Roscommon claim the NFL Division 2 trophy
By Brendan O’Brien
Dow 1-17 Roscommon 0-15
Roscommon franked their remarkable rise up the rungs of league football at Croke Park on Sunday afternoon, their capture of the Division 2 title at Down’s expense coming just 12 months after they lifted the third-tier title.
Down topped the second division after the regular series of games, but Roscommon repeated their round one defeat of the Ulster county in Newry with the similarities extending to the fact that the losers again had a man sent off.
It was Brendan McArdle on this occasion, the centre-back sent to the line on the stroke of half-time for a second yellow card, even if no-one could remember referee Maurice Deggan showing him the first.
That was the most notable moment in a first-half devoid of them, the sides drawing level half-a-dozen times in an insipid encounter where both were happy to flood 12 or 13 men behind the defensive lines.
Roscommon dispensed with the tit-for-tat after the break, rattling off four points on the restart and, though Down hit back with three of their own, the Roscommon side’s superiority was becoming more marked with Senan Kilbride the standout figure.
The St Brigid’s full-forward kicked four sublime points from play, but his influence spread far beyond that to his link-up play in the final third while young Cian Connolly kept the board ticking over with five points of his own, a quartet of them from frees.
Cian Murtagh’s goal with nine minutes to play merely confirmed a result that everyone expected, but it was a wonderfully worked effort with Donie Shine batting down a long ball for Murtagh to crack home from the edge of the area.
Now to the championship.
Scorers for Down: D O’Hare (0-5, 3 frees); K McKernan (0-2); P Devlin and J Johnston (both 0-1 free); C Maginn, B McArdle, C Laverty, C Mooney, P Fitzpatrick and R Johnston (all 0-1).
Scorers for Roscommon: C Murtagh (1-2, 0-1 free); D Murtagh (0-5, 4 frees);l S Kilbride (0-4); C Caffrerky, D Smith, U Harney, D Murtagh and C Cregg (all 0-1); D Shine )-1 free).
: S Kane; L Howard, A Carr, D O’Hagan; G Collins, B McArdle, K McKernan; C Mooney, P Turley; D O’Hanlon, C Maginn, C McGovern; P Devlin, C Laverty, D O’Hare. Subs: P Fitzpatrick for Turley (HT); R Johnston for Devlin (47); N Madine for Carr (60); A McConville for McGinn (64); J Johnston for McKernan (66); R Boyle for Collins (69).
: D O’Malley; N Collins, N Carty, D Murray; C Daly, N Daly, C Cafferky; K Higgins, C Shine; R Stack, C Murtagh, C Cregg; C Connolly, S Kilbride, D Smith. Subs: D Murtagh for Smith (HT); U Harney for Cregg (47); B Murtagh for Murray (53); D Shine for Connolly (55); C Compton for C Murtagh (62); I Kilbride for Higgins (67).
: M Deegan (Laois).
