith and hit form as the road to glory opened up in front of them.
Roscommon joined the party late. After losing the opening round to Cavan, they took advantage of a Down team whose eye was off the ball as they had already secured top spot in the group and a home quarter-final by the time they arrived in Enfield. The Primrose and Blue didn’t look a gift-horse in the mouth as a four-point win got them up and running.
The quarter-final draw was a revenge mission against Leitrim, who folded under the weight expectation after beating the Rossies by 22 points a few weeks earlier.
By now, Roscommon had clicked, and the buzz of winning back-to-back championship matches left Finbar Egan’s charges believing that a season of gloom could be replaced by sunlight.
With two of the top sides beaten, another waited in the semi-final — a derby clash with Westmeath — and what a cracker unfolded as Roscommon produced their best performance of the season, snatching an enthralling victory in stoppage time to reach a first intermediate decider in 21 years and a first appearance in Croke Park in 25 years.
On the opposite side of the draw, Fermanagh were making waves as wins over Wicklow and Clare steadied the ship before fellow Ulster rivals Down awaited in the semi-final.
Just like Roscommon, their last four encounters went to the wire as the Green and White held their nerve to win their poker game by two points.
Roscommon’s season has been transformed by key players returning. The team look refreshed and they are filled with belief in the knowledge that they can go the distance.
One crucial requirement in Croke Park is pace and Roscommon have that in spades in Áine McGrath, Niamh Feeney, Ruth Cox, Ella Thompson, Saoirse Wynne and the Lennons.
Another crucial ingredient in the mix is that Roscommon have scored 6-39 during their three championship wins, with Aisling Feely top of the scoring charts on 1-24. The return of Laura Mannion and Kate Nolan has provided experience and a physical presence to the attack. Throw in a hard-working midfield in Abby Curran and Ellen Irwin, and the jigsaw pieces have fallen into place.
Fermanagh will be a different puzzle to solve. Like Roscommon, they appear to be suited to Croke Park. They have serious pace throughout the side, and in Eimear Smyth they have as good a player as any county has. Who will be given the task to mark her?
Smyth’s 1-10 against Down might give the opinion that they are a one-trick pony, but Smyth has a quality supporting cast who they play to a strict and rigid system — one that Roscommon will have to deal with.
The Ulster side also have outstanding defenders in Courteney Breen and Shannon McQuade.
Westmeath missed a lot of chances against Roscommon and if Fermanagh get those opportunities, they will not be as forgiving.
The sides drew in the league, so the chances are that it will be another tight contest. One big factor is that Fermanagh have more Croke Park experience as they won the All-Ireland junior title in 2024, complementing previous wins in 2017 and 2020.
In a nutshell, Roscommon’s greater spread of scorers should get them over the line, but it will be a battle royale.
To conclude my World Cup business, I had a re-cap for a teaser.
Can you name the only country not to score a goal at the recent tournament? It was Panama.
Liam Dooley, Ballyhaunis, was first to break the deadlock, with Peter Keenan, Ballinameen; John Croghan, Bundoran; Michael Scally, Ballaghaderreen; Murt Hunt, Ballyhaunis; Fr John McManus, PP Castlerea; QPR, Frenchpark; Luigi, Ballyhaunis; Bernard Duffy, Longford/Loughglynn; Mick Fetherston, Dublin; Pat, Sligo; Joe Henry, Castleplunkett/Tooreen; Mary Gilfillan, Kilmore; Mary McCarthy, Holloway; Marcus Ward, Lytham; Kevin Flanagan, Dartford; Seán Toolan, Heston, and Michael Kearns, Clapham, finding the target.
This week’s Teaser: Can you name the only senior football county not to lose a home game in the 2026 season?
Answers by e-mail to willieefc@gmail.com or by text to 086 8356227. This week’s teaser came from London.
Star Pupil: Ryan O’Donoghue, who became Mayo’s general and leader from the moment Roscommon beat them.
Crucial win for: Tremane over Oran in the Roscommon Senior Hurling Championship.
Much do better: Sligo Rovers losing ground in the League of Ireland Premier Division relegation scrap.
Spot of bother: It’s disappointing some club football championship games are directly clashing with the All-Ireland intermediate ladies’ football final on Sunday.
Weekend highlight: A crazy year, a crazy championship, a crazy final, and Mayo ending up as All-Ireland champions completes a fairytale finale.
What a cracker: A wonderful occasion awaits for the intermediate ladies’ footballers of Roscommon and Fermanagh to grace Croke Park on All-Ireland final day.
“Success isn’t determined by how many times you win, but by how you play the week after you lose.”
Mayo have kicked 32 two-pointers in the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship.
The sporting season is slipping away — Wimbledon, the World Cup, the Tour de France and the All-Ireland Senior Football and Hurling Championships are decided for another year.
