GAELIC FOOTBALL NEWS:IT COULD be a sign of their confidence and expectations that both Roscommon and Mayo will field unchanged teams for Sunday's Connacht football final.
It’s certainly a sign both managers appear satisfied with the respective semi-finals: Mayo enjoyed a six-point win over old rivals Galway, while Roscommon easily accounted for Leitrim, winning by 12 points. No need to fix what’s not broken.
Mayo, however, had made wholesale changes going into the Galway game, as manager James Horan had seen his team narrowly escape against London in Ruislip. He went for an entirely new midfield, two new defenders, and also two new forwards – thus making six changes in total.
These clearly worked: Aidan O’Shea was drafted back to midfield, and is again joined by brother Séamus for Sunday’s game – meaning Ronan McGarrity stays among the replacements. Keith Higgins and Trevor Mortimer also retain their places in defence, while up front Kevin McLoughlin is again preferred to the likes of Peadar Gardiner and Aidan Campbell. Alan Dillon will captain the team at centre forward.
Roscommon will enjoy home advantage at Dr Hyde Park as they look to become the first team to defend a Connacht football title since Galway achieved back-to-back victories in 2002-2003. Since then the title has gone back and forth between Mayo, Galway and Sligo – before Roscommon won last July for the first time since 2001.
Captaining the team that day was current manager Fergal O’Donnell, who not surprisingly has kept faith with the team that ultimately overwhelmed Leitrim, almost five weeks ago. Peter Domican will captain the team from centre back on Sunday, with Donal Shine again named at corner forward, where he scored 1-1 against Leitrim.
Shine has admitted part of Roscommon’s incentive going into Sunday’s final is to prove last year’s Connacht final win over Sligo was as deserving as any other, even though they won it without beating Mayo or Galway on route (Sligo had beaten both).
“We have plenty of motivation with the things that have been said about us,” he said, “about how last year was a bit of a fluke and all that. We also want to prove to ourselves this year. We have a right good team, and we have a few new players in this year. Conor Devaney was in the States last year, and Senan Kilbride was injured. To get those players into your panel makes a huge difference.”
The Roscommon team for Sunday also includes seven members of the 2006 All-Ireland minor winning team – including Shine – who were also managed at the time by O’Donnell: “I suppose we are all 22 or 23 now,” said Shine, “so it is time we moved on from that and started winning things at a bigger level. We just want to drive on now and see can we win consistently every year. We beat a good Sligo team last year, and this year beat a good team in Leitrim, and even in New York we played a good team because they really put it up to Galway last year. There are no easy games these days.”
It’s the first Connacht final between the counties since 2004 when Mayo won by 10 points, and Mayo also had an easy win when the counties last clashed in the championship in the Connacht semi-final in 2009.
There will be some consolation for the losers on Sunday in that they won’t have to endure the dreaded six-day turnaround – unlike the losers of the Ulster final between Derry and Donegal – as the defeated team are already drawn against Tyrone, Armagh or Wicklow; but with Armagh-Wicklow going to a replay this Saturday, this fourth-round qualifier has been put back a week, to July 30th.
O’Donnell, incidentally, has admitted he didn’t even know the fourth-round draw was taking place last Sunday evening, some further evidence perhaps of his confidence and expectations going into Sunday’s final.
ROSCOMMON (SF v Mayo):G Claffey; S McDermott, N Carty, S Ormsby; D Keenan,P Domican (capt), D Ward; M Finneran, K Mannion; S O'Grady, K Higgins, C Cregg; C Devaney, S Kilbride, D Shine.
MAYO (SF v Roscommon):R Hennelly; K Higgins, A Feeney, T Cunniffe; R Feeney, D Vaughan, T Mortimer; A O'Shea, S O'Shea; K McLoughlin, A Dillon (capt), A Moran; C O'Connor, A Freeman, J Doherty.
Final flings
Last five Connacht final appearances
Mayo
2009: Mayo 2-12 Galway 1-14
2008: Galway 2-12 Mayo 1-14
2006: Mayo 0-12 Galway 1-8
2005: Galway 0-10 Mayo 0-8
2004: Mayo 2-13 Roscommon 0-9 Won 3, Lost 2.
Roscommon
2010: Roscommon 0-14 Sligo 0-13
2004: Mayo 2-13 Roscommon 0-9
2001: Roscommon 2-10 Mayo 1-12
1998: Galway 1-17 Roscommon 0-17 (Replay, after extra-time)
1998: Galway 0-11 Roscommon 0-11
Won 2, Lost 2, Drew 1.
