Clinical Rossies blitz young Leitrim

The gulf between Division 1 and Division 4 teams was cruelly illustrated last Sunday at the Connacht GAA Centre of Excellence as a clinical and powerful Roscommon tore huge holes in the defence of a young and inexperienced Leitrim to win in the opening game of the FBD Insurance Connacht League.

 Most of the damage was done in three calamitous minutes midway through the first half as Roscommon won four successive Leitrim kickouts and returned them for 3-1 to put a game that was already getting away from Steven Poacher's side beyond all hope of rescue.

Leitrim struggled all day in the middle of the park to gain possession from kickouts and Roscommon's ability to transition quickly and effectively left the Green & Gold with a mountain to climb as Mark Dowd's side were particularly clinical.

With four U20 players starting and two more coming on, a young Leitrim team were always going to struggle against a physical imposing Roscommon side who may themselves have been without quite a few first choice starters but their strength in depth gives them a ability to cope with the absentees far better.

The sight of Barry McNulty, Ryan O'Rourke, Conor Reynolds and a few more along the sideline offers some hope for future days but Leitrim's hopes weren't helped when midfielder Cillian McGloin departed the action literally second before Roscommon's three goal salvo, the Rossies making extraordinary good use to turnover possession.

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That power and physical running power was perhaps the great difference between the team but you'd also have to say that years in Division 1 football have Roscommon playing at a greater speed, their decision making much quicker than the Green & Gold who battled away to the final whistle but just couldn't match the clinical edge the winners possessed.

In fairness, Leitrim are highly unlikely to come up against team of the calibre of Roscommon in Division 4 but as Steven Poacher starts a new year shorn of some experienced players, it was undoubtedly a sign of the growing gap between the stronger counties and those in the lower divisions.

Leitrim may experience something similar next Saturday when they travel to Tuam to take on Galway but the focus has always been on the trip to Aughrim for the first round of the League at the end of the month and to their credit, Leitrim kept battling away to the final whistle but the main aim right now is just to get minutes into the legs.

Riordan O'Rourke strikes for a Leitrim point against Roscommon Picture: Willie Donnellan

Leitrim actually had the first chance of a goal, Eanna McNamara getting a fist to Cillian McGloin’s long range shot but the crossbar intervened as Roscommon cleared the danger, Eoin Ward and Diarmuid Murtagh combining to set up Cian McKeon for the game’s opening point.

McGloin claimed a good mark from a kickout and went long to Paul Honeyman who set up Riordan O’Rourke for a fine point but Roscommon were moving ominously with McKeon and Murtagh both adding points in quick succession.

 O’Rourke was unlucky with a shot that hit woodwork while Paul Honeyman put a free wide before Ward’s strong run ended with a fourth Rossie point.

The signs were there and as Roscommon feasted on the Leitrim kickout, they broke with Cian McKeon firing low to the net, perhaps getting away with an abundance of steps, after just nine minutes. Dylan Ruane added a point before Jack Kelly scored a well worked Leitrim point after 12 minutes following a wide from a Honeyman free.

Jack Tumulty and Jack Kelly swapped points, the Leitrim man from a free before, midway through the first half, the bottom fell out of Leitrim’s challenge as Roscommon struck 3-1 in just three minutes, all coming from Roscommon winning the Leitrim kickout and charging forward with pace and precision.

First came a Darragh Heneghan point before, in devastating fashion, Murtagh, Tumulty and Murtagh again found the net on three successive kickouts to turn the contest into a cakewalk.

A shell-shocked Leitrim tried to respond and did rattle off three points from a Kelly free, Tom Prior after a strong Keith Keegan run and Paul Honeyman after a one-two with Mark Diffley. Heneghan and McKeon (two pointer) would swap scores before the break with Prior and Kelly (free) to leave Roscommon with a commanding 4-10 to 0-8 halftime lead.

Fergal McLoughlin, Ruairi O’Rourke and Arek Oberwan all entered the fray at halftime, joining Cathal McHugh who replaced an injured Cillian McGloin after 14 minutes, and the game was more or less tit for tat in the opening quarter with both sides scoring four points apiece.

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Kelly and Prior were joined on the scoresheet by subs Ruairi O’Rourke and Ben Guckian, who replaced Evan Harkin after 41 minutes, while Declan Kenny, McKeon and Murtagh (2) replied for the Division 1 Rossies.

But then Mark Dowd’s team hit full stride once more with a further 1-2 blast, the goal from sub Oisin Cregg while Heneghan and sub Senan Lambe added points. Jack Kelly and Mark Diffley added late points while Roscommon had a goal chalked off for a square ball late on.

LEITRIM

Scorers: Jack Kelly 0-6, 4f; Tom Prior 0-3; Riordan O’Rourke, Paul Honeyman, Mark Diffley, Ruairi O’Rourke & Ben Guckian 0-1 each

Team: Daire O’Shea; Sean Harkin, Kieran Clancy, Eoin McLoughlin; Eanna McNamara, James Rooney, Bailey McBride; Cillian McGloin, Mark Diffley; Keith Keegan, Riordan O’Rourke, Tom Prior; Evan Harkin, Paul Honeyman, Jack Kelly. Subs: Cathal McHugh for McGloin (14), Ruairi O’Rourke, Arek Oberwan & Fergal McLoughlin  for Honeyman, E. McLoughlin & McBride (HT), Ben Guckian for E Harkin (42), Tom Plunkett for Clancy (51)

ROSCOMMON

Scorers: D Murtagh 2-3; C McKeon 1-5, 2 tp; D Heneghan 0-4; J Tumulty 1-1; O Cregg 1-0; E Ward, D Ruane, S Lambe, D Kenny 0-1 each

Team: S Kelly; T Lambe, E McCormack, M Richardson; E Ward, C Keogh, R Daly; K Doyle, C Ryan; D Ruane, C McKeon, D Heneghan; D Murtagh, C Lennon, J Tumulty. Subs: E Colleran for Tumulty (27), D Kenny for Ward (27), P Gavin for Lambe (30), O Cregg for Daly (HT), C Heneghan for McKeon (42), E Flynn for McCormack (44), S Lambe for Doyle (47), R Hughes for Ryan (48), S Canning for Ruane (50)

Referee: P Lydon (Mayo)