Played in championship conditions, only without conditions usually attached to the championship, Galway and Roscommon both had reason to be satisfied with the outcome of Sunday’s events at Dr Hyde Park. The ultimate aim is to ensure that outcome is long-term.
Unbeaten in their opening six games, Galway were already assured of promotion back to Division One, after being relegated last year; also unbeaten in their opening six games, Roscommon, likewise relegated last year, still needed to win to ensure their promotion, which they did, 1-20 to 1-15, after leading by 11 points at half-time.
It means Division One will consist of three Connacht sides in 2023 (Mayo, Galway and Roscommon), four Ulster sides (Tyrone, Armagh, Donegal and Monaghan) plus Kerry; it also means no Leinster representative in top-flight football since the league competition began.
This Sunday’s reprise in the form of the Division Two final at Croke Park may or may not be an entirely welcome prospect, given the close proximity of the Connacht championship. Galway will be out three weeks later against Mayo, Roscommon the week after that against Sligo.
Either way Roscommon manager Anthony Cunningham has no doubt his team are primed for the return to Division One, after losing the relegation play-off in last year’s truncated league to Armagh (Galway lost their relegation play-off to Monaghan, after extra-time).
“You hear some pundits saying ‘oh, you should be in Division Two, or Division Three’, or wherever,” said Cunningham.
“But for young players to really cut their teeth, Division One is super, and we would be happy with the new players coming in this year, they’re developing very well, and we’d a good under-20 team last year, with more players coming through, so Division One can only be good for all that.
“We’ve everyone fighting for a place now, which is where we want to be. The players we brought in, the newer players, have really blossomed. It’s all about development, and Division One is ultimately where you want to be for that, the players want it too.”
Rare meeting
Sunday’s all-Connacht Division Two final also marks a rare meeting between the counties in Croke Park; they also contested the Division One football league final in 1980-81, which Galway won, 1-11 to Roscommon’s 1-3 .
“We also want a big performance in Croke Park,” added Cunningham, “because for the last few years we’ve haven’t got one. We’re always looking to go the next step, the new step, and with Division One next year, a strong Connacht championship would go another step, and the other step has to be a big performance in Croke Park. It will be easier for Galway now to get up for the game too.
“It’s another competitive match, and happy with the run of games. Galway had beaten us in the last matches in the league and championship so glad to put that right too. One more match before the championship will suit us too, which is ultimately what we’ll be judged on. For is, we always want to win, we want to be competitive, so we’ll go up with the utmost respect, and try to win in.”
Sunday’s win also meant Roscommon ended up the only team across all four divisions to finish unbeaten in their seven games.
For Galway manager Pádraic Joyce, the guarantee of promotion already meant he rested some first-choice players including forwards Rob Finnerty, Damien Comer, Shane Walsh, who were nursing minor injuries.
However, the prospect of back-to-back defeats ahead of their championship meeting with Mayo is enough to ensure they make a proper game of it on Sunday too: “That’s football, you can be up one week, down the next, but it’s certainly great to see three Connacht teams in Division One, things do go in cycles. Roscommon give a good hard physical game, and that’s what we need going into the championship on April 24th,” said Joyce.
