The Galway senior footballers and their management team will travel to face Roscommon on Sunday (4pm ) knowing they have a tough task on their hands.
Galway supporters may have been dismissive of Roscommon in a different era, but, having suffered excruciating championship exits at the hands of Sligo, Wexford, Westmeath and Meath, to name just a few in the past decade, Galway supporters cannot afford to be dismissive of any ambitious and well organised opposition.
Roscommon are both those things and they will not go down easily this weekend.
Galway manager Alan Mulholland has bitter first-hand experience as a player of how Roscommon can be a very dangerous proposition on home turf.
He lined out for Galway in the 1990 Connacht final at centre-back when a young Galway team managed by John Tobin were beaten on a score-line of 0-16 to 1-11.
Roscommon’s scoring aces that day were Eamon McManus (0-5 ) and Paul Earley who shot 0-4.
Mountbellew’s Val Daly was in superb form for Galway and hit eight points on the day. He collected his second All-Star later that year in recognition of his splendid display. Glenamaddy’s Fergal O’ Neill scored Galway’s goal.
While that is more than 20 years ago, Mulholland still remembers the game well and he is correct to be very wary of the threat this Roscommon team will pose to his side on Sunday.
Mulholland is an astute manager and, as a man well versed in “odds”, he will know the risks of the outsider rallying on home turf coming into the home stretch. He also mentioned the two years that Galway won All-Irelands in 1998 and 2001 as examples of how dangerous Roscommon can be.
"When Galway were at their best in 1998 and went on to win the All-Ireland, we still struggled badly to beat Roscommon. We drew with them in Tuam, and were fortunate enough to win after extra-time in the replay down there. And in 2001, we lost heavily to Roscommon in the Connacht championship in Tuam when they were managed by John Tobin. So we will be taking nothing for granted this weekend.
“It is will be a dog-fight and we will have to be at our best to win. However, that said, I do believe our panel is making definite progress, but who knows how things are going to go in 'the Hyde' this weekend?”
Not make or break
Mulholland is pragmatic in his approach and he does not see Sunday as a make or break game for his side.
"Regardless of how it goes next Sunday and, if we don't win, it is not necessarily a disaster. We have not beaten a team outside Connacht in seven or eight years in the championship [That win came against Louth in round two of the qualifiers in 2004]. What we have to do this year is make incremental steps for next year and make sure over the next two or three years that we are going ahead and improving each year.
“We have a tough draw this year and we have not looked past Sunday. But, if we can get past Roscommon, we would get a bit of momentum and you don’t know what way that would end up.”
Roscommon will look to Senan Kilbride, Donie Shine and Cathal Cregg up front to lead them to victory and Galway team captain Finian Hanley and the two Galway debutants, Kieran McGrath and Keith Kelly, will have to be in top form to nullify the Rossies’ threat.
A key battle will be at midfield and, if Galway are to win, they will need Joe Bergin and Greg Higgins really up for the fray. Both are very talented players when they are revved up and ready for action and Mulholland, Donal Ó Flatharta and Alan Flynn must ensure their midfielders are “in the zone” from the off.
I expect it to be a really tight game. Roscommon showed last year in the Connacht final [when they were unfortunate to lose to Mayo on a score-line of 0-13 to 0-11] that they are hard beaten.
They are under new management and they will see Sunday as a make or break game for their season. If they lose at home, it is difficult to see them going on a run in the qualifiers.
Galway have the ability to sneak it by a point or two, but it may take the introduction of Padraig Joyce and Michael Meehan to see them over the winning line.
At 7/1, a draw is not a bad bet either.1
