Colleges final live on Mid West.

Strong team you would feel a bit for James Carr . Great to see Conor Loftus getting a starting spot deserves it after last week .

Feel there may be some changes in the attack before throw in, important that we win to put us in a comfortable position, looking forward to an improved display from last week.

That team is a near championship one.

This round is the really crucial one. Donegal win and their foot will be off the pedal giving their remaining opponents a chance of picking up points. We’ll be in a good spot if we win, but not fully secure. Ditto Kerry.

What's the point in picking O Shea at full forward, he is going to be in midfield for throw-ins , fielding balls in our square, up and down the field all day and whatever time he spends at full forward there wont be a proper ball kicked into him. Otherwise a strong team, but wasn't Loftus tried at chb before without great success.

Loftus pitched against Bannigan. That will be an interesting battle. Tough luck on James carr. Im glad to see Howard making the bench.
Big game required from Carney, needs to show more. No Conal Dawson on panel, though he will benefit from a break.

Very strong starting team, id be guessing that 1-9 are starting championship and at least 4 of the forwards.

Starting team is a bit meh tbh. What on earth is to gained starting AOS at ff these days. He has done nothing to justify it on the appearances so far

The bench is very exciting though.
All eyes will be on Kobe and he may even be parachuted into start, cian mchale also has to be very close

O Shea at full forward sounds good but only with plenty of high ball into him whats the point of him being at midfield for throw in, with total respect to Aidan it rarely leads to anything. Why cannot he just stay at full forward .he has the potental to be like a wrecking ball in there .

Monaghan team named is very green looking, lots of new faces and names ive never heard of.

Absolutely nothing of note in that named panel.......

I agree it is madness bringing AoS to midfield for throw ins, it is one of the only times in the game that you are guaranteed a one on one for the full forward.
Also it does nothing for me the confidence of our midfield.
I am not a of two players only for the throw in,go back to four and give cards for foul play.

I’m delighted to see Conor starting and Kobe on the bench. I’m not a big fan of Aidan going to midfield for the throw in either. It’s not like he wins that many. If Andy were to play Kobe from the start, I’d send him for the throw in. He’s good in the air from what I saw of him.

WJ , I didn’t have an option to vote on MOTM last Sunday and again now on Who’ll win. It just shows the voting so far.

I don't get this AOS not being good at throw-ins. He may not be as good as before but I reckon he's the best there ever was for throw balls. He was about 90% at one stage. That's why he gets picked at the throw-in. Agree though that there's nothing to be gained by playing him at this stage of the league.

Just noticed no midfielders on bench.
Id say Kobe will start , AOS can't have done enough to warrant a start, neither in the last game nor championships. No hate just fact .

Excited to see Kobe , Morahan , cian mchale and Howard, all are lively determined players .

Also great to see Mcbrien back .
Think Jordan having his little brother and Loftus in the team with him will bring out the very best in him .
He has Joe O conor type impact just needs to tidy up few things

Dont like seeing posters having a go at Aido, hes been a brillant servant and player down the years, he gave it everything, but at 36 and the game just so quick especially in Croke Park in July with the new rules its hard to see him having an impact on a championship starting 15.

Seamus Howard and Kobe are probably the cover for midfield but there's an abundance of them in the starting 15 anyway if a change needed there.

More of a scoring threat in our half back line than our half forward line. Have management decided that Cian McHale and Darragh Bierne can't both be accommodated in a starting 15?
Good to see McHugh starting at fullback.

Kobe ….

Put cian mchale full forward. O’Shea doesn’t score enough for a forwards place. Great impact sub with 15-20 mins to go though.

JoeG. I can’t understand why two left footed players can’t be accommodated, seeing as we played mostly right footed players in the forwards since Mort.

Disappointed that Carr and Conroy are absent as they both need as much gametime as they can get.
Aido a terrific servant but having him at ff just won't cut the mustard when it matters.
Delighted to see Kobe on the panel.
Have a sneaky feeling he could start.
Hoping cian mc hale sees some game time too

Nephin - I’m not sure what the problem might be but I’d say it’s likely to be a browser one at your end. Could someone else have voted in your house (from the same IP address)? If so that could be it. Another idea might be to clear the cache and reload the blog again.

Thanks WJ , but no. Only one head case in this house. I’ll ask the junior minister to have a look when I see him.

He could be the man for the job alright, Nephin!

Amazed at people moaning at AOS being named at FF and then having to trek all of 75 yards or so to midfield for the throw in while one of our named midfielders will have his confidence severely dented by not going in for the throw in.!!! What next ? our goalie taking long range frees while our usual free taker watches on. Oh for the good old days when every player just stayed in his position. Lets be realistic here . AOS is one of the best in the game for a 50/ 50 throw in. Of course he does not win them all but who does. We were in mourning last year when we played safe lateral football and now after one malfunction in delivering the ball in early, people are calling it into question. The long ball into a big FF doesn't always work and the delivery needs to be measured but it is worth a try especially with Aido at FF. It did not work last week due to some poor deliveries and an excellent Donegal defence. Variation is the key if only to keep opposing defenders guessing but Aido is an option in there and a headache for any defence. Anyway best of luck to players and management. It is a game we need to win but if we don't it is not the end of the world.

Oh my God - some posters on here seize to amaze me! Aidan gives up little throw ins on either half throw ins. He wins, we have speedier options inside, he loses, the opposition will rarely have clean ball and things will be slowed down.

I always think back to the 2021 Connacht final in Croke Park. Aido stayed in at full forward for the 2nd half throw in. We won it & kicked a lovely ball into Aido, he won it & played it onto Mattie Ruane who had continued his run in from the throw in & won a penalty. I've no gripe with Aido out there, but it disrupts a couple of lines on the field & most importantly, we never have a plan when we win it. There never seems to be a set play. Galway have scored countless times off thrown ins agaisnt us

Nelson I had the same problem with the MOTM poll last week

For those of you struggling to see a poll, you probably have to clear the cache for this website in your browser settings.
Ask one of the tech heads in your house, if you can't find that yourself!

Waiting for Sam those young tech heads are experts in clearing the cash!!

Coming in here after a loss must have been what one of the wards in castlebar mental hospital was like back in the day. Lads howling at the moon, declaring we’re all going to die, and others laughing to themselves in the corner.
Truth be told we don’t know where we’re at yet. Simple maths and the fixtures list would declare we have to beat Monaghan.
Our style of play looks better but it really won’t be until deep into the Connacht championship till we know what sort of evolution Andy and team have brought, and where it stacks in the modern game.
Pitches, training blocks, getting to know you, where the opposition are at, are some of the many variables in play this time of year that should stop people getting too down to too up.

The game is all about speed now, if you havn’t that your team will pay on the opposing score board for it.

[Deleted].

[Deleted].

Great display from Loftus when he came on against Donegal so hopefully will make a big difference again on Sunday. Monaghan have loads of lads missing so we have got to be winning this one.

What's going on with Conroy?

I'm disappointed for James Carr. maybe he's injured, he's built for a good full forward and is mobile enough. What's the story with Paul Towey I don't think he's getting any game time lately. Good luck on Sunday.

Hope Kobe gets at least 20 minutes.

Find this game tricky to assess as our form has been very mixed. Good in parts against Galway, average enough against a 14 man Dublin minus Con, terrible first half against Donegal so just get the feeling this is no gimme. Conor could be a big addition here though as I thought he looked very sharp last week when he came on. Still a work in progress I suppose but some lads still have a lot to work on

Breaffy will definetly be closer to being in a regelation semifinal if not a final , rather than county final . They won't beat Ballina , Ballahadreen or Belmullett

I couldn't vote in either poll last weekend which never happened before. No problem today with match poll.

Sean Cunningham - this place wasn't created to enable people to post idiotic comments of that kind. You'll have to take your "humour" elsewhere as you won't be doing so here again.

I would not be surprised to see Kobe starting.
Good management to name him in the subs and also less hype in an away game.

If Mayo are planning to use Kobe, then it would only make sense to have Oisìn Deane involved with the seniors. He's arguably the best 11 in the county already at bringing others into the game. Kobe is a far better player when Deane is with him.

Haven't been overly impressed with Flynn or Carney on the half forward line and they have had a lot of game time. Time to freshen it up I feel.

Goalkeeper and half the backs, Coyne, Hession and Callinan, are up to league speed, although Sam is probably the only one who you would say is "flying it" atm. With Conor Loftus looking very much like he's there too (and possibly "flying it") based off last week's hour. Durcan and McHugh need a run of games. Good options from the bench for down the straight or if there's a late injury. I think there's a few young lads we'd like to be seeing but tbh I think the last time I saw most of them was going off injured. It is also quite an experienced back six; the kind of experience a goalkeeper might like to make their debut behind.

Great to David back in midfield. Fingers crossed no ill effects. Bob looks to be humming along nicely. More in him but it's championship that matters.

Half forwards should be itching to go after Donegal did a number on them.

Full forwards; Beirne is flying it. Aidan needs minutes. Fergal has been fine. Exciting options on the bench.

Agreed, West is best. Flynn and Carney have struggled thus far in my opinion. Jordan is superb on his day so thats why they are sticking with him. And no one better on bench to replace him. But hes running out of chances. In-form players should play. We need muscle, especially in light of how exposed we were v Donegal, so maybe thats their thinking. Carney might lose out to a late change. His shooting has been very sub par.

Flynn is one of the only players who consistently chips in with scores from play

I see Galway are giving Roscommon a bit of a beating...

Or did I speak to soon 🤔

He also chips in with needless fouls too, how many frees did Donegal concede last week, think it was only the 1 that ROD got for a 2 pointer.Carney and Aido are the 2 most under pressure.play Carney midfield or else the bench he doesnt score enough for a half forward.Aido struggling with the pace of the new game.Lets be honest at FF hes not going to have the pace to do well on a Jason Foley, McCambridge or Brendan McCole in Croke Park

Dublin are so so bad now. Genuinely I don't put them in the top 8.

Kerry have been abysmal here, just sleepwalking through the game and generally very lax and the dubs have failed to land a glove on them.

Regular starters like o'dell and Ross mcGarry are miles off the level, average club players

You did John McHale. A great win for the Rossies

A good win for the Rossies they will be hard to beat in Connacht . Dubs are well off it and kerry where only in 3rd gear .

Roscommon are along with Donegal the best two in the league, were so unlucky to lose down in Kerry, but I fancy them to get to the final now..
We blew it ( literally) in that second half, lots of errors and with Cregg, Murtagh, Smith they snatched the win..
We lacked a bit more scoring threat up front but fair play to Roscommon, they are in a great place

All the accusations thrown at Dublin over the years about their population and money and supposed conveyor belt of talent proven to be misguided in the end. Big rebuild job needed there and not much coming through for them at underage level. Unfortunate their golden era clashed with ours, but becoming increasingly obvious it really was a golden era.

As I used to say, for all the money and population they still ended up with Barney Rocks young lad kicking the frees. A lot of that nonsense seemed to come from Kerry about the Dubs, we are unlikely to ever see 6 in a row again

Alan Brogan spoke about this a few weeks ago he was saying high numbers of youngsters than usual are picking soccer and rugby over Gaelic football and there has been a big drop off in Gaelic in the schools.Only 1 Dublin team Terenure college in the Leinster Senior A Colleges this year.

Yeah Big Mike, and the other thing about that golden generation of dubs is that so many of them were 2nd generation sons of the golden era dubs. Rock, thr brogans, Mccarthy, mccaffrey, con. All their fathers on the great Dublin 70s team so it was tradition mixed with a well tike golden generation more than anything.

The rassies flying at the minute, in cregg/enda smith/diarmuid murtagh they have serious scoring power, but we've been here before with them several times where they are shooting the lights out in spring then some ordinary enough division won't outfit dumps them out in AI quarter final, ill believe they are the real deal when they finally win a qf

My experience living in Dublin for many years is that while there is a big population, that doesn't necessarily translate to passionate participation. A lot of parents are enrolling their kids in clubs because they're trying to fill their kids' calendars with extracurriculars not because they want their kids to have a keen interest in the sport. It's very different to how it is in Kerry or Mayo or other counties where the sport is a passion.

As far as I know, Roscommon still have four or five St.Brigid's players, close to rejoining the panel. The new manager has got off to a good start.

Spot on Supermac. The Rossies have often been flying in the league, especially with a new manager and drifted away afterwards.

I was at the game this evening. Roscommon are well coached and their manager seems to be be a shrewd enough operator. It’s also set up for them lovely with everyone talking about a Galway Mayo Connaught Final. They are a serious team, I learned tha this evening

I watched the Dublin/Kerry game.
Dublin started Kilkenny at FF but he was like a fish out of water.
Much improved when moved out.
Remember Dublin are the only division 1 team in Leinster and will no doubt get to the Leinster final.
Too early to write them off.
Wind obviously was a big factor in Salthill.
Galway will be in the Connaught final and will have a home game after even if they loose.
A great warning for Mayo not to underestimate Ros.

Iwas hoping Kerry would beat Dublin tonight. If we are facing relegation along with Dublin on equal points we will stay up as we have beaten them!

There is a lot to like about Roscommon. The beief and confidence is growing with every game. The breeze is a factor in a lot of these league games. Come championship, it will not be the factor it is now.

Nephin says:
February 21, 2026 at 11:03 pm
Spot on Supermac. The Rossies have often been flying in the league, especially with a new manager and drifted away afterwards.

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Under McStay and Cunnigham when they won Connacht 2017,2019 they were first relegated from Division 1

What's remarkable about their current form is it's down without any Brigids players Ben O'Carroll,Conor Hand,Ruaidhri Fallon,Shane Cunnane etc and have other established players out injured in Conor Cox,Ultan Harney,Cian McKeon. So are building strength in depth to their panel after three players retired in Ciaran Murtagh,Donie Smith and Niall Daly. Makes for interesting Connacht championship ahead with three Division 1 teams and all capable of winning Nestor.

Strong looking team on paper and we will need to turn up and not underestimate Monaghan, who will be viewing this as a must win. We could also do with a win, as we have three difficult games remaining. The team is now beginning to take on a more settled championship look, with probably a few players still to be added and some positions up for grabs. It now looks like Andy is set on McBrien at midfield, so I hope McHugh nails down the number 3 spot. I am still not convinced by the corner backs, tho' it looks like Andy has settled on them. We really need to nail down CHB, so I hope Conor can make a success of it-he is probably an ideal defender, but he does read the game well and is good in possession, and good candidates are thin on the ground. We have plenty of good half-back options-Sam will probably be one and a fit Paddy also. At least one wing-forward possession is up for grabs and possibly two in the full-forward line. A win tomorrow would give us the freedom to experiment a little with fringe players. I would love to see Kobe get some minutes.

The Rossies going great guns and the Dubs look like a deflated outfit altogether. Brennan has been matter of fact about the inevitable decline and rebuilding project, but with whom?
Anyway, I might be in the minority here but I'm thinking a point will do nicely today. Looking increasingly like Dublin and today's opponents to be condemned to the drop. Although, it wasn't that long ago Monaghan were the perennial last ditch survivors. We'll know more later.

Daire Cregg is the new factor for Roscommon. Those hoping to see Roscommon fall away like in the past are missing just how good the likes of Daire Cregg are. When they get the Brigids players and other injured players back they'll be a fully solid Div 1 outfit. I'm hearing and reading a lot of looking to the post hope that Roscommon fall off. They're in a completely different place from the past in panel form and depth.

The rossies will be favs when they rock into Castlebar in the championship.

Rossies goalie , defence and midfield are sub standard , forwards are class but rest bang.average .
We will.dominate them middle 8 and its just if we can tag on enough scores besides to best them .

I see someone said the wind wont be a factor in the Connacht final, if results go as assumed its Galway vs Mayo/Roscommon. If its in Salthill I wouldnt be betting against a gale force wind. Roscommon may have found their man in Dowd, time will tell but I have felt over last few years they were not getting the most out of the panel they have. As for us I wasnt at match but noted comment on RTE that we wasted first 15 minutes playing with the gale. Great fight in this Galway team but lots of mistakes costing them dear.