‘I think the lads did themselves proud’ - Dunning

By Kevin Egan

The heartbreak was etched onto Noel Dunning’s face as he tried to put into words his thoughts on last Saturday’s defeat to Tyrone in the U-20 All-Ireland semi-final.

Before a ball was kicked in 2024, huge things were expected of this Tyrone team. Outside of their own dressing room, expectations in Roscommon were much lower, and when the injury to Colm Neary was factored in, some felt that they were fourth favourites of five in what was a hugely competitive championship in Connacht. Within the dressing room, however? That was a different story, and it was a story that ended a week too soon for their liking.

“Winning Connacht was massive, it was great to hear people complimenting us on how we played and the smiles we put on people’s faces,” Dunning said.

“They liked what we were about. That to me is a great compliment, on top of being Connacht champions. But I have to say we did have our eye on going further. Never mind us as a management team, those lads wanted more. It showed out there with the passion and drive they produced, and it’s just a shame we’re not preparing them for an All-Ireland final.”

The former Athlone underage footballer and London senior manager cited Roscommon’s failure to build on the quick goals scored by Conor Ryan and Bobby Nugent at the start of the second half as crucial, and how a couple of wides at that key stage meant that they didn’t quite drive home their advantage at a time when Tyrone were on the back foot.

Nonetheless, he freely admitted that the Ulster champions were fully deserving of their win.

“We tried to play to the Roscommon DNA. These lads just want to play football and I think they did themselves proud today. The scoreline was probably a bit harsh on us but in fairness to Tyrone they were ruthless.

“They’re a quality side, I’ll be surprised if they don’t go on and win an All-Ireland. They’ve had their eye on the big prize from a long way out and we knew that. You can see why they would be thinking that.”

So while Tyrone’s focus will shift to Sunday’s All-Ireland final against Kerry, in Roscommon, all eyes are now on what’s next for these young players, with the likes of Shane McGinley and Senan Lambe at the head of the queue for elevation to county senior football. On that note, Dunning urged caution.

“If you even look at Tyrone, some of those guys will go on to play senior inter-county I’m sure but it won’t be next year or the year after. They’ll have to serve their apprenticeship as well and learn from the guys that are there,” he said.

“It’s the very same with us. Roscommon were playing in Division One of the National League this year. Are some of these guys ready to go in at that level yet? Probably not, particularly physically. It’ll take them a while. I just hope that they stick with it because there are players there who could feature for Roscommon for quite a number of years, and be really good players at the highest level of the game,” Dunning added.