Div 1 Donegal v Roscommon.

[Syferus]

Are Ros in the semis now?

No. If they lose their remaining two games and lose them badly, they could miss out on a spot, if they have an inferior scoring differential to another county that has 8 pts too.

Roscommon have best scoring record in the Division

1-19 against Donegal up in Donegal with the injuries we have is probably the most remarkable score so far.

I have to admit we play some good looking football when we get the ball. Quick hands and feet and quick heads. We'll see how far positive football can bring us. It'd be something else if all teams played this style.

[lenny]

Shameless dive in first half by cheating Murphy to get his marker a black card.

Totally agree, it was his reaction afterwards also which bullied the ref into giving the black card.

[Conallach]

Roscommon the much better team today, it wasn't much of a contest for 50odd of the 70 minutes.

Much like midway through the league last year, Donegal didn't really operate a defensive system and were then beaten man for man all ends up. They were second to every ball.

Gallagher's description is pretty much spot on:
http://www.donegalsporthub.com/rory-gallagher-we-were-beaten-by-the-better-hungrier-team/

On a side note, two wins from 13 games in the new ground in LK is awful. I get the reasons behind it but the rotation of games is a bit of a slog.

Congrats to the Rossies anyway - Cregger was excellent. The Connacht Champo thread this year could make a thousand pages.

[Beffs]

Are Ros in the semis now?

No. If they lose their remaining two games and lose them badly, they could miss out on a spot, if they have an inferior scoring differential to another county that has 8 pts too.

Roscommon have best scoring record in the Division

I know. That's why I said if they get beaten and it is by a very big margin. Right now, they have a very good scoring difference. That will go out the window very quickly, if Mayo or Dublin do to Roscommon, what Roscommon did to Cork. I don't think they will, but what I think doesn't matter. Roscommon are not yet mathematically guaranteed a spot in the semi finals, which is what the poster was asking.

[INDIANA]

Are Ros in the semis now?

No. If they lose their remaining two games and lose them badly, they could miss out on a spot, if they have an inferior scoring differential to another county that has 8 pts too.

Roscommon have best scoring record in the Division

1-19 against Donegal up in Donegal with the injuries we have is probably the most remarkable score so far.

I have to admit we play some good looking football when we get the ball. Quick hands and feet and quick heads. We'll see how far positive football can bring us. It'd be something else if all teams played this style.

You copied us Sysferus so don't start getting ideas about yourself

[Syferus]

Are Ros in the semis now?

No. If they lose their remaining two games and lose them badly, they could miss out on a spot, if they have an inferior scoring differential to another county that has 8 pts too.

Roscommon have best scoring record in the Division

1-19 against Donegal up in Donegal with the injuries we have is probably the most remarkable score so far.

I have to admit we play some good looking football when we get the ball. Quick hands and feet and quick heads. We'll see how far positive football can bring us. It'd be something else if all teams played this style.

You copied us Sysferus so don't start getting ideas about yourself

Surely you should be happy to see your gospel spreading beyond the Pale, Indy?

[INDIANA]

Are Ros in the semis now?

No. If they lose their remaining two games and lose them badly, they could miss out on a spot, if they have an inferior scoring differential to another county that has 8 pts too.

Roscommon have best scoring record in the Division

1-19 against Donegal up in Donegal with the injuries we have is probably the most remarkable score so far.

I have to admit we play some good looking football when we get the ball. Quick hands and feet and quick heads. We'll see how far positive football can bring us. It'd be something else if all teams played this style.

You copied us Sysferus so don't start getting ideas about yourself

Surely you should be happy to see your gospel spreading beyond the Pale, Indy?

I am but my advice is to temper the proclamations of pretty football because it rarely wins championships as we've found to our cost

The rule makers have ensured the pullers and strategic foulers win in the end. And they do. If Roscommon want to operate at the top end of the game they will have to develop a cyncial edge when required. Its what the rule-makers want

[Shrewdness]

Fair play to the sporting Donegal posters

[StephenC]

Well done Roscommon. Totally outclassed us from the throw in.
O'Donnell park hasn't been kind to us all right but frankly that's about the lads on the field. Murph the only one who looked like he was up for it. Neil and Frank's absence really felt today.

[Rossfan]

Home at last worn out but still feeling the buzz.
We're not bad at all and had we taken all our goal possibilities.....
This was the big test and we passed with flying colours. Got a bit ropey as Donegal got back to 2 points but the lads responded so well.
Padraig Hughes still trying to turn football into a non contact sport.

[Ringfort]

Nice day out. Lengthy oul spin from Athlone but once you hit North Ros the scenery is lovely all the way to Letterkenny which makes the trip a pleasure. I really liked O'Donnell Park. Nice old fashioned feel to it with the crowd herded on to a gravel bank and close to the pitch. Good atmosphere amongst both sets of fans and the home crowd gracious in defeat to our buoyant lot. I guess that is what AI's and numerous Ulsters does for you. We played great stuff and missed a good 2-3 on top of the 1-19 so happy to get out with the win when it looked like Murphy was going to single handedly drag Donegal back in to it in the 3rd quarter. I thought the ref was very anxious to give score able frees. We've been very disciplined in the tackle this year (shades of the 06 minors under Fergie) giving away very little soft tap over frees but today Donegal were awarded 10 I think which kept them in touch throughout. We got a break with the sending off in my opinion. The yellow comes out far too often for those type of tackles where the man in possession is trying to burst through and a lazy arm across the chest can look like a neck high challenge if he keeps his body low and goes down. I know I'd be bulling if a Ros man was sent off for two harmless yellows like that.

I'm looking forward to the Herald this week - Fr Liam Devine will be buzzing after today and Friday with the U21s and minors!

[Syferus]

Nice day out. Lengthy oul spin from Athlone but once you hit North Ros the scenery is lovely all the way to Letterkenny which makes the trip a pleasure. I really liked O'Donnell Park. Nice old fashioned feel to it with the crowd herded on to a gravel bank and close to the pitch. Good atmosphere amongst both sets of fans and the home crowd gracious in defeat to our buoyant lot. I guess that is what AI's and numerous Ulsters does for you. We played great stuff and missed a good 2-3 on top of the 1-19 so happy to get out with the win when it looked like Murphy was going to single handedly drag Donegal back in to it in the 3rd quarter. I thought the ref was very anxious to give score able frees. We've been very disciplined in the tackle this year (shades of the 06 minors under Fergie) giving away very little soft tap over frees but today Donegal were awarded 10 I think which kept them in touch throughout. We got a break with the sending off in my opinion. The yellow comes out far too often for those type of tackles where the man in possession is trying to burst through and a lazy arm across the chest can look like a neck high challenge if he keeps his body low and goes down. I know I'd be bulling if a Ros man was sent off for two harmless yellows like that.

I'm looking forward to the Herald this week - Fr Liam Devine will be buzzing after today and Friday with the U21s and minors!

Sadly had to watch this one on TV. McNaillis spent the afternoon horse-collaring Niall Daly on the occasions he could get close enough to tackle. Hughes did plenty wrong but by the time McNaillis got the first yellow Hughes was already fed up with him. It was idiotic of him to do exactly the same thing he'd been carded for a few minutes later on the same player. Fully deserved red, not a bit of unluckiness to it.

[BluestackBoy]

I said in an earlier post in this thread that I don't like Letterkenny because we usually perform poorly there & so it proved again.

We were second best all over the field for most of the game & the wonder was that we managed to get to within two points before a goal sunk us for the second week in a row.

Roscommon were great to watch & their shooting was as good as I have ever seen, not many teams put 1-19 on us at home. Having said that I'd say Roscommon are a bit ahead of some of our more experienced players in conditioning & I would expect us to get sharper in the coming weeks. Yesterday was a first outing for Mark McHugh, Lacey & Toye while Neil Gallagher & Eamonn McGee only got 35 minutes & McGlynn, McLoone & Neil McGee didn't play at all.

All in all, a good game to watch, 37 scores in never a bad day out, & both teams will be looking forward to the summer.

[giveballaghback]

What a great weekend to be a Rossie, minor u21 and senior wins, I was at both the u21 and senior games and Roscommons style of football was a joy to watch. We won both games on the score board and tactically as well, the senior teams never sets up the same 2 days in a row, we bypassed midfield on Sunday and chose to run the wings and Donegal just had no answer.
In the second half Donegal starting to pull Ros players down inside our own 45 and would not let them out with the ball, this tactic led directly to the red card and indeed there could have been another red if the ref was consistent
Semi spot as good as in the bag and that extra game (or 2) will do us a world of good, and when we do lose a game or 2 we will learn more from our defeats than our victories.
The best is yet to come.