Roscommon sing redemption song with Allianz Hurling League 3A title triumph

After failing to pick up a win in their first three league games of the year, all against the sides that finished 4th, 5th and 6th in Division 3A of the Allianz Hurling League, Roscommon completed a most remarkable turnaround to comfortably see off Armagh and secure promotion and the Allianz Hurling League Division 3A title.

The Rossies have been utterly rejuvenated since Seamus Qualter's appointment following their heavy home defeat to Louth, and they played some excellent hurling this afternoon in Meath, building up a five-point lead in the opening ten minutes and retaining control of the game from then until the end, notwithstanding a spell before half-time where goalkeeper Enda Lawless had to come to their rescue with a number of sensational stops.

Two outstanding points from Mickey Joe Egan were followed by a goal from Conor Mulry in the tenth minute, the sliotar whipped inside Fintan Woods’ near post after a good long ball from Eamon Flanagan found the Four Roads player.

Roscommon had the aid of the breeze in the opening half and looked sharp up front throughout, but they were more vulnerable at the back than they would have liked, and needed Lawless to come up with some outstanding saves to keep them in the game, with Armagh’s Tomás Galvin hugely unlucky not to find the net on a couple of occasions after he tested the Meelick-Eyrecourt man.

In a repeat of events at the Hyde three weeks ago, inaccuracy from dead balls also plagued the Orchard men, and while five of their six first-half points came from Fionntán Donnelly frees, with Donnelly also registering their only point from play, they could easily have been a lot closer than 1-9 to 0-6 at the break.

For their part, Roscommon left a couple of goals behind them too,