Connacht SFC Quarter-final
London v Roscommon
Ruislip, Sunday, 3.0
The eternal hike continues for London, who have had the usual turnover of players since last year – six squad members moved on, team captain Séamus Hannon and classy forward Damien Dunleavy among them.
Not alone that, Paul Coggins is missing seven frontline players through injury for this, their annual gala day in Ruislip. All in all, only five members of the Connacht final team from 2013 line out. Feels like a long time ago.
They have no chance here against a rising Roscommon side. John Evans has consistently and astutely raised the bar for his young side and the 15 lining out here will surely put up a cricket score. There might be three teams in the country with a better front six than Roscommon. There aren't five. Expect them to fill their boots against London.
Ruislip can be a sticky proposition occasionally if the visitors don’t come with the correct attitude. Galway showed last year that the way to deal with London is to kill them off early and watch their heads drop.
Sligo made the mistake in 2013 of allowing them into the game and suffering as they grew in stature with the crowd behind them.
Though Evans has a young side on his hands, he needs them to deal with this hurdle maturely.
THE LOWDOWN
Last meeting: May 30th 2010, Connacht SFC First Round, Ruislip - London 0-6, Roscommon 0-14.
Match odds: London 14/1, Roscommon 1/25, Draw 25/1.
Injuries: Roscommon have no significant worries. London are missing Peter O'Shea (concussion), Greg Crowley (arm), Tony Gaughan (back), Philip Galvin (knee) and Conor Sheridan (concussion). Just the ticket: Adults £15; Students/Seniors £10; U16 free.
Verdict: Roscommon to beat the 11-point handicap.
LONDON: D Traynor; B Collins, P Butler, D McGreevey; D McCarthy, C Carty, S Curran; M Gottsche, M Carroll; S Conory, C Creene, J Moran; A O'Hara, L Mulvey, A Moyles.
ROSCOMMON: D O'Malley; S McDermott, N Carty, N Collins; D Ward, N Daly, C Cafferkey; M Healy, C Shine; E Smith, D Shine, C Murtagh; D Murtagh, S Kilbride, C Cregg.
Referee: Eddie Kinsella (Laois).
