With Roscommon teetering on the brink of relegation from Division 1, Ryan McCluskey worries about their wellbeing heading into the Connacht championship, given the short time they will have to fine-tune preparations for the latter competition.
Sunday last saw the Rossies fall to their fourth defeat in the top flight of the Allianz League, with Kerry running out six-point winners at Dr Hyde Park. That reverse still leaves the Connacht side second from bottom in the standings. A victory over Derry at Celtic Park is now a must-win in their final game on Sunday next, while hoping that Galway come unstuck on their visit to Kerry.
Despite their spring woes, manager Davy Burke accentuated the positives following the loss to Kerry, telling RTÉ Sport: "I'd much prefer to be where we are than be sitting mid-table in Division 2 or top of Division 2 - maybe not getting tested like we were today,"
Giving more expression to where he believes his side are at, Burke added: "I don't think the end result probably reflects the game, but delighted we're seriously moving forward.
"We had a weak enough start [against Kerry] which we need to look at but we're a right good side. When we get our best players on the field, we're as good as any of them. You can see the difference our bench made, Cathal Heneghan, Ultan Harney makes, Ronan Daly makes, Tadhg O'Rourke makes. We haven't had Ben O'Carroll all year. They're coming. Every week they're coming, they're coming, and we'll get there, you know."
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Speaking on the latest edition of the RTÉ GAA Podcast, former Fermanagh star McCluskey expressed his concern for Roscommon ahead of provincial combat, with Mayo their likely Connacht semi-final opponents on 21 April.
"I know there was a bit of fightback from Roscommon in the second half but the six-point [winning margin] was quite a drubbing, it probably could have been more and should have been more.
"You would worry about their campign leading into the summer," he said.
"We thought last week that there is something flat again, a bit like Kildare, there's something not right."
Ryan McCluskey wonders what's going on behind closed doors in Roscommon, a side he feels have been flat so far in 2024 #RTEGAA
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With the way the season is structured, there is little time to breathe once the league is over, not much time for radical changes to gameplans, a point emphasised by the Enniskillen Gaels clubman.
"We have talked about this mini break, albeit it's not much of a break between league and championship
"Before the condensed season you had a bit of time to play with; you had a mini pre-season could revamp things and get the show back on the road, more than anything else. Teams don't really have the chance to do that now; you could get a chance to go away on a training camp, but teams don't have that luxury now.
"For Roscommon, maybe there are things going on that we don't know about and they could be fuelling up for that summer campaign. But a sustained and decent league campaign will stand you in good stead for what lies ahead."
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