[QUOTE=“Tonymac, post: 1141948, member: 2956”]Roscommon are also a county you seem to dislike, well thats what i get from reading over past posts from you. Any reason for this a bad pint once in Roscommon or ex girl friend from there?
In early April 2010 Roscommon seniors were relegated to Div 4 after just one win in div 3, one week later Roscommon won their first Connacht U-21 title for 11 years and since then Roscommon have won another three Connacht U21 titles. Without that success and talent coming through at U-21 level Roscommon would not have risen from div 4 to now div 1 at senior level.
Without the use of google i would seriously wonder could you even name five Roscommon players.
Yes defended poorly but would be fairly new to the packed defence tactics anyway you are talking away from how well Armagh played that day and indeed that summer. Armagh also beat Tyrone away,Meath in Croke park and got within inches of beating the All Ireland finalist and Ulster champions Donegal.
I’m sure Mayo in 2010 or Galway 2007,2010 and 2012 also thought they had safe passage before losing to Sligo.
I expect Mayo to beat Galway again and if Roscommon are to reach and lose the Connacht final it would be no disaster as after all the final would be in MacHale Park Castlebar and Mayo are top 5 experienced and seasoned side. If its Galway well they would also be at home and be hot favourites having beaten Mayo no so disaster to lose that game either. Roscommon would then have to play a round 4 qualifier against one of the B side winners which could likely be the loser of todays Ulster game between Donegal,Tyrone who like Mayo are high ranked sides.
The fact is Roscommon senior football team are a young improving side that has only just got promoted to Div one this spring after spending over a decade down in Div3,4. The potential is there now to improve further however what happens over the next 2 or 3 years will tell me where Roscommon stand at senior level more than anything that may happen this summer.[/QUOTE]
Demographics is a factor at play when it comes to the current state of former traditional powers like Roscommon, Offaly and Cavan. They are the only three counties with populations of less than 100,000 to reach an All Ireland Football final in the last 80 years. Roscommon has a population of about 63,000 which is about 10,000 less than both Cavan and Offaly. Only Leitrim, Carlow, Longford and Monaghan are more sparsely populated.