TG4 All-Ireland Intermediate Ladies Football Championship: Monaghan v Roscommon at Smithborough on Sunday at 2 pm
Roscommon ladies footballers travel to Monaghan on Sunday knowing that they are in ‘the last chance saloon’ as they will have to beat the home side if they want to progress further in this year’s championship.
Indeed, Monaghan are in the same position as both sides have lost to Wexford in recent weeks.
When the sides met in the league, Monaghan won by a point with a last-minute free so there is not much between them.
Roscommon will welcome back Aisling Hanly, who was badly missed when the team went down to Wexford by a point two weeks ago, and her presence will add a lot of punch to the attack. It is hoped that Lisa O’Rourke might be able to play some part in the game too but she remains an injury doubt.
Monaghan have been a powerhouse in ladies football in the past but they have slipped down the pecking order in recent years and were defeated by Tyrone and Antrim in the recent Ulster championship before going down to Wexford by 3-8 to 1-9 last Sunday.
Roscommon can consider themselves quite unlucky this year and they have suffered a number of very narrow defeats which included that one-point loss to Wexford in round one.
Surely they’re due a dose of good fortune and perhaps if they get enough ball into Aisling Hanly, Laura Fleming and Aisling Feely in the full-forward line they might just strike it lucky with a place in the last eight this Sunday.
Prediction: Roscommon
