Cautious O’Donnell knows big task ahead in decider

ROSCOMMON joint manager Fergal O’Donnell says as big a task as it is to go to Pearse Stadium and defeat Galway in Sunday’s Connacht senior football decider, his charges’ greatest challenge may be climbing over the psychological barrier of accounting for one of Connacht’s kingpins.

O’Donnell, one of the iconic figures of Roscommon football who jointly holds the management position with former Mayo star Kevin McStay, notes it has been 15 years since Roscommon claimed the scalp of Galway or Mayo, who, between them, have won no less than 90 Connacht titles.

“We haven’t beaten one of the big two in Connacht in 15 years,” says O’Donnell. “Galway or Mayo, the challenge doesn’t change for us really. So, when we looked at the draw, and saw we were avoiding Galway or Mayo on route, we said this was our best chance to get to a Connacht final. That is no disrespect to Leitrim or Sligo. They would look at it the same way having drew us.

“Galway, I suppose, are a similar team to ourselves although they have a better underage record. We probably have been better for per size of population – for a smaller county – but Galway have won two All-Ireland U-21s in recent years and they beat Roscommon at U-21 (1-17 to 2-11) in 2013.

“We thought similar this year – we had a good U-21 team – but we lost to Mayo (eventual All-Ireland champions). So, the biggest thing for us is the notion of the ‘big two’. We need to be more consistent against Galway and Mayo and that is what we want to try and change. To see if we can compete with the big two.”

It is an honest assessment from O’Donnell. In all, Galway and Roscommon have met 52 times in championship, with Galway winning 30 of those and the Rossies taking the victory on 18 occasions. There have been four draws. Added to this, when the sides last met in 2012, Galway handed out a 3-15 to 0-10 hammering. O’Donnell, despite Roscommon’s impressive 2016 showing to date, has every reason to be cautious.

For more, read this week’s Galway City Tribune.