Defending Connacht champions Roscommon are back in the provincial final after a comfortable 2-12 to 0-6 win over a very limited Leitrim in Carrick-on-Shannon on Sunday.
The Rossies’ Donie Shine starred when the sides met at the same stage last year and was again a key contributor as his first half goal ensured a hefty gap remained between the sides for the rest of the semi-final.
Conor Devaney raised a second green flag right at the death, as a very composed and well-marshalled showing saw his side set up a final encounter with either Galway or Mayo in July. Leitrim never looked like repeating their surprise win over Sligo last time out.
With the wind on Roscommon’s side in the first half, Shine opened the scoring after shrugging off Dermot Reynolds and sending the ball over the bar. Senan Kilbirde added a second before Emlyn Mulligan made up for a week free into Geoffrey Claffey’s hands by sending an excellent point over for Leitrim’s maiden score.
It would be a while before they got another though as two awesome efforts from Kilbride and Karol Mannion put the Rossies three clear. The same duo, mind you, were among the guilty men as Roscommon began to rack up a notable wide count. Leitrim were also failing to hit the target, though they were struggling even to get into shooting positions as Fergal O’Donnell’s men held a strong line at the back.
With just over 20 minutes gone Roscommon then looked already to have booked their place back in the provincial decider. Kevin Higgin’s miscued point attempt was picked up by Shine, who held off the attentions of Reynolds as he turned onto his left foot to fire the ball to the back of the Leitrim net. Cathal McCrann got a slight touch but the goalkeeper could not keep it out and his side were well behind.
They responded briefly as Conor Beirne won and scored a free, but an off target shot from wing back Wayne McKeon summed up their half. At the other end a free from an acute angle was converted by Kildride, and well taken efforts from Cathal Cregg and Senan O’Grady had Mickey Moran’s men trailing by 1-7 to a meagre 0-2 at the interval.
Indeed, the deficit should have been five rather than eight after Paul Brennan skirted down the right and played in Adrian Croal, but he fluffed his goal kick, leaving his side with it all to do.
Roscommon looked to kill off any slight breath of air left in Leitrim’s make-up early in the second period, with Higgins kicking over his first point and McCrann then twice needed to deny a second goal for the men in gold. First he faced up to a point-blank effort that Kilbride in truth wasted after Cregg’s set-up. McCrann then made a better save to keep a well-hit Higgins strike at bay.
Another Kilbride point put ten between the teams before Mulligan expertly split the posts for Leitrim’s first score in half an hour. It was quickly followed by another from Ronan Gallagher, who had moved forward from full back, and a second pointed free from full forward Beirne.
Shine was starting to miss the target at the other end, but one of his awry efforts was rescued and pointed by Devaney to make it 1-10 to 0-5.
With less than ten minutes left Leitrim sub Brian McDonald almost gave his side a lifeline but a vicious goalbound effort was cleared off the line by defender Niall Carty. Croal pointed from the loose ball, but a Higgins score quickly had the gap back at eight points again and McBride then made it nine.
The next, and final, score was Devaney’s goal as the Roscommon number 13 found himself on-one with McCrann and cleverly sold the goalkeeper before a delicate tap over the line. That was that as Leitrim are expunged to the qualifiers.