The visit of Tyrone to Dr Hyde Park will be in-form Roscommon's next championship assignment. Yet if Mark Dowd’s side are to continue their upward trajectory, the next hurdle is an obvious one.
In 1980 the Rossies ended a memorable campaign with an All-Ireland final appearance against Kerry, going down to the Kingdom by three points at Croke Park.
Remarkably, the semi-final win over Armagh remains the last time they tasted a championship victory at GAA HQ. Forty-six years and 15 games later (13 defeats and two draws), the venue has not been kind to players and travelling supporters.
A Connacht title, achieved by blitzing Mayo at the penultimate stage and digging deep on two separate occasions against Galway in the decider, including closing stages to overturn a six-point deficit, has jolted the team from provincial hopefuls to genuine All-Ireland contenders.
Tyrone, after an underwhelming Division 2 campaign and an early Ulster defeat to Armagh, await in the All-Ireland series, content in the knowledge there is still a safety net for the loser.
Speaking on this week’s RTÉ GAA podcast, former Dublin footballer Brian Fenton says Roscommon are making people sit up and take notice of their 2026 ambitions, himself included.
While in previous years a provincial charge failed to kick on at the business end of the championship, the seven-time All-Ireland winner believes they have the personnel to have a big say this time around.
"As a Dublin player, when I was looking at Roscommon in years gone by, I would see them have a great performance in Connacht - they won a few titles during those years (2017 and 2019) - but I would never perceive them as a threat coming into the All-Ireland series," he said.
"That’s their challenge now, to push it on. I think they can. They tick every box. They are in a really strong position. I think they proved to the country they are a top team and are there to be reckoned with."
Goals from cousins Rob and Darragh Heneghan brought Roscommon right back into Sunday’s contest in the first half when the Tribesmen were looking to push clear with the wind at their backs.
Damien Comer’s goal with 10 minutes remaining once again handed the visitors a healthy lead, but eight unanswered points to seal victory will do wonders for the team according to Enda McGinley, especially if they are to finally end their Croke Park hoodoo.
"Roscommon got hit by a really bumpy start," McGinley said. "Then they got hit by a sucker punch (Comer’s goal) and looked as if they were running out of energy, yet they still stayed true to themselves, they kept the faith within themselves and went on to win it. You can’t manufacture that.
"It’s all about a win against a big team in Croke Park. Roscommon have been a good team for many, many years. You fully respect them as a team, but in terms of top line challengers, you have to take down a big gun in Croke Park. That’s their job now."
For all the training, team talks and instructions from Dowd and his management team, Fenton argues that the nature of the win against Galway is what can propel the side to new heights.
"From a players’ perspective, they will be so full of confidence in their own ability to deal with setbacks, to manage tight games, to grind out a result."
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