‘I’d say that’s our league campaign over’ - Roscommon boss

By Kevin Egan

For the majority of the home crowd in Dr Hyde Park last Sunday, Seán Hurson’s final whistle was the cue to start thinking about permutations. With Roscommon, Cavan and Meath all tied on eight points, effectively chasing the second spot behind Monaghan, fans starting thinking about the positives (Roscommon’s scoring difference) and the negatives (head-to-head losses to both those counties) and how that might all play out this coming Sunday afternoon.

But Roscommon manager Davy Burke had no interest in any of that.

As far as he was concerned, his team’s 0-22 to 0-20 defeat to Cavan had left them with “no business” playing Division One football in 2026.

“I’d say that’s our league campaign over. We’ll go to Westmeath next week to fulfil the fixture but it’s about preparing for championship. We’ve no business in a league final, if you suffer two defeats and can’t win your home games, I think we’re safe enough doing what we’re doing,” he declared.

Even when it was pointed out to him that if all four games go the way they’re expected next week, then Roscommon will still be in second place, he reiterated that his thoughts were now entirely trained on the Connacht championship and a trip to McGovern Park.

“We’re preparing now for London. I’d like to think that there’s a few of them that will try and react and to get in the team for that. Whatever happens next weekend happens, but I think our league campaign is over.”

So that was the ‘what next’. Time now for the ‘what happened’ conundrum.

“People come out to the Hyde to see us represent Roscommon and if that’s the best we can put forward, it’s not great, is it?” Burke replied.

“We were very flat, every second game it seems to happen. We had a big win in Cork, then we turn up and don’t do it in the Hyde, it’s very disappointing. We haven’t been here in a month, we’ve just three home games, and now we’re finished and that’s the performance that the Roscommon people are going to remember.”

Burke did cite one key event at the very end, when Roscommon were three points down with 69:40 on the new clock (i.e. where time is stopped at the referee’s discretion) and a 13-metre free was awarded. With the new guidelines, where a goalkeeper is allowed up to 30 seconds to take a kickout, the Cavan defenders were braced on the line to defend a shot on goal, while fans held their breath expecting drama.

Instead, Diarmuid Murtagh slotted the ball over the bar – and Burke told reporters that the St Faithleach’s man did this because he believed that there would be more play after the subsequent kickout. As it turned out, there wasn’t.

“It [the restriction on goalkeepers attacking] is a huge change, it’s much more physical now because you’ve no extra man, teams will push out and go man-to-man. We’ll coach to whatever it is, but the hooter at the end was a scandal, I don’t know what that was about” he fumed.

“We’re getting different notifications every week. Diarmuid Murtagh is told that if he kicks it over the bar they’ll play the next play, then he blows it up?

“Diarmuid was communicating with the referee. The referee seems to have a different set of rules than what we have, which is some craic in the middle of a national competition. If the hooter goes, you can still hold the ball for ten minutes if you’re able. Diarmuid obviously would have worked the ball short.”

But then, perhaps mindful of his earlier comments, or perhaps in keeping with Roscommon’s league campaign as a whole, he suddenly shifted back into reverse.

“But it’s our own fault, we were off the pace so it’s not about anything else,” he added.

*See this week's paper for Roscommon vs Cavan match report.