Galway must be on red alert for visit of dangerous Rossies

Inside Track with John McIntyre

IT’S 2003 since Galway footballers last retained the Connacht title, but Kevin Walsh’s improving squad are expected to bridge that gap when hosting Roscommon at Pearse Stadium on Sunday in what will be a repeat of last year’s decider. In fact, some local fans can’t even countenance defeat in the context of the Tribesmen’s promotion to Division One this year and confirming their current championship supremacy over Mayo last month.

Their confidence is also fuelled by what has proven a hugely difficult 15-months for opponents Roscommon – on and off the field. Having started the 2016 league campaign in a blaze of glory, they ended up being blown away by Kerry in the semi-final of the competition. The Rossies then lost heavily to Galway in the Connacht final replay before making an ignominious exit from the championship against minnows Clare.

Subsequently, their high-profile joint management ticket of Kevin McStay and Fergal O’Donnell split up amid conflict over Roscommon’s style of play and tactical approach. Selectors walked away as well leaving McStay insolated but still at the helm. It’s been a tough gig for the former Sunday Game pundit in 2017, not least when former player Gay Sheerin publicly stated in the spring that a ‘Mayo man should never be in charge of Roscommon’.

The retirements of Senan Kilbride and Niall Carty, together with the defections of Niall Daly, Neil Collins and Cathal Cregg, compounded the gloom, ensuring it was no great surprise that Roscommon lost their Division One status after a string of defeats. They did, however, grab a morale-boosting home win over Cavan in their final league game, while McStay was significantly rallying to the defence of his players at every opportunity.

Sometimes, when a manager and his squad are repeatedly in the firing line, it helps to unify them to a level that would even prove beyond the best of psychologists and, against that background, Roscommon represent dangerous opponents in Salthil, a venue where they could have beaten Galway in last year’s defensive-orientated drawn Connacht final.

On the back of their expected big semi-final win over Leitrim at revamped Hyde Park, Roscommon have the potential to again trouble their hosts if they perform with a spirit of adventure. The county has produced some strong under-age teams in the recent past, while the likes of the Murtagh brothers, Sean McDermott, Enda Smith, Niall Kilroy and Conor Devaney are all quality footballers.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.