Galway sticking with the same 15 for final

Date Published: 01-Apr-2011

A ROSCOMMON football team hasn’t beaten a Galway team in Salthill since Pearse Stadium was redeveloped.

Granted, the two counties haven’t met that often by the sea in the past decade but the ‘Pearse Stadium factor’ is one of the last remaining psychological barriers that Roscommon sides must overcome.

That won’t faze the Roscommon U21 footballers this weekend, though. As they travel south this Saturday (3pm) to take-on Galway

in the Connacht final the state of football in the county, particularly at underage level, is arguably as healthy now as it ever was.

Roscommon football is on an upward curve – they are senior Connacht champions and are on the cusp of league promotion albeit from division four, St Brigid’s were narrowly defeated in the AIB All-Ireland club final on St Patrick’s Day, and Roscommon CBS are even in the All-Ireland Senior B Colleges final this weekend.

This is the sort of success from a Connacht county normally associated with Mayo or Galway but the investment in underage structures and coaching in the county means that Roscommon is a totally different prospect than it was a decade ago.

The reigning Connacht champions will have absolutely no fear of the maroon and white jersey, as they aim to make history by becoming the first U21 Roscommon side ever to win back-to-back Connacht titles.

There are around eight survivors from that panel, including the likes of centre-back Niall Daly, who won a Sigerson medal with UCC this year, captain Niall Collins, Niall Kilroy, as well as the St Brigid’s duo, wing-forwards Eoin Sheehy and Darren Dolan, who rejoin the panel and are pushing for starting berths after their club exploits.

Cathal Shine – no relation to the 2010 Connacht senior final hero, Donie, but reportedly just as good a footballer who is comfortable with both feet – is the sole player on this U21 panel who is currently in the senior set up. Shine was out for the semi-final win over Leitrim but has recovered from injury and will more than likely start in the forwards.

For more of this preview see this week’s City Tribune or Connacht Tribune