Diarmuid Murtagh was the hero for Roscommon when the substitute blasted home the only goal of the game in stoppage time to seal the Allianz League Division Two for the fourth time since 2015.

The win leaves Roscommon as the only unbeaten team in the country heading into the championship after they held off a good Galway rally in a thrilling second-half at Croke Park.

The sides were level six times in the opening half and went in deadlocked at 0-09 apiece after an entertaining opening half.

The star of the show was Galway midfielder Paul Conroy, who rolled back the years with an awesome performance which saw him kick five points from play in the opening half 15 years after he captained them to All-Ireland minor glory at the same venue.

He missed last weekend's clash in Hyde Park through suspension when his replacement Niall Daly crowned his first start with five points from play.

It took Conroy half that time to match that haul and like Daly last week, kicked points off both feet, from his midfield berth.

Cathal Heneghan is tackled by Galway's Paul Conroy

Galway, having made five changes from the side which went down by 1-20 to 1-15 to Roscommon last time out but continuing with Shane Walsh on the bench, led by 0-03 to 0-01 after six minutes after Conroy landed his opening two points following an earlier exchange from placed balls by Conor Cox of Roscommon and Rob Finnerty.

Roscommon’s opening five points came from frees and a mark and it was the 26th minute before they landed one from play when Niall Daly — who uniquely ended up marking his namesake Niall Daly of Galway — put Cian McKeon through for a good score and Ciaran Murtagh landed one directly afterwards to lead by 0-07 to 0-05.

Both sides had earlier squandered goal chances with Conor Flaherty saving well from Roscommon’s Ultan Harney while at the other end John Daly put Dessie Conneely through but he blasted off the crossbar.

John Daly and Eddie Nolan battle for possession

Points from Seán Kelly and Damien Comer tied the sides four minutes from the break before Cox and Conroy exchanged points.

Eddie Nolan, having earlier landed a 45, converted a free from a similar distance but they went in level when Conroy ended a long passing movement by floating the ball over the bar with his left foot.

The sides swapped points in just over a minute after the restart, with Comer slotting one after a pass from John Daly and then at the other end Galway goalkeeper Flaherty did well to tip an effort from McKeon over the bar.

Roscommon took over and landed the next three points, two of which came from Donie Smith, the second of them a great goal chance but the ball rose over the bar.

His brother Enda then should have found the net but Galway goalkeeper Flaherty, who later went off injured, saved superbly before the Tribesmen went down the field and Finnian Ó Laoí reduced the margin to 0-13 to 0-11 after 46 minutes.

Two efforts from Cox and one apiece from Donie Smith and Ciarain Murtagh, with Galway’s only response coming from Conroy with his sixth point, saw Roscommon lead by 0-17 to 0-12 after 54 minutes.

Diarmuid Murtagh strikes for Roscommon in injury-time in the Division 2 football final at Croke Park

But Galway hit back and struck for six points in eight blistering minutes after Shane Walsh came to lead by one after 64 minutes before Diarmuid Murtagh levelled the sides for the ninth time just seconds after coming on.

And then when his brother Ciaran and Finnerty exchanged points, he burst through for the score of the game when he blasted to the net.

Matthew Tierney hit back with two points for Galway but Keith Doyle found the range in between as Roscommon held on to win the Division Two crown.

Roscommon: Colm Lavin; David Murray, Brian Stack, Eoin McCormack; Niall Kilroy, Niall Daly, Ronan Daly; Ultan Harney, Eddie Nolan (0-02, 0-01f, 0-01 45); Ciarain Murtagh (0-04, 0-01f), Enda Smith, Cathal Heneghan; Cian McKeon (0-02), Donie Smith (0-05, 0-02f), Conor Cox (0-05, 0-04f).

Substitutes: Keith Doyle (0-01) for McKeon (61), Diarmuid Murtagh (1-01) for Cox (64), Andrew Glennon for D Smith (69).

Galway: Conor Flaherty; Jack Glynn, Kieran Molloy, Liam Silke; Finnian Ó Laoí (0-01), John Daly, Seán Fitzgerald; Seán Kelly, Paul Conroy (0-06); Matthew Tierney (0-02), Niall Daly, Johnny Heaney (0-01); Rob Finnerty (0-03, 0-01m, 0-01f), Damien Comer (0-04), Dessie Conneely (0-03, 0-02f).

Substitutes: Shane Walsh (0-01) for Glynn (48), Johnny McGrath for J Daly (48), Connor Gleeson for Flaherty (53), James McLoughlin for N Daly (56), Tony Gill for Ó Laoí (65), Paddy Kelly (0-01) for Finnerty (70).

Referee: Niall Cullen (Fermanagh)