McInerney knows Rossies’ acid test is further down road
IT starts today, but the answer to the question as to whether Roscommon have learned a harsh lesson or that they simply aren’t good enough won’t be answered for another four weeks.
Leitrim footballers travel to Dr Hyde Park clinging to the hope that the sight of primrose and blue will stir their blood and draw a line under a 17-year, eight-game winless streak against their neighbours.
But if proximity is their friend, it is only in geographical terms because football-wise they are worlds apart.
Roscommon have just ended a two-year stint in the Allianz League’s top flight, while their opponents have life membership of the bottom tier.
True, Roscommon’s relegation may offer a sliver of light at the end of the tunnel for Leitrim but the reality is that they are in the pathway of an oncoming train.
Of all the woes that have befallen Roscommon in the last 12 months – a disastrous Championship campaign, the painful break-up of the Fergal O’Donnell/Kevin McStay management relationship, the bleeding of several experienced players in the close season – the least bothersome is likely to be dropping out of Division 1.
They paid a heavy price for staying there last year, which emptied them to the point that New York came close to dumping them out of the Connacht SFC.
‘Last year we had to put in an unbelievable commitment in preseason to be ready for that level,’ explains corner-back Niall McInerney.
‘What we showed in the Championship was that we were jaded in the end. This year we didn’t do as much and we are definitely feeling much fresher and really looking forward to it,’ adds the St Brigid’s clubman.
That is a theory which Galway should stress-test next month if they face the Rossies in the Connacht decider.
Yet, Roscommon have reason to feel good about themselves.
While their demotion was inevitable from the moment they lost their opening round game to Tyrone, with the exception of a brutal hammering from Dublin, their performances weren’t bad.
They were caught on the line against Donegal, pushed Kerry hard even though they were reduced to 14 men and beat a Cavan team that were in desperate need of a win in the final round.
There is much they can squeeze from that experience, suggests McInerney.
‘I probably didn’t realise how great it was until this year when it wasn’t going so well.
‘We kind of took it for granted last year. Coming in as a young player; I had played on good underage teams who would have expected to win those games so we didn’t think too much about it. ‘But the big thing is that we were competitive in the League but we didn’t get the results we would have liked. ‘We were close enough in a number of games but didn’t push on, like the Donegal game.
‘Had we won that game then we could have had a completely different outlook on the whole League and we could have kicked on,’ he added.
‘But the other side of that is that we probably learned a lot more from losing that game. We didn’t close it out on the day and that is something you are likely to remember the next time you find yourself in that position and you should be the better for it.’ This summer will tell that. The bottom line is that for all the talk of the spring, this is the only show which truly matters.
‘We are just focused on Leitrim, especially with the game being a local derby. They probably see themselves as equal to us.
‘We need to focus on ourselves and our performance and try and give an accurate reflection of the work we have put in here at training.’