Micko cheers on Lilywhites in Roscommon clash
Pauric Nolan’s side won a host of admirers in defeat after last Sunday’s thrilling Leinster final at Croke Park.
And the man who orchestrated their downfall, ex-manager Mick O’Dwyer, believes they should put their performance six days ago to valuable use in Portlaoise this evening.
“They can feel sorry for themselves, because a lot has gone against them this week, or they can use the fighting spirit they showed last weekend to ignite their challenge against Roscommon,” he said.
“They played so well last Sunday that the players must be encouraged about the future. People seem to forget that they produced a sparkling performance as well to beat Meath, so the form is very strong.
“The only thing that will catch them is the ‘six-day factor’ because fatigue must be an issue after the way they ran themselves into the ground against Laois. Roscommon have a decided edge in that regard, so a killer start by Kildare is important.”
Because the Lilywhites were awaiting last night’s Alan Barry GAC hearing and late fitness tests on Karl Ennis and Anthony Rainbow, they will not announce their starting fifteen until today, but O’Dwyer believes that Glen Ryan and Damien Hendy must be in the starting line-up.
“I really couldn’t understand why Hendy wasn’t picked to play last Sunday, and Glen is just the type of player they will need to buttress their defence. If they could get Karl or Anthony fit, that would be a huge boost.”
Pauric Nolan had one bright spot on the injury front this week, with former All-Star Dermot Earley making huge progress to fitness. He may make an appearance against his father’s county at some stage today.
The former Compromise Rules international has been dogged by an ankle injury over recent months but successfully came through a challenge game in Newbridge during the week.
Though O’Dwyer has an intimate knowledge of Kildare, he is perplexed by Tommy Carr’s Connacht men. “Which Roscommon team will show up?” he wondered. “They have shown their potential on numerous occasions, usually when you least expect it, but they can also fall flat on their face.”
Carr doesn’t believe that the clash will be an easy one, and doesn’t subscribe to the theory that Kildare will struggle to lift themselves within six days of the Leinster final.
“I think Kildare would be mentally drained if they were beaten by seven or eight points,” he said.
“If that happened, they mightn’t have the stomach for it six days later. Most of the vibes coming from the camp have been positive since Sunday.
“When they got over the initial disappointment, they’ll be quite impressed with their performance against Laois. They’ll be thinking that they’re too good to be out of this competition yet. On that basis they’ll have recovered by Saturday.”
Roscommon: S. Curran; R. Cox, D. Casey, J. Whyte; M. Beirne, F. Grehan, E. Towey; S. O’Neill, S. Lohan; G. Cox, G. Lohan, D. Connellan; J. Dunning, K. Mannion, F. Dolan.
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