Roscommon GAA Discussion Thread

Comic Book Guy · 14-05-2015 10:32pm

megadodge wrote: »

Kevin Higgins could be out for a while with a dislocated shoulder (word has it), which is a disaster for Roscommon, as midfield is a bit hit and miss as it is. We need him badly.

Yeah its a real pity for the lad as he had good championship last year. Think it was in an accidental collision with Cathal Shine of all people too.

Syferus · 15-05-2015 1:18pm

megadodge wrote: »

Kevin Higgins could be out for a while with a dislocated shoulder (word has it), which is a disaster for Roscommon, as midfield is a bit hit and miss as it is. We need him badly.

Heard it might be an AC joint sprain, time-frame similar (6-8 weeks) but probably more reliable for recovery than what was reported. You can still be doing cardio and the like a few weeks after an injury like that. Hopefully we can get to the Connacht final and he might have a chance of featuring.

megadodge · 15-05-2015 5:37pm

But the problem is he was only just coming back from his previous long-term injury and you have to admit he was still some way off his best. So by the time this injury is ok he won't have played at his best for the guts of a year. He most definitely won't be anything close to sharp.

Lt J.R. Bell · 15-05-2015 5:54pm

Comic Book Guy wrote: »

We got the kiss of death lads, John Duggan only went and made us his GAA championship tip on Today FM this morning to win the provincial championship!!

But, we will totally do it like.

The last two times we played Mayo 2011 and last year, we should have stepped on their throats when they were on their knees. Blew 2011

Of course, going to have to do it in that graveyard in Castlebar (love going there, great stadium but the only happy day was 1991 draw and another draw in 92 or 93 and 2010)

Off now to put a whole tenner on it on Paddy power. Big stakes I tell thee

Lt J.R. Bell · 15-05-2015 5:55pm

Has Michael Finneran another promising midfielder from 2010-2012 gone?

rossie1977 · 16-05-2015 12:11pm

finneran is 30 these days and on the far fringes of the squad. honestly midfield was the last place we needed an injury as we are very light in that area...lose cathal shine and we are in big trouble.

as for who will replace higgins well mark healy started the majority of league games, fintan kelly is supposed to have had a stormer last saturday night for castlerea. i personally wouldn't mind seeing donie shine start there. he has much more experience (especially big game experience) than the other two mentioned and of course offers the dead ball expertise they don't.

megadodge · 17-05-2015 8:49pm

rossie1977 wrote: »

finneran is 30 these days and on the far fringes of the squad. honestly midfield was the last place we needed an injury as we are very light in that area...lose cathal shine and we are in big trouble.

as for who will replace higgins well mark healy started the majority of league games, fintan kelly is supposed to have had a stormer last saturday night for castlerea. i personally wouldn't mind seeing donie shine start there. he has much more experience (especially big game experience) than the other two mentioned and of course offers the dead ball expertise they don't.

I think Healy could well be the best option. He definitely has the size, footballing ability and workrate. The cons are he's not a great fielder and lacks big-game experience, but there's only one way to get it.

Kelly isn't an inter-county senior midfielder. He's a decent footballer but not at midfield. There's a big difference between club and inter-county.

I can't see Donie starting there either. I know I might be in the minority, but I like seeing Donie being used as a kind of supplemenatry midfielder, mainly for kickouts as his size does disrupt the opposition's fielding. Once he's in possesion around the middle/centre forward position, he's a very good distributor to our dangerous inside line. He's a decent option for CHF and as you said is an option for long-range frees.

Syferus · 17-05-2015 10:54pm

megadodge wrote: »

I think Healy could well be the best option. He definitely has the size, footballing ability and workrate. The cons are he's not a great fielder and lacks big-game experience, but there's only one way to get it.

Kelly isn't an inter-county senior midfielder. He's a decent footballer but not at midfield. There's a big difference between club and inter-county.

I can't see Donie starting there either. I know I might be in the minority, but I like seeing Donie being used as a kind of supplemenatry midfielder, mainly for kickouts as his size does disrupt the opposition's fielding. Once he's in possesion around the middle/centre forward position, he's a very good distributor to our dangerous inside line. He's a decent option for CHF and as you said is an option for long-range frees.

Kelly was the best player on the field in the Castlerea-Boyle game last weekend. That includes the likes of Collins, both Smiths and many other talented players. Certainly worth his place on the panel. He's more of a third midfielder though and not a fielder in the same way Cathal Shine or Higgins are.

The lad also had a serious knee injury for the better part of the last year and was playing half-fit most of the time he did feature for Castlerea, rarely getting to showcase his best. His one appearance in the league against Westmeath he was one of our best players, being subbed because Evans had always planned to bring Higgins in for the second half and not because of the quality of his performance.

Crazy you'd call out a player like that honestly.

megadodge · 18-05-2015 7:58pm

Syferus wrote: »

Kelly was the best player on the field in the Castlerea-Boyle game last weekend. That includes the likes of Collins, both Smiths and many other talented players. Certainly worth his place on the panel. He's more of a third midfielder though and not a fielder in the same way Cathal Shine or Higgins are.

The lad also had a serious knee injury for the better part of the last year and was playing half-fit most of the time he did feature for Castlerea, rarely getting to showcase his best. His one appearance in the league against Westmeath he was one of our best players, being subbed because Evans had always planned to bring Higgins in for the second half and not because of the quality of his performance.

Crazy you'd call out a player like that honestly.

I wasn't criticising him. You obviously missed the part where I said

He's a decent footballer but not at midfield

He is a good footballer, but he's definitely not a senior inter-county midfielder. He wasn't even good enough at midfield at minor or U21. However, I totally agree that he is a good man to have around as a supplementary midfielder. He played very well against Westmeath, but against a very poor outfit on the day.

I've no problem with Kelly at all. He deserves to be on the county panel and maybe could be tried out at centre-back, but not at midfield.

rossie1977 · 21-05-2015 10:19pm

"starting" 15 against against london. 6 changes to the team that started the league final against down with murray, stack, higgins, donie smith, conor daly and cian connolly making way. i suspect there will be one or two changes to this lineup come 3pm on sunday though..

1. Darren O'Malley (Michael Glaveys)
2. Seán McDermott (Western Gaels)
3. Niall Carty (C) (Padraig Pearses)
4. Neil Collins (Castlerea St. Kevins)
5. Donal Ward (Kilmacud Crokes)
6. Niall Daly (Padraig Pearses)
7. Ciarán Cafferky (Western Gaels)
8. Mark Healy (Roscommon Gaels)
9. Cathal Shine (Clann na nGael)
10. Enda Smith (Boyle)
11. Donie Shine (Clann na nGael)
12. Ciaráin Murtagh (St. Faithleachs)
13. Diarmuid Murtagh (St. Faithleachs)
14. Senan Kilbride (St. Brigids)
15. Cathal Cregg (Western Gaels)

Syferus · 22-05-2015 1:48am

Murray is suspended.

I can see potential changes but it's still a strong team and could very easily be the starting 15 on Sunday.

Comic Book Guy · 22-05-2015 8:58pm

Great to see Donal Ward back in a championship starting team. Very unlucky run with injuries the last 3 years and I'm convinced we would have won 2011 final only for his injury.

Anyone making the trip or already there? Would be pretty cool to have won a spot on the official bus for the trip!

TimRiggins · 22-05-2015 9:04pm

https://www.gaa.ie/gaa-news-and-videos/daily-news/1/2105151053-sheerin-says-rossies-are-right-to-aim-for-the-top/

Great interview with Gay, he's right aswell. Great to start the Championship this Sunday. Its a huge year for us but we have forwards that can do damage and get scores to win games. Hopefully get a good win and a good workout.

megadodge · 22-05-2015 9:34pm

Comic Book Guy wrote: »

Great to see Donal Ward back in a championship starting team. Very unlucky run with injuries the last 3 years and I'm convinced we would have won 2011 final only for his injury.

Anyone making the trip or already there? Would be pretty cool to have won a spot on the official bus for the trip!

I'm a huge fan of Donal (the fact that I know him since he was a kid has something to do with it) and I have to agree with your sentiments on 2011, that headclash was the losing of that game for Roscommon.

Anyway, it's a good game for him to return, as he can hopefully play out any rust in his system without the risk of defeat. Our halfback line really needs a fit Donal Ward.

TimRiggins · 22-05-2015 9:36pm

Ward has proven Championship experience and has chipped in with a few scores in big Championship matches. Hopefully he stays injury free because he's a fantastic attacking half back.

Comic Book Guy · 22-05-2015 9:46pm

megadodge wrote: »

I'm a huge fan of Donal (the fact that I know him since he was a kid has something to do with it) and I have to agree with your sentiments on 2011, that headclash was the losing of that game for Roscommon.

Anyway, it's a good game for him to return, as he can hopefully play out any rust in his system without the risk of defeat. Our halfback line really needs a fit Donal Ward.

Great problem to have but where would you put a fully fit David Keenan? Being left footed Cafferkey gives good balance in No.7 jersey but would he be the man under pressure. Have big time for the positional discipline David brings at centre back too.

Like I said great problem to have!!

megadodge · 22-05-2015 10:04pm

Comic Book Guy wrote: »

Great problem to have but where would you put a fully fit David Keenan? Being left footed Cafferkey gives good balance in No.7 jersey but would he be the man under pressure. Have big time for the positional discipline David brings at centre back too.

Like I said great problem to have!!

That's a good question.

Assuming everybody is fully fit and sharp, my first choice half-back would be Donal Ward.

I've been a longtime advocate of Niall Daly, but I have to be honest he hasn't dominated the centre-back role the way I though he would by this stage. He's still good enough for a position on the half-back line, but maybe wing-back would give him more opportunity to attack which he loves to do.

I mentioned a few posts ago, that I think Fintan Kelly could be an option at CHB. He's a hard-worker and has enough physical presence and discipline for the job.

Ronan Daly is probably the other I'd fit in there, but he's far too attack-minded for my liking. He's a very good ball-carrier and has a superb engine, but his defending is the weakest of any of the contenders.

Cafferky has continually proved me wrong and hopefully he never gets caught out the way I've always expected him to be. I have to give the guy credit, he's better than he looks. He's a better defender than Conor Daly, but not as comfortable on the ball.

Even with all the above fit, I still think the half-back line, while not exactly weak, is our least-strong line.

megadodge · 22-05-2015 10:07pm

Sorry, I forgot David Keenan. He's a fine player, but I'm not sure he has the physical presence for CHB. He's definitely a strong contender for one of the wing-back positions when fully fit.

I suppose Niall Daly will continue at CHB, even though he'd probably prefer the wing. He's the most experienced option and has more physicality than the rest.

Syferus · 23-05-2015 5:59am

megadodge wrote: »

That's a good question.

Assuming everybody is fully fit and sharp, my first choice half-back would be Donal Ward.

I've been a longtime advocate of Niall Daly, but I have to be honest he hasn't dominated the centre-back role the way I though he would by this stage. He's still good enough for a position on the half-back line, but maybe wing-back would give him more opportunity to attack which he loves to do.

I mentioned a few posts ago, that I think Fintan Kelly could be an option at CHB. He's a hard-worker and has enough physical presence and discipline for the job.

Ronan Daly is probably the other I'd fit in there, but he's far too attack-minded for my liking. He's a very good ball-carrier and has a superb engine, but his defending is the weakest of any of the contenders.

Cafferky has continually proved me wrong and hopefully he never gets caught out the way I've always expected him to be. I have to give the guy credit, he's better than he looks. He's a better defender than Conor Daly, but not as comfortable on the ball.

Even with all the above fit, I still think the half-back line, while not exactly weak, is our least-strong line.

I have alot of time for Ward. He was a talent even on the school yard back at national school.. ha. Anyways, he seemed to be carrying a bit of weight (likely caused by the hip problems) recently but now that he's got a good run of fitness he should be rounding closer to his best and what he brings is a physicality that none of our other HBs can match. He was honestly poor when he came on against Galway in the league so this could be a good confidence-building match for him.

I'd still say Keenan is the best of the lot, he's just so solid and influential around the middle and in the HB line. Both Dalys (that are starting games, Ronan has a big future ahead of him too) and Cafferky are really good footballers particularly going forward. Caff has made a few great runs up the field in the last year, the Mayo goal being the highlight obviously. I think any of them could play WF effectively too.

Conor Daly to my mind is too talented not to be starting when push comes to shove in the really big games so Evans has plenty to work out if we win on Sunday as expected.

Addle · 23-05-2015 8:55am

http://www.irishtimes.com/sport/gaelic-games/roscommon-s-band-of-brothers-braced-for-a-long-campaign-1.2222465

nice_guy80 · 23-05-2015 10:46am

I don't think we've had a settled and dominant centre back since 2001-2003.

But then again the game has move on

rossie1977 · 24-05-2015 3:53pm

Roscommon had a strong wind in the first half but average enough performance despite having 3 goal chances. We cant get d murtagh into the game and donie shine looks off the pace

Comic Book Guy · 24-05-2015 10:16pm

Any reports from people at the game?

Impossible to get a jist of the game from Shannonside commentary which was basically a text in request show with small bits of what was actually happening in the game.
I get the idea that we never really got out of first gear never mind second and just saw out the game once a good lead was established.

Lando Griffin · 25-05-2015 1:40pm

Comic Book Guy wrote:

Impossible to get a jist of the game from Shannonside commentary which was basically a text in request show with small bits of what was actually happening in the game. I get the idea that we never really got out of first gear never mind second and just saw out the game once a good lead was established.

Shocking radio. I listen to a good few matches on local radio around the country and commentars try to be as reflective ad possible as they are the listeners eyes and ears at the game ie " it's a lovely curling shot what a great great curling shot ....... It's wide? Hello to all from ........

blazermel · 25-05-2015 10:21pm

Was at the match in Ruislip, like some have said Roscommon never really got out of second gear, they just did enough to win. Senan Kilbride had one of his quieter days and it has to be said cregg had a bad day at the office making countless basic ball handling mistakes. Cathal shine had a nice share of midfield possession and had quite a good game. I hate to say it but donie shine looks way off the pace still, however he played better when he was moved out around the middle in the second half winning a nice amount of highball. Overall, it's hard to know where Roscommon really are after that game, it should be more easily measured against Sligo on June 20th. Fair play to London though for their determination and making a game of it, lorcan mulvey was outstanding.

rossie1977 · 26-05-2015 12:15am

Comic Book Guy wrote: »

Any reports from people at the game?

Impossible to get a jist of the game from Shannonside commentary which was basically a text in request show with small bits of what was actually happening in the game.
I get the idea that we never really got out of first gear never mind second and just saw out the game once a good lead was established.

Extremely poor performance, our lads seemed to have only thoughts on the beer tents in the second half. I couldn't pick out one player that covered themselves in glory with most so below par its hard to believe this was the same team that beat down so comfortably last month.

Mulvey and Gottsche both superb for london has to be said

Comic Book Guy · 29-05-2015 3:24pm

Heard at work that Ultan Harney suffered a fractured jaw in that altercation where both himself and his opponent received yellow cards and is facing 3 months out.

Any truth to it? Awful blow to him on a personal level if true. Extremely talented young player.

Syferus · 29-05-2015 4:58pm

Heard he was playing on with a mask, it's a cheekbone injury and not a fractured jaw from what I read. Suffered a concussion from the blow alright. Big future ahead for young Harney.

Hopefully no injuries in the second round of the championships this weekend. The double bill in Strokestown the stand-out. Roscommon Gaels get their chance to show they're contenders against Brigids.

Irish94 · 29-05-2015 5:19pm

Comic Book Guy wrote: »

Heard at work that Ultan Harney suffered a fractured jaw in that altercation where both himself and his opponent received yellow cards and is facing 3 months out.

Any truth to it? Awful blow to him on a personal level if true. Extremely talented young player.

Cheekbone injury. Out for two - three weeks.

Comic Book Guy · 29-05-2015 8:38pm

Syferus wrote: »

Heard he was playing on with a mask, it's a cheekbone injury and not a fractured jaw from what I read. Suffered a concussion from the blow alright. Big future ahead for young Harney.

Hopefully no injuries in the second round of the championships this weekend. The double bill in Strokestown the stand-out. Roscommon Gaels get their chance to show they're contenders against Brigids.

Thanks for heads up!

Yeah that Brigids v Gaels game is defo pick of the weekend. On paper Gaels look like the coming team in Roscommon club football, some really exciting young talent there. Will be interesting to see what the gap is to the undisputed kingpins.

Will be good to see how Clann go against Pearses as well.

Roscommon GAA Discussion Thread

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