by Declan Rooney

Roscommon full-back John McManus says Kevin McStay's side have a steely determination to avenge last year's humiliating Connacht final replay defeat at the hands of Galway.

Roscommon qualified for the provincial final on 9 July after a comprehensive victory over Leitrim at Dr Hyde Park, which has confirmed a re-run of last year's final pairing.

Last year's draw at Pearse Stadium resulted in a replay at MacHale Park, but Roscommon collapsed to a shuddering 11-point defeat that day, which cut their season off at the knees as a qualifier defeat to Clare resulted the following weekend.

McManus played wing-back in both of those finals, but has made a successful transition to full-back this season. He says the players are excited about getting another crack at the champions in Salthill again.

"Everyone will write us off and probably rightly so after that replay last year. We are going to be quietly confident going in and we'll give it everything we have," said McManus.

"Galway are a strong side, there is no other way of putting it. They beat Mayo who are a serious championship team two years on the bounce now.

"But we are not going to fear them, we absolutely feel we are totally capable of giving them a great game and hopefully coming out on the right side of a victory.

"Everyone will thing we're underdogs. We gave a bad account of ourselves in the replay last year which really wasn't a true reflection of this team or where we want to go. We are determined to right a few wrongs in the Connacht final."

Facing a likely pairing against in-form Galway full-forward Damien Comer in the final, McManus will not have it as easy as the Roscommon defence did against Leitrim, who were outclassed and underperformed in a lacklustre outing.

Up front Roscommon's six starting forwards all scored, while wing-back Conor Devaney bagged a couple of goals, and subs Cian Connolly and Shane Killoran also got in on the scoring fun. At a baking hot Dr Hyde Park their sharp running paid dividends, but no matter what conditions they faced Roscommon were determined to play an attractive brand of football.

"It was a great result. We had our game plan before we went out and the weather was irrelevant to us. We knew how we wanted to impose ourselves on the game. Even if it was soaking wet day we were going to play the same way so we were happy with the way it went for us," said the Roscommon Gaels defender.

"In the league we were probably putting in high turnover numbers in the league games, but we are trying to time ourselves for the season.

"It was all about fitness to be honest, we had the fitness levels to keep it up and keep the concentration and keep the turnover numbers down that we had in the league. We're very happy how it has gone for us."

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