TG4 All-Ireland LGFA IFC quarter-final: Roscommon v Leitrim in Carrick-on-Shannon on Sunday at 2pm
It’s rare in championship football that a team gets a chance to put right a disastrous performance in the same year but that opportunity lies ahead for Roscommon’s ladies team when they face neighbours Leitrim in the All-Ireland quarter-final on Sunday.
On May 3rd this year, Leitrim blitzed Roscommon 4-18 to 0-8 in the Connacht final. This weekend, the Roscommon management and players will be anxious to show that the provincial final display was simply a football version of a bad day at the office.
Roscommon manager Finbar Egan says he is happy that things have gone well for his side since that demoralising defeat to Leitrim earlier this season.
“We have been training well – and with a full squad too – and our form against Cavan and Down has been good. So we are coming into the game in much better form. We certainly want a better performance than we produced against Leitrim in the Connacht final and I think we will get that.”
Roscommon were very impressive against a fancied Down side in round two, winning by 2-13 to 1-12. That result has given the side real momentum going into this Sunday’s game.
“We were very happy with that Down performance. All the girls worked so hard and you could have given the player of the match award to any one of five or six of our players on the day.”
The return of Laura Mannion to the team has also given Roscommon a big boost. “There is no substitute for hard work and experience and Laura has that in spades and it is great to have her back around the panel.”
Egan says that Roscommon are going to Carrick on Sunday to win.
“We know that we need to produce our best performance of the season but we are improving and we are going to Carrick to win. I am confident the girls will be ready for a huge battle and hopefully a victory” he concluded.
Roscommon will once again be depending on their experienced players to lead from the front on Sunday. Helena Cummins is a superb goalkeeper and one of the mainstays of the team. Aine Connaughton, Saoirse Wynne and Ella Thompson will be key figures in defence while Ellen Irwin and Abby Curran will be the probable midfield partnership.
Up front, Laura Mannion will call on all her experience while Caoimhe Lennon always carries a goal threat. Aisling Feely’s superb free-taking will also be crucial to Roscommon. Roscommon will be strong off the bench too with Aisling Hanly and Rachel Fitzmaurice (and others) ready to play their part.
Leitrim have some marvellous players in their side and Roscommon will have to watch out for the likes of Leah Fox, Muireann Devaney (who scored 1-10 in the Connacht final) and Laura O’Dowd (who scored 2-4 on that occasion). Leitrim are captained by the experienced Michelle Guckian and managed by Johnny Garrity.
There is no doubt that Roscommon have improved hugely since that drubbing by Leitrim in the Connacht final, but the big question is have they improved enough to overturn that 22-point margin? It’s a tall order.
Prediction: Leitrim.
