Ros Comáin v An Dún

[Trevor Hill]

Down team v Roscommon.

1 Brendan McVeigh
2 Ciaran McGovern
3 Aidan Carr
4 Luke Howard
5 Damian Rafferty
6 Conor Garvey
7 Declan Rooney
8 Peter Fitzpatrick
9 Stephen Kearney     
10 Brendan McArdle
11 John Boyle
12 Daniel Hughes
13 Brendan Coulter   
14 Ronan Murtagh
15 Paul McCumiskey

[Mourne Rover]

Same as the Offaly game, except Garvey for McKernan and Fitzpatrick for Lynch. McArdle is a little fortunate to keep his place, and it would be great to see Clarke back sooner rather than later.

[Trevor Hill]

Down were poor in the first half yesterday and only for some very wayward shooting by Roscommon they could have been in big trouble by half time. Instead Down found themselves only a point at adrift at the break with points from McComiskey (2 1f), Coulter, a fisted point from the corner back Ciaran McGovern an Aidan Carr free and a point from Daniel Hughes. Down were allowing the Roscommon attack to walk through the middle of the field and Aidan Carr was very poor at full back. Carr looked a lot more comfortable when he was switched with Garvey after about 25 minutes. The Roscommon full forward who had scored 4 points in the first half was a lot quieter when he was marked by Garvey.
Down started the second half a lot better and opened up a 3 point lead with points from Carr (45), Coulter, Fegan, and a good score from John Boyle who had a very anonymous first half, but Down simply couldn't put this Roscommon team away and at times they took the wrong option, going for goal time and again, when a point was the easier and more obvious choice. Down finished the game with points from Hughes, McComiskey, Kearney who showed the forwards how to shoot from distance, another McComiskey free, points from Carr and Hughes and the final Down score of the game from Declan Rooney.
Down clung on at the end, though some credit must go to the defence for limiting Roscommon to long range shots against the wind in the second half. McGovern and Howard had decent games and Garvey did well when he was moved to full back. McVeigh didn't really have a save to make all afternoon, though his distribution was patchy. The Down half back line doesn't seem to have a clearly defined role to play and at times it is hard to know who is actally playing there. Both wing half forwards are being used as attacking half backs and indeed the centre half forward seems to have no specific role to play either, this wouldn't be so bad if we were playing good quality early ball in to the full forward line, but we seem to insist on taking too many hand passes and are far too slow at turning defence into attack. Coulter is wasted in the full forward line if he is not getting the right supply of ball. Murtagh was poor again yesterday, he seems to try to complicate everything he does, whereas if he kept it simple he would be a much better player. If I was picking the team for the championship, he would not be on it.
At the end of the day we have achieved promotion and that is what we set out to do, but that was a piss poor division and we will find the going a lot harder next year. On the plus side we achieved promotion without Dan Gordon and Ambrose for most of the league and we had a fair few other injuries which certainly hampered the league campaign, but I cant help thinking that there are better players sitting in the stand or staying at home for one reason or another.
We have a pretty meaningless game to come against Tipperary on Saturday 25th April and then Fermanagh in the championship. I still think that Down struggle against negative teams like Fermanagh, we simply cannot break their defence down, though Fermanagh have had a poor league and should be there for the taking.
 

[Our Nail Loney]

Good report there Trev...

[Hoopeddefender]

Down were poor in the first half? Down aside from Coulter and the under0rated Rodgers are poor in general. 

[Our Nail Loney]

Down were poor in the first half? Down aside from Coulter and the under0rated Rodgers are poor in general. 

Yeah Dan Gordon and Paul McComiskey in particular are very poor 

[Hoopeddefender]

I second that Dan Gordon is rubbish.

[Our Nail Loney]

I second that Dan Gordon is rubbish.

Good man, obviously a WUM.