ROSCOMMON v GALWAY, CONNACHT SFC

[Syferus]

This should be a good game of football. Some decent forwards on both sides. Midfield will be key.

Mulholland will have Galway organised and motivated. It will be interesting to see of Newton had made Roscommon more defensive than they have been in the last 2-3 seasons.

I was at the Tyrone match mentioned above and Ross did play very well upfront but once they went ahead by 4 points Sean Cavanagh waltzed throught their defence to score a goal at the other end. I think the home side should shade this one.

Ros should be favourites really. If Galway get going again Ros probably won't win anything for another few years.

We're only going to get better, whatever the teething pains. Sure it'll be like the 70's all over again for ye. 

That wouldn't be so bad. Sure we played in 3 All-Ireland finals during the 70's. I'd take that over the past few years any day.

Ah, but there was a certain odd man out in Roscommon and Galway's exploits in the 70's..

[seafoid]

This one could go either way .
On NFL form Galway have to be fancied big time but this isn't the NFL.
This will as the Championship cliche puts it "be all on the day" - who's up for it most , who's best prepared etc.
A game in mid May at the start of the Championship is an outsiders best chance of an upset .
Apart from the first half in 2006 and the FBD game in 2009 we havent been competitive with these bucks for 10 years.
On the other hand we have a lot of lads in the squad now who aren't petrified by the sight of Galway jerseys.I'd be hopeful but not that confident.

Junior McManus never had the fear. What happened ?

[Rossfan]

Years of underage hammerings left a whole generation of Ros players bet before they went out v Galway or Mayowestrossouthsligoinishbofin.

[moysider]

Not sure what to expect here. Roscommon have to be favourites and it will be interesting to see if both teams play their traditional style or their new managers adapt a more defensive approach. As a neutral I hope they go at it in the same old way.

These are often great games for a neutral. The Hyde should be a help to Ros but I remember them giving Galway a goin over in Salthill and Tuam as well. The game in Tuam in 01 was over by half-time. How Galway reinvented themselves afterwards still beggars belief.

[Rossfan]

Don't know how a team who were gone from the D3 promotion race before the last Round can be favourites against a team who were within a kick of getting D1 status.
The Hyde has never done us many favours against the herrins -- must be 1990 since we won against them in the Championship and I can't recall any NFL wins there either.
Tuam was always our best bet to bate these bucks.
Don't know about Mulholland but our man had us awful defensive at times in the NFL and he was a defender in his playing days .
Will the new square ball situation make any difference or will teams just play their normal game and see what happens around the square if a ball drops in?
I suspect both teams will look on the Connacht as their only possibility of success this year which should make for a lively game despite the early date.

[GalwayBayBoy]

These are often great games for a neutral. The Hyde should be a help to Ros but I remember them giving Galway a goin over in Salthill and Tuam as well. The game in Tuam in 01 was over by half-time. How Galway reinvented themselves afterwards still beggars belief.

Well they won that game in Tuam in 01 although I'm struggling to remember them winning in Salthill unless it was a fair while back.

On the injury front Fiontán O'Curraoin misses out due to injury. Padraig Joyce, Michael Meehan and Sean Armstong are all fit to play but I imagine all three of them starting on the bench. Nicky was our best forward during the league but has since left the panel. As Nicky tends to do.

[moysider]

Don't know how a team who were gone from the D3 promotion race before the last Round can be favourites against a team who were within a kick of getting D1 status.
The Hyde has never done us many favours against the herrins -- must be 1990 since we won against them in the Championship and I can't recall any NFL wins there either.
Tuam was always our best bet to bate these bucks.
Don't know about Mulholland but our man had us awful defensive at times in the NFL and he was a defender in his playing days .
Will the new square ball situation make any difference or will teams just play their normal game and see what happens around the square if a ball drops in?
I suspect both teams will look on the Connacht as their only possibility of success this year which should make for a lively game despite the early date.

Well I would make them favourites. Not that it should matter if they re favourites or not. Why would it matter?

[moysider]

These are often great games for a neutral. The Hyde should be a help to Ros but I remember them giving Galway a goin over in Salthill and Tuam as well. The game in Tuam in 01 was over by half-time. How Galway reinvented themselves afterwards still beggars belief.

Well they won that game in Tuam in 01 although I'm struggling to remember them winning in Salthill unless it was a fair while back.
On the injury front Fiontán O'Curraoin misses out due to injury. Padraig Joyce, Michael Meehan and Sean Armstong are all fit to play but I imagine all three of them starting on the bench. Nicky was our best forward during the league but has since left the panel. As Nicky tends to do.

Recent enough! It was '78 - the same day a fine Mayo team won the minor. Mickey Freyne scored a brace of goals that day if I remember correctly. Didn t know Nicky Joyce had gone awol again. That can t be good for morale. Surely he s done this kind of thing once too often with how many different managers?

[mouview]

Aye, you could never bank on the bould Nicky. Actually, Galway are really going to struggle for forward power next Sunday. Doubt if PJ will be fit, and Meehan will only be good for 10-15 minutes, if that at all. Wouldn't rely on Armstrong to win us a match either, he has to be carried so much. What does that leave? 2 Corofin half-backs, Sice and Damien Burke, in the HF line, alongside perhaps Tomas Flynn. FF line possibly Hehir, Conroy, Cummins - again with a lot to prove. The Rossies mightn't have had a good league but Galway have often been in better shape also. Don't expect a classic to be honest. Is there extra-time if necessary? When are the losers out again?

[GalwayBayBoy]

Paul Conroy seemed to take a big leap forward for Galway during the league. Playing at full-forward he actually hit a number of big scores during the campaign especially late on in games and emerged as a bit of a leader. Then again that was the league and championship is a different ball of twine.

[ross4life]

Paul Conroy seemed to take a big leap forward for Galway during the league. Playing at full-forward he actually hit a number of big scores during the campaign especially late on in games and emerged as a bit of a leader. Then again that was the league and championship is a different ball of twine.

Conroy was superb v us in 2008 i think he scored 6 or 7 points was just out of minor then as well. I guess he'll be the target man at full forward on Sunday?

Well I would make them favourites. Not that it should matter if they re favourites or not. Why would it matter?

Kinda like it doesn't matter that you make us favourites unless you put your life savings on us? then that might change the odds to make us favourites.

extra-time if necessary? When are the losers out again?

No extra time on Sunday. The losers are out again on June 30th & will need to win four games to reach the QF.

[Daddy_Cool]

Well they won that game in Tuam in 01 although I'm struggling to remember them winning in Salthill unless it was a fair while back.

1988 was the last Roscommon victory in Salthill. Only played there once since though.

[GalwayBayBoy]

Michael Meehan has recalled how he was told his football career was over after undergoing surgery on a troublesome ankle injury.

Against all the odds, however, the Caltra sharpshooter has battled his way back to fitness and is hoping to see action at some stage in Galway's Connacht SFC opener against Roscommon at Hyde Park next Sunday.

"The experts told me I would never play again after the ankle surgery," he explained to The Irish Examiner.

"That was a huge blow initially. The verdict was not positive at all on my chances of togging out at any level. And the second opinion seemed to validate that. There was a possibility of more surgery. But that is not something I wish to contemplate. You are looking at another three months in cast and another year gone by and it was still only a 'might work'.

"But by nature I will always try and move on. It was disheartening, but I did not want to admit it was all over. If you accept or admit something like that, you may start to believe it. I always wanted to say 'that's fine, but we'll see'. A thing will beat you if you don't have the approach."

He continued: "I said to myself 'maybe I cannot play, but perhaps I could something small'. I was not prepared to accept my career was over.

"We have a top-class medical team and I am availing of anything I can. Even to the extent of changing my diet to avoid foods that may aid inflammation. Thankfully, things are starting to work. It is very slow, but at least I am making incremental progress.

"I played two half games with my club and I played a half against Laois in a challenge two weeks ago. It is limited. But I am happy that I am improving and I am getting sharper."

[ross matt]

Conroy finished the league as an effective target man and when fit and confident he is well able to take his scores. Bergin who can blow hot and cold seems to be also on a good run of form and this could swing midfield Galway's way. I think Armstrong will start and he can do damage if he gets room. Doubt Meehan will start but wouldnt be surpised to see PJ with  first 15 number on him and we all know what he can do. Galway wont be short of forward options. They never are. Mulholland was always going to revive their fortunes and in fairness they should never have fallen back as far as they did with the talent they had.

[seafoid]

The news about Meehan is very encouraging.

Ros are a bit like Cavan at the moment. Some good stuff coming up from underage but
a poor enough record really over the last while.   2 connacht titles in 20 years is about half of the usual winning ratio
for the county (20 connacht senior titles altogether) . So there is definitely some scope for a winning streak if they can revert to the historical mean.