Major Mayo test to

Allianz Football League Division One Monaghan 0-14 Roscommon 0-11

< PAUL HEALY IN CLONES

However reluctantly it may be, Davy Burke and Kevin McStay will begin the process of revealing some of their respective hands in public this Sunday as Roscommon and Mayo meet in a tasty league appetiser to a championship ‘main course’ next month.

An eagerly awaited Connacht

Championship showdown will be an Easter Weekend treat, but first the old rivals meet this Sunday in a top of the table league clash which will attract a huge crowd to Dr Hyde Park. It will also give further insights into the current wellbeing of the top two in Division One.

On the evidence of their recent wins against Kerry and Tyrone, Mayo have great momentum. Roscommon have made an excellent start to the league, but a sluggish performance against Monaghan last Sunday led to a first defeat of the campaign.

Roscommon’s great achievement in gathering six points from their first three games has probably already secured them Division One status, and has certainly boosted confidence ahead of the newly-revamped championship.

That said, if Roscommon are to have any chance of keeping a dynamic Mayo at bay this weekend, they will have to play vastly better than they did against Monaghan.

Managers Burke (Roscommon) and McStay (Mayo) will want to hold back as many aces as possible ahead of the championship clash on April 9th, while still being tempted to vie for local bragging rights this Sunday.

It’s a moot point whether either or both of the joint table-toppers actually want to progress into potential league final territory!

If anything, Davy Burke saw Sunday’s lacklustre display in Clones as a welcome tempering of expectations. Speaking to RTE Sport, Burke indicated that the ending of an unbeaten league run which stretched back to late 2021 was actually the lifting of a welcome weight off the team’s collective shoulders.

“I’m glad that whatever run that was is over now, to be honest with you. There’s a lot of talk (about Roscommon’s league start), a lot of unwarranted talk. We’re a good, hard-

Teams & scorers

Monaghan: Rory Beggan (0-1, free); Thomas McPhillips, Kieran Duffy, Ryan Wylie (0-1); Conor Boyle, Dessie Ward (0-1), Ryan O’Toole; Darren Hughes, Gary Mohan (0-1); Stephen O’Hanlon, Micheál Bannigan (0-3, 0-1 free), Conor McCarthy (0-1); Shane Carey, Karl Gallagher (0-1), Jack McCarron (0-4, 0-2 frees).

Subs: Karl O’Connell for Mohan (45 mins); Sean Jones (0-1) for Carey (48 mins); Conor McManus for Gallagher (57 mins); Fintan Kelly for McCarron (69 mins).

Wides: Monaghan 8; Roscommon 9

Yellow cards: Monaghan 0; Roscommon 3 (Richard Hughes, Ciaráin Murtagh, David Murray)

Red cards: 0

Black cards: 2 (Diarmuid Murtagh & Ben O’Carroll, Roscommon)

Man of the Match: Jack McCarron

Roscommon: Conor Carroll; Niall Daly, Conor Daly, David Murray; Dylan Ruane, Brian Stack (0-1), Richard Hughes (0-2); Tadhg O’Rourke, Keith Doyle; Robbie Dolan, Diarmuid Murtagh (0-2, 0-1 free), Ciarán Lennon; Ciaráin Murtagh (0-2, 0-2 frees), Ben O’Carroll (0-2), Enda Smith (0-1).

Subs: Daire Cregg for Doyle (42 mins); Niall Kilroy (0-1) for Ruane (49 mins); Donie Smith for Hughes (57 mins); Ruaidhri Fallon for Lennon (63 mins); Conor Cox for D Murtagh (65 mins).

Referee: Niall Cullen (Fermanagh).