Roscommon spoil Mayo party and eye repeating the feat against Galway

Darragh Heneghan of Roscommon scores a goal. Pic: Paul Phelan/Sportsfile

Connacht SFC: Roscommon 2-25 (2-2-21) Mayo 1-18 (1-2-14) 

Few bodies relish spoiling a party quite like Roscommon do. 

They came to Castlebar without several of their key charges and absolutely shattered the goodwill that had surrounded the county for much of 2026.

It was an utter ambush. The crowd of 15,321 could scarcely believe the level of dominance. There were green and red supporters flooding for the exit on the hour mark.

Diarmuid Murtagh was sensational, torturing several Mayo defenders who swapped onto him. In the end he kicked 1-10 with only one missed goal chance going against him. Mayo’s rearguard were ripped apart after the turnaround. 

They went from three up at half-time to ten down at the finish. Every Roscommon starting forward scored. They brought on two attacking options from the bench in Conor Hand and Paul Carey who also got in on the act.

And yet, where the game was truly lost was the Mayo kickout. Roscommon sourced a stunning 1-11 directly from that well. It was the origin of their opening score, a goal for Diarmuid Murtagh after Robbie Hennelly’s short attempt was picked off by Robert Heneghan. 

He fed his cousin, Darragh, who put it on a plate for Murtagh. After rattling the post with a goal effort moments prior, he wasn’t about to make the same mistake.

A combination of the glorious weather and costly €35 stand tickets compelled the bulk of fans to flock to the exposed McHale Road side of the ground. From there, they witnessed the weird and the wonderful and ultimately the unravelling.

It was a tie that started nervously. There were turnovers, wides and general sloppiness. That opening period set the tone for a game that tethered on the line between the compelling and the comical.

Conor Loftus, who was terrific in the opening half, finally registered a point after Senan Lambe was penalised for a topical screen. Mayo hit four on the bounce with Kobe McDonald excelling. 

The AFL-bound prospect kicked six points in total off left and right. He made mistakes and recovered from them to consistently try to lift his county. How they will miss him now.

The margin was six when Ryan O’Donoghue collected from Loftus, dummied right and finally steered the ball past Conor Carroll at the near post. And yet, when Roscommon look back on those exchanges, they will see how those mistakes flattered their Connacht rivals. 

A breach gifted them a two-pointer. The Loftus matchup wasn’t working. It was time to tighten the screws and let loose.

They would have retreated to a dressing room and looked around at a team missing star forward Daire Cregg, several St Brigid’s stalwarts, down a wealth of experience after Ciaráin Murtagh, Donie Smith, David Murray and Niall Daly all retired, and decided to go bull-headedly after it anyway. This is what they do.

It was a primrose storm. From the throw-in, the rapid Colm Neary broke free and instigated a scoring spree. They kicked 1-17 in a row before eventually shooting a wide. 

Roscommon absolutely feasted on breaking ball, winning 14 to Mayo’s six.

“What do they say about a plan, it’s great to have a plan until.” said Mayo boss Andy Moran post-match. 

Mike Tyson’s old line about getting punched in the mouth feels fitting for the Rossies’ afternoon’s work. The punch they threw in the second half was venomous.

Ronan Daly blocked down Ryan O’Donoghue and let roar the war cry. Murtagh nailed an immense two-pointer. They dropped two successive shots short but stayed in the fight and won the ball back from both before Keith Doyle eventually scored.

The margin was seven with seven minutes left. Any hope of an unlikely comeback was extinguished by a brilliant goal. 

Conor Carroll boomed a kickout on top of Enda Smith, who linked up with Conor Hand before sending Darragh Heneghan scurrying into wide open country. Hennelly managed to get his glove to the shot but it still skipped up into the net.

At the end, Mayo players raced for the tunnel while the visitors claimed the field. The Dowd project continues to go from strength to strength. In the decider, they face a Galway side who are on the brink of a five-in-a-row.

And they certainly won’t fear them.

Scorers for Mayo: R. O’Donoghue 1-4 (1tpf, 2f); K. McDonald 0-6 (1tpf); C. Loftus, P. Durcan 0-2 each; J. Flynn, J. Carney, B. Tuohy, M. Ruane 0-1 each.

Scorers for Roscommon: D. Murtagh 1-10 (1tpf, 1 tp, 2f); D. Heneghan 1-3; E. Smith, D. Ruane 0-3 each; K. Doyle 0-2; R. Heneghan, C. Neary, P. Carey (f), C. Hand 0-1 each.

MAYO: R. Hennelly; J. Coyne, R. Brickenden, E. Hession; S. Callinan, C. Loftus, P. Durcan; B. Tuohy, D. McBrien; J. Carney, R. O’Donoghue, J. Flynn; C. McHale, A. O’Shea, K. McDonald.

Subs: T. Conroy for McHale (half-time); D. McHugh for Brickenden (41); M. Ruane for Tuohy, F. Boland for O’Shea (both 45); C. O’Connor for Loftus (55).

ROSCOMMON: C. Carroll; P. Gavin, C. Keogh, E. McCormack; R. Daly, E. Ward, S. Lambe; K. Doyle, C. Ryan; D. Ruane, E. Smith, C. Neary; R. Heneghan, D. Murtagh, D. Heneghan.

Subs: P. Carey for Keogh (49); C. Hand for Heneghan (52); R. Dolan for Lambe (58); S. Cunnane for Ryan (60); N. Higgins for R. Heneghan (68).

Referee: D. Coldrick (Meath).