The Roscommon Ladies Football team get their championship back on track this Sunday after a torrid few weeks which saw the Connacht Council expel them from the provincial championships. On Sunday though, they line out against Monaghan in Woodmount after being reinstated by Croke Park to in the All-Ireland series. Their expulsion arose due to Roscommon’s inability to field a team against Mayo earlier this year when several players were unable to attend the game due to unforeseen circumstances. Since then they have been restored to the All-Ireland Championship after the County Board successfully applied to Croke Park for reinstatement. They now face Monaghan this Sunday, a meeting County Chairperson Martin McDermott is looking forward to. ‘We felt we were hard done by in Connacht as we could not field a team but we are delighted to be back involved again. We have been drawn in a tough group but we will give it our best shot. ‘Training is going well at the minute. We have some new girls on the panel and the attitude of the players not only now but throughout the year has been very good’. After playing Monaghan on Sunday, Roscommon have to face the daunting task of meeting Cork and Galway, both of whom have serious All-Ireland credentials. ‘We are playing Monaghan first in Woodmount but also have to play Cork and Galway. We are concentrating on getting a win this Sunday and then taking it from there’, added Martin, who has been involved in Ladies football in the county for the past number of years. Although Roscommon will hope to be competitive in the group, it has to be acknowledged that the teams they are up against, and in particular Cork and Galway, are firm favourites to progress to the knock-out stages. ‘We would be hoping to create a shock if possible but other than that it is great experience and a good opportunity for these players. They will be able to test themselves against the best players in the country and able to say that they played against some of the great teams’ said the well-known Strokestown gael. ‘The future of ladies football in this county lies in our minor teams and underage set-up. We aim to build on what we have already so we will be able to compete with the likes of Galway and Mayo in the future’, concluded Martin. There is no doubt that Roscommon are capable of beating this Monaghan team and who knows what could happen after such an eventuality? If they have belief in their own ability and play to their full potential then they may just make the breakthrough that ladies football in Roscommon has craved since the junior success in Croke Park in 2002. All will be revealed over the coming weeks.
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