The Jury assess Roscommon v Tyrone
Tony Scullion
ROSCOMMON 0 TYRONE 12
You’re getting worried, but I’m getting all these predictions right - even if it was bad news for Tyrone the last day. They had a few goal chances but Donegal just did a bit more and deserved to win. But they won’t dwell on what happened in Clones and I have no doubt that the Red Hands will beat Roscommon alright. What will work against Roscommon is that they are no longer lying in the long grass because the surprise element enabled them to shock Armagh. I was talking to Peter Harte down in Jordanstown and and he was telling me Tyrone are focussed on this tie and working very hard, so they’ll win alright - ex-Derry AllStar Tony Scullion
Roscommon were in apparent meltdown not that long ago, so it was a big surprise when they upstaged Armagh. But, if I remember correctly, Roscommon gave Tyrone their fill of it in Croke Park for a while less than a year back, so they are not to be treated lightly. Given that they have shown their hand now, I can’t see them catching Tyrone out and I would expect the Red Hands to emerge unscathed. However, I don’t think it will be taken as read by the players or the management, even if the supporters maybe feel that it’s a relatively easy task. It might not turn out to be quite so comfortable - ex-Tyrone great Feargal Logan
I really can’t see Tyrone being beaten in this one - they have too much class to lost to a team like Roscommon. That is not to be disrespectful to Rossies, are not a bad team by any means. Principally, Tyrone won’t be caught napping as Armagh were. Roscommon will hang in there for a while and then the class and experience of the Ulster team will take over and they will win with a bit in hand. I wasn’t surprised by Donegal’s win. They took control of midfield for ten or fifteen minutes in the third quarter and Tyrone sadly just didn’t have a Sean Cavanagh of Hub Hughes to steady the ship - former Derry PRO Gerry Donnelly
I got it wrong against Donegal but I’m putting my faith in Tyrone again and, whilst not wishing to give them the kiss of death again, I’m taking them to win by anything from four to six points - even in Hyde Park. They were hockeyed in the Connacht championship but turned things around against Armagh, so they will going in with a bit of confidence. But Tyrone should be too good for them. The Donegal game was intriguing and they won it because they made fewer mistakes in what was more of a spectacle than many people had been forecasting - 1993 All-Ireland winner with Derry, Fergal McCusker
Tyrone should beat them but they definitely can’t be taken for granted. The game against Donegal was not as poor as the pundits were predicting and I think the experience of that 70 minutes will stand to Tyrone as the season progresses. The back door is a tough ask, with four matches now coming up on successive weekends, obviously only if they keep winning. But Mickey Harte and his men have been there before and they know what is required, so I have no doubt that they will be prepared and have the team right for each assignment as it come along, starting on Saturday - former Tyrone star Damien O’Hagan
Tyrone will not make the same mistake as Armagh. Every team has a big match in them and Roscommon used their trump card against Armagh. I believe Tyrone will have the wheels back on the road again and they will be in the hat for the third round of the qualifiers and beyond. Mickey Harte will have procured a copy of the tape of the Armagh demise and learn what he can about everything that mattered in the way Roscommon went about springing that surprise. Some teams benefit from the back door route and they will cruise into the next round - former Armagh captain Jimmy Smyth
I got it wrong the last day but I think Tyrone will make amends for the Clones lapse with a run in the qualifiers. They won win the big prize but should ensure some others don’t either. Last year on the big pitch the Tyrone class showed but Hyde Park suits Roscommon and they have good players in Donie Shine and young Sean Kilbride and could be hot to handle. Conor Clarke proved to be an able deputy for Justin McMahon and he’s a welcome option for Mickey Harte. I watched Tyrone a brave bit this year and their best results came when Peter Harte was effective in bursting forward - ex-Derry manager Paddy Crozier
I think will win this one okay. Armagh didn’t play well in Hyde Park and were still five points up at halftime and looking good. Roscommon gpot back and won it because of two things. They shut up shop; they put a man in front of our key forward, Jamie Clarke, and they got a grip on midfield. They bagged a few scores early in the second half and that was a huge lift for them. Tyrone will be a touigher proposition and can win handy enough if they get enough ball into Stephen O’Neill and Owen Mulligan. They have forward options, we were solely dependent on Jamie - All-Ireland winning Armagh boss Joe Kernan
Tyrone will win this one okay, I wouldn’t have any doubt whatsoever about that. I think that Roscommon will be tough enough for the first three-quarters of the game and there will be plenty of fight from them. But I do think that Tyrone will then stamp their authority on the match and I can see them pulling away to win by six points or more. Tyrone played well against Donegal and I would say there could be a very interesting situation if they meet again, which they might do. The qualifiers are very intriguing with Kerry, Galway Laois, Kildare and Tyrone all in the mix - UUJ manager Adrian McGuckin
From past experience, Tyrone will not be underestimating the threat from Roscommon in Hyde Park because the there is a hell of a biased home atmosphere in that stand. Good sides have been turned over down there, but class teams take such things in their stride. Armagh were found wanting as the home team produced the goods in the second half but it’s hard for lesser two teams to put two big performances back-to-back. Tyrone has lots of experience of this situation and they showed enough against Donegal to indicate that they still have plenty in the tank - former Donegal manager Brian McIver
Upsets are possible, as Galway showed against Kilkenny. But Tyrone have been warned that Roscommon’s form in the provincial game was not a true reflection of their ability. Tyrone were close to beating Donegal and they are not far from where they want to be. They will have taken confidence from Clonoe and Brian McGuigan looks like he is good for at least a half. If I was Mickey Harte I would not play as defensively as against Donegal, returning to the less conservative tactics used in Armagh. They are well in the mix, I believe, and can go far if they avoid Kerry in the draw - former Fermanagh manager Dominic Corrigan
As you know, I’m involved with Louth and we played Roscommon two months ago at the opening of a pitch, both teams taking it fairly serious with the championship looming on the horizon. And I have to say they were not very good. They have a couple of good players in Kilbride and Shine, but they are not very pacey. Tyrone are a division one side and Roscommon are a division three team and I think the difference will be apparent next Saturday. Tyrone have class and strength to ensure they don’t trip up at Hyde Park. You play too much quality football - All-Ireland winning boss Brian McEniff
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Weather for Dungannon
Tuesday 21 May 2013
Today
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Temperature: 7 C to 15 C
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