Roscommon GAA thread

Replying To The_analyser:  "Order fixtures, three Saturday night games.


Jan 23rd Armagh (A)
Jan 31st Mayo (H)
Feb 14th Kerry (H)
Feb 20th Cork (A)
Feb 28th Galway (H)
March 13th Meath (A) *
March 21st Donegal (A)

* Croke Park trip for that game."

Replying To The_analyser:  "Order fixtures, three Saturday night games.


Jan 23rd Armagh (A)
Jan 31st Mayo (H)
Feb 14th Kerry (H)
Feb 20th Cork (A)
Feb 28th Galway (H)
March 13th Meath (A) *
March 21st Donegal (A)

* Croke Park trip for that game."

Replying To Tadhg2020:  "What is the purpose of this post?

1. Why do you want to deny Tooreen the opportunity of winning a club all ireland? What is your motive here?
2. Yes Roscommon struggled in terms of results in the Ring but they were very competitive in most of the games. Their S+C isnt quite at the level of the other , more experienced, Ring teams and it cost them. They are a young team that lost their centre back from the rackard win. He was a huge loss. They had a really competitive game against Kerry in Ballyforan, for example, and the scoreline didnt do their performance justice. The extra physicality and experience plus a stronger bench got Kerry over the line.
3. Brian Hanley is a loss but there was no jumping ship as you put it. You are trying to imply something there and its wrong. The information that I have is that his work commitments changed over the summer and he couldn't dedicate the time he felt it deserved. Roscommon do need to replace him with similar quality.
4. This young Roscommon team did catch a break on relegation. That is true. There is a talented bunch of players there though. If they winter well, S+C and fitness wise, and keep everyone on board plus add a few that had stepped away then they can survive on merit and progress over the next few years. The talent is there. The question is whether the commitment is."

Replying To letsgetgoing:  "Difficult to get a bed in Dublin on Saturday 13th March for the Meath game, as Ireland are playing France that night at home at 8.10pm. Possible grand slam decider?"

Replying To Tadhg2020:  "Im going to cover a lot of the above posts in one here.
1. Tooreen are streets ahead of every club team in Connacht outside of the Galway Senior hurling championship. What they are achieving there is exceptional and should serve as an inspiration to everyone trying to promote hurling in football country. It can be done. They deserve their opportunity to try to win their all ireland and shouldn't be pushed up to senior just because they are better as has been suggested.
2. Roscommon hurling is actually improving. Im around the county for 25 years now and I saw the decline year on year. In my opinion there is a lot of talented hurlers now coming through across the 7 clubs. Hanley is a loss to the county team but if they can replace him with someone of similar knowledge and ability then they can grow as a team. They are a young squad , in general, and need a lot of S+C work but the hurling is in them given the right structure and guidance to establish themselves as a Christy Ring team and even move towards winning it given time.
3. The Club championship, within the county, is probably as competitive as it has been in many a year. 4 Roads are still winning it but that's, currently, more through others not taking their chance than 4 roads dominance. The power of the jersey and making less mistakes rather than superior hurling.
4. The Club championship structure. Id like to see the 7 teams plsy each other once (6 games) too. I dont know if it can fit in the calender though. As it stands each team plays 4 championship round robin games( its a complicated system that i dont fully understand that decides who plays who) and then there is 2 quarter finals followed by semi finsls and a final so it takes a minimum of 6 games to win it.
There is also a senior and junior league before that with 6 games in each plus a final so there are plenty of games now.
5. The standard is low in terms of quality and fitness but it is rising. Young playes are coming through in every club and raising the standard. Some of the older lads are still hurling well too. I wouldnt judge hurling in the rest of connacht (outside galway) by Tooreen standards. They are exceptional as I said earlier. 4 roads, Dominics, Oran would compete strongly with Ballyhaunis and any other club in Mayo, Sligo and Leitrim. Id back them to win in most games.
Thats my opinion on where Roscommon hurling is. Yesterday was a bad day for Four Roads on a good day for a very good Tooreen. It isnt a reflection on Roscommon or even Mayo hurling. Roscommon county hurling team is at a cross roads. If the county board makes a good management team appointment they can progress together and achieve real progress. If they get it wrong an opportunity will be lost, I would argue again.."

Replying To letsgetgoing:  "Difficult to get a bed in Dublin on Saturday 13th March for the Meath game, as Ireland are playing France that night at home at 8.10pm. Possible grand slam decider?"

Replying To Gaa_lover:  "My purpose exposes the fundamental flaws embedded within the current club hurling grading framework and at county level with how relegation is decided.

Tooreen have repeatedly demonstrated their caliber and thoroughly earned the right to test themselves at Senior level. If they find themselves outmatched, then transition back to the Intermediate tier to rebuild, contest Connacht, and mount another All-Ireland campaign. Ultimately, a step up won't derail their trajectory-their enviable age profile ensures long-term squad longevity and resilience


For Roscommon I don't see it as catching a break to stay up in the Christy Ring Cup. The reality of this season proves that the Nickey Rackard Cup is exactly where Roscommon need to be right now. It is a much healthier environment to cultivate a winning mentality, build squad confidence, and buy the time necessary to bridge the obvious physical and athletic gaps.


Hanley's abrupt departure warrants genuine scrutiny despite the rhetoric offered as an explanation. When the dust settles, the definitive metrics specifically the season's results and a stark win-loss ratio tell the true story of his brief campaign.

The next manager needs to pledge at least a two-year commitment to the project. You cannot demand absolute dedication from the players while allowing the sideline to operate through a revolving door.

The replacement I'd suggest needs to be more like Kevin Sammon who stuck around for two years and who injected belief back and a bit of confidence back into the team by winning the Nickey Rackard Cup in Croke Park against Mayo
With 8 Tooreen starters on their team and handful more on the bench."