Roscommon win minor thriller to put them on brink of Connacht clean sweep
Roscommon celebrate their dramatic ConnachtMFC success in Tua. Pic: Tom O’Hanlon/Inpho
Roscommon stand on the cusp of an unprecedented sweep of Connacht football titles iafter a late catch from goalkeeper Zac Mullally, pulling down Evan Burke's two-point free that dropped at crossbar height in the fourth minute of stoppage time, clinched their first ever minor final win at Tuam Stadium.
It was no less that Shane Moran's well-coached side deserved after they looked sharper and more clinical throughout, but a string of two-pointers from Galway in the second half, including a couple that involved disputed refereeing decisions, put Galway within striking range as Burke stood over the ball some 55 metres out from goal.
Linesman John Gilmartin intervened to force Burke to shoot from a few metres further back and that made all the difference as the goalie struck the ball well but it was a few feet short of the requisite distance, enabling Mullally to make an all-important high-catch to clinch the win.
In the first half, the winners were utterly dominant, laying the foundations for their win by surging into a fully-merited 2-8 to 0-5 interval advantage. The breeze was significant but there was much more thought and class to the way Roscommon went about their business, with Galway hugely dependent on either Ryan Connolly or Oisín Ó Neachtain to come from deep and break the line. They were getting tied up in knots closer to goal, where Roscommon captain Tadhg Fallon - younger brother of senior star Ruaidhrí Fallon - was imperious at full-back.
Mikey Mitchell was lively for the Tribesmen and his early effort had to be parried over the cross bar from Colm Fitzgerald, but after that Roscommon took over.
Wing back Enda Browne picked up Man of the Match honours and he was devastating when running forward, playing a key role in setting up Joshua Coyne for a green flag.
Jayden Concannon slammed in the other goal with a brilliant fist on Jack Brooks’ high ball, while sensational kicks from distance from Jack Lally and Ronan Carr drew further roars from the substantial cohort of travelling supporters.
Galway got the start to the second half they wanted, landing 0-6 without reply, including doubles from Burke and Connolly. Connolly was their playmaker throughout and he was almost unplayable at times, but he didn't have the scoring support across the rest of the middle third, where Jack Lally was strong and Seamie Carthy grew into the game for Roscommon.
Browne’s ability to open up the Galway defence was crucial throughout this game and he swung the tide when he set up Dara Kelleher for a 20 metres shot that dipped low inside the near post, then assisting a Seamie Carthy score.
Adam Healy threw Galway a lifeline with a goal at the start of the fourth quarter and another brace of doubles from Burke and Connolly set up a dramatic finale, but in the end it was one that resulted in another happy ending for the buoyant Rossies, and another happy chapter in what has been a joyous Summer for the county so far.
J Coyne (1-3, 0-2f), J Concannon (1-0), D Kelleher (1-0), R Carr (0-3, 1tp), J Lally (0-2, tp), S Carthy (0-2), E Browne (0-1), B Lenehan (0-1).
: A Healy (1-2, 0-2f), R Connolly (0-4, 2tp), E Burke (0-4, 2tpf), M Mitchell (0-3, 0-1f), A Hanrahan (0-2, 0-1f), J Cullinane (0-1), O Ó Suilleabháin (0-1).
: Z Mullally; C Tighe, T Fallon, C Fitzgerald; D Kelleher, J Brooks, E Browne; J Lally, S Carthy; R Carr, J Jennings, B Lenehan; C Nerney, J Concannon, J Coyne.
: D Nerney for Fitzgerald (35), C Cryan for Lenehan (44), J O’Brien for Jennings (49), S Duggan for Concannon (53), D O’Dwyer for Carr (59).
: E Burke; M Higgins, E McDonagh, C Collins; O Ó Suilleabháin, E Gannon, J Dillon; O Ó Neachtáin, D Kelly; É Maher, J Cullinane, R Connolly; M Mitchell, T Mitchell, A Healy.
: A Hanrahan for Kelly (h-t), S Heneghan for M Mitchell (48), R Flaherty for T Mitchell (53).
Shane Corcoran (Mayo).
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