Roscommon’s greater need should make them tricky opponents

ALLIANZ NFL DIVISION 1 (ROUND 6)

IT’S been a strange sort of a National League hasn’t it?

For one reason or another – the condensed nature of the season with the championship now coming hot on the heels of the final being the most popular theory – it’s a becalmed sort of a competition in contrast with what it was not so long ago.

Sure, we always had the chat about it being only the league and any other number of clichés beloved or managers and media alike. At its core, though, the league was a properly competitive enterprise there for the last couple of decades.

Teams of a more or less equal standard doing battle every week or every other week for a couple of months in springtime. With cracking games and healthy crowds, the league staked a claim to being the best competition in the football firmament.

After five rounds of this year’s competition, is anybody seriously going to be making that claim now? Maybe in the lower tiers where there’s that much more at stake. In Division 1, though, not so much.

When Tyrone rocked up to Killarney the other week – other than a bit of performative pushing and shoving – they didn’t exactly seemed primed for battle, going down tamely enough to the Kingdom, even taking into account their late rally.

We’d argue that there’s no great sense of urgency to a lot of the games. The football has been okay we guess, nice football even, just lacking that essential edge, something very obvious in the game with Mayo in a packed out Austin Stack Park.

With two rounds to go – with everything pretty much still up for grabs – the competition should be really hotting up, instead we’re left to wonder how much teams actually want to reach the league final (the consensus, not very).

Kerry – who have a warm-weather training camp pencilled in for the week of the final – might ordinarily see a league final as a nice little boon at the end of a campaign, a run out in Croke Park, against a proper side before the moribund Munster championship.

This year, though, one doesn’t get the sense that Kerry are all that pushed. We could be wrong, of course, but that Portugal camp would seem to suggest otherwise.

Possibly that’s the reason why it’s so hard to get overly excited about this weekend’s game in

Dr Hyde Park. Ordinarily Kerry would be expected to win it, and they still might, it’s just that if either side is going to up for this one it’s going to be the home side.

Davy Glennon’s men are battling against the drop. Even if Kerry aren’t 100% secure in their status yet, Roscommon’s need being that much greater should give them an edge in this contest.

Then again in their last game, away to Mayo, Roscommon’s challenge died such a death in the second half that can’t solely be ascribed to a much more assertive Mayo performance in the second half.

There was a passivity to it that if repeated against the Kingdom this St Patrick’s Day will only spell defeat and near certain relegation for the Rossies, even if Kerry aren’t 100% lifting themselves.

Chances are we’re likely to see Jack O’Connor give some game-time to a few guys who haven’t gotten a whole pile

(or any) so far this term. Paul Geaney, who made the bench for the first time last time out, will surely feature.

Stephen O’Brien, who came off the bench in Fitzgerald Stadium, could be in line to start. Darragh Roche too, perhaps Tony Brosnan as well (he looked decent enough in the 35 minutes he got against Tyrone).

At the same time, though, we don’t think it likely there will be wholesale changes. The Kerry team which lines out will be recognisable and probably strong enough to get at least the point the Kingdom need to be sure of their Division 1 status for another season.

We wouldn’t be taking it for granted, though, either. Roscommon as they showed in the first half against Mayo can pack a punch. Their scoring efficiency was properly impressive in that first half in Castlebar.

The Rossies may well be the ultimate yo-yo county, but they still have a lot of very high quality footballers. Guys like Brian Stack, Niall Daly, Enda Smith, Donie Smith, and the simply excellent Diarmuid Murtagh.

Listowel ex-pat Conor Cox remains very much on the scene and was one of the few bright spots for the Rossies coming off the bench against Mayo in Castlebar the other week. As ever he’ll relish the chance to show the Kingdom what they’re missing out on given a chance.

Given what we’ve seen to date we can’t guarantee you a classic, or even a competitive contest, but there probably will be some nice football on display, and with a couple of Clifford brothers on view there’s always a chance of the spectacular.

As for the outcome? While Kerry are favourites, Roscommon’s greater need might be enough to help them spring a surprise. Just don’t bank on it.

Verdict: Kerry