Davy Burke: 'The new game has really reinvigorated us as coaches'
REINVIGORATED: Roscommon manager Davy Burke is reinvigorated by the new rules and how the game has changed. Pic: ©INPHO/Tom Maher
Davy Burke revealed that his passion for coaching had been “reinvigorated” after watching his side overturn a five-point interval lead to get the better of Monaghan and move top of Division Two at King and Moffatt Dr Hyde Park.
David Garland and Mícheál Bannigan bagged two first-half goals for the visitors, and they also missed a penalty, but Roscommon — despite missing star forwards Enda Smith and Daire Cregg through injury — turned the game on its head after the break, with Player of the Match Diarmuid Murtagh contributing four two-pointers on his way to a 12-point haul.
“These games are never over anymore. It’s a brilliant product now, there are swings and roundabouts,” said the Roscommon manager.
“The new game — and I was talking to this with Mark Doran (selector) the other night walking out at training — has really reinvigorated us as coaches. The game had gone very stale. It’s class now,” he continued.
Monaghan goalkeeper, Rory Beggan, thwarted the Rossies a number of times in the opening half as both teams radiated danger up front, with Monaghan’s directness — with the wind behind them — proving particularly effective.
Midfielder Mícheal McCarville had kicked the half’s only two-pointer, before scores from Bannigan, Louis Kelly and David Garland, in reply to points from Diarmuid and Ciarán Murtagh, left the visitors 0-5 to 0-3 in front.
In the 24th minute, Monaghan struck for their first goal. With Roscommon goalkeeper Conor Carroll, who had denied Conor McCarthy from the penalty spot earlier in the half , stranded up the field, Monaghan moved the ball quickly, and when Bannigan’s raking delivery bounced off one post and across against the other, Garland was on hand to poke home the rebound.
Roscommon responded with a point from Diarmuid Murtagh and a fisted effort from Ronan Daly but when Monaghan pinched a kickout from Carroll in the middle of the field after 28 minutes, the ball was quickly moved to Bannigan who lashed an unstoppable shot to the back of the net.
Leading by 2-6 to 0-8 at the break, wing back Ryan O’Toole added to Monaghan’s tally early in the second half.
But Roscommon turned the screw with scores from Donie Smith and Ciaráin Murtagh, and when Diarmuid Murtagh hit his first two-pointer on the turn after 42 minutes, the gap was down to just a point.
Conor Hand, who produced a scintillating second-half display on his league debut, brought the sides level before a two-point free from Diarmuid Murtagh edged Roscommon back in front.
Monaghan refused to throw in the towel and a quickfire double from Conor McCarthy was a timely reminder to Roscommon that the game was far from over.
But a second two-pointer from Murtagh was followed by another seismic impact off the bench as substitutes Senan Lambe and Conor Cox added scores — the latter landing a spectacular two-pointer to push Roscommon’s lead out to four points.
Bannigan cut the deficit to three points in the final minute to take his tally to 1-4 but Murtagh landed a two-point free at the end of the game to bring his tally to 0-12 for the afternoon, and ensure that the Rossies remain unbeaten before a difficult trip to Navan to play Meath next Sunday.
“It’s very important to be playing top tier football every week. Every point in Division Two is hard fought for. We want to be playing at the top table every year to, ultimately, leave us right for the summer. We’ve three from three now, so we’re happy where we are.
“I was up in Newry last night. That’s a right good Meath team — very big, strong, physical. They look as if they’ve a rake of work done. We’ll get the full pipe in Navan, I’m sure,” concluded Burke.
: D Murtagh (0-12, 2 tp, 2 tpf), C Murtagh (0-3), C Hand (0-3), C Cox (0-3, 1tp), D Smith (0-2), R Daly (0-1), S Lambe (0-1)
: M Bannigan (1-4, 0-2f), D Garland (1-1), M McCarville (0-2, 1tp), C McCarthy (0-2), C McNulty, S Mooney, L Kelly, R O’Toole, R Beggan (0-1 each)
: C Carroll; P Frost, J McManus, N Higgins, R Daly, B Stack, S Cunnane; D Ruane, K Doyle; C Murtagh, U Harney, C McKeon; D Murtagh, D Smith, C Hand.
: R Fallon for Stack (39), E Nolan for Harney (50), S Lambe for Daly (57), B O’Carroll for Smith (60), C Cox for McKeon (68).
: R Beggan; R Wylie, K Lavelle, D Byrne; R O’Toole, C Lennon, C McCarthy; G McPhillips, M McCarville; F Hanratty, M Bannigan, C McNulty; D Garland, S Mooney, L Kelly.
: J McCarron for Lennon (26), K Loughran for Hanratty (h-t), B McCaul for Mooney (44), D Hughes for McPhillips (66), S Jones for Garland (70).
: T Murphy (Galway).
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