Maturing Galway footballers can see off the Rossies

THIS time around the challenge is different for Galway as they face into a Connacht final joust with Roscommon at Pearse Stadium (2pm) on Sunday with the favourites tag firmly affixed to their backs in their bid for a two-in-a-row of provincial titles.

Roscommon have enjoyed the lowest profiles in the build-up to this match – relegated from Division 1 of the league with just one win under their belt, before enjoying a pretty facile Connacht semi-final victory Leitrim a couple of weeks back.

By contrast, Galway’s provincial semi-final win over Mayo was hard earned and equally precious, although the first-half side-lining of Keith Higgins does leave the smallest of shadows hanging over the success.

Roscommon, under Kevin McStay, have endured a troublesome enough first half of the year with a number of players leaving the panel for whatever reason, but their only win of the league in the last game against Cavan, came at the right time as they looked ahead to the championship.

They do have the advantage of coming into this provincial final almost completely under the radar and McStay will be hoping that this year, his charges have kept their best form for the championship season.

In 2016, Roscommon made a huge effort to sustain their position in Division 1 of the National League, and while they achieved that primary goal, there was very little fuel left in the tank for the championship.

And yet, Roscommon gave ‘bags of it’ to Galway in last year’s drawn Connacht final in Pearse Stadium (1-10 to 0-13) with a first half Enda Smith goal giving them the early initiative, but in the replay at Castlebar they went through quite a dramatic meltdown.

Galway make two changes in personnel from the side that edged out Mayo in the semi-final last month with Annaghdown’s Eoin Kerin coming into the defence in place of David Wynne, while up front, St. Michael’s Eamonn Brannigan gets his chance in place of the injury troubled Sean Armstrong.

It’s been a long haul back for Kerin who missed out on this year’s league campaign following an operation for a troublesome shoulder injury. The Annaghdown clubman is a tight marker and his return is a boost to the defence.

Full coverage in this week’s Connacht Tribune.