Rossies not hiding Super 8 ambitions, says Cregg
Having demonstrated in Castlebar that Roscommon can match the game’s leading lights, centre-forward Cathal Cregg now wants the team to return to the Super 8s and prove they are a far more competent side than their 2018 model.
Roscommon’s first championship win over Mayo at MacHale Park in 33 years has now put Anthony Cunningham’s side within 70 minutes of a return to the Super 8s — but standing in the way of their place in the All-Ireland quarter-final series, and second Connacht title in three years, is Galway.
Avoiding the fourth round of qualifiers is Roscommon’s next goal and from there, the side wants to prove the gap between them and the leading Division 1 sides is not as wide as many believe.
The county lost all three of their 2018 Super 8 outings by an aggregate total of 39 points.
“Beating Mayo shows the lads that if they work as hard as they possibly can, they can compete with the top teams,” began Cregg, who scored the first of their two goals in last weekend’s victory.
“At this level, if you don’t go in with that savage work-rate when playing the Division 1 teams, you get beaten.
“We found that out in the spring. We were competitive in a few games, but were off against the likes of Cavan and Galway.
On Saturday we came with a good attitude and worked hard. We have come over here on a good few occasions in my time and got a few bad beatings, so I’m delighted to get across the line.
“When the game was in the melting pot at the end, and having just gone down to 14 men, you’re saying: ‘Where is this going to come from?’
“But some of the tackles put in and the way the lads transferred the ball to Fintan [Cregg] to kick that winner was brilliant to see.”
Cregg continued: “We’d like to get back to the Super 8s and be more competitive [than last year]. We got to that stage last year and we just weren’t at the mark that we should have been at.”
Despite their successful toppling of the league champions in their own backyard, centre-back Conor Hussey believes Roscommon will enter the Connacht final on June 16 as underdogs.
“This win will give us confidence, but we know what’s coming around the corner with Galway,” said defender Hussey.
“They’re flying it and with the Corofin boys coming back too, we’re under absolutely no illusions.
"We’ll go into that final as underdogs again and rightly so. Just because we beat Mayo does not mean we’ll win a provincial title.
“To get to the Super 8s is an aim too, but the aim in Roscommon every year has to be to win a Connacht title.”
