Conor Devaney in action at Elverys MacHale Park last Saturday.
By Cian O'Connell
Through the past decade Conor Devaney has been a constant in the rise of Roscommon football.
Reaching Division One of the Allianz Football League mattered deeply so Devaney, an All Ireland minor winner in 2006, is anxious that Roscommon remain dining at the top table.
Three early defeats to Tyrone, Donegal, and Mayo ensure Sunday’s Dr Hyde Park clash with Kerry can be classed in the critical category, but Devaney isn’t overly concerned.
“We will be hoping to get a result, I suppose a lot of people are saying we are under a bit of pressure to get a win,” Devaney says.
“The way I would look at it is that we are under no pressure at all ourselves because we aren't expected to win. So I would say that.
“There is a good mood at training, we are more free to express ourselves in some ways now if you flip the pressure thing around.
“I feel we aren't under pressure ourselves because nobody is expecting us to do anything. All the same we could do with picking up two or four points in the next three or four games to try to survive in Division One which would be one of our aims from the beginning of the year.”
While demanding matches against Kerry, Monaghan, Dublin, and Cavan loom, Devaney is adamant that Roscommon can maintain Division One status. “It is definitely possible, I think it is attainable,” is Devaney’s assessment.
“It is something, we as a group, would like to do. I would like to win two out of the next four games, it is something I'm aiming to do and we will be as a team.
Conor Devaney remains a key player for Roscommon.
"I think it is possible, we need everything to go right for us in terms of taking our goal chances, taking the right options, not giving away as many scoreable frees. We just need to get everything on two or three particular days.
“I think we can do that, we have more players coming back from injury, Diarmuid Murtagh will be back, he will be featuring in the next few games. Cathal Compton too, Ultan Harney should be back. It is definitely achievable to get two wins in the next four games.”
Despite some recent retirements, Devaney feels that the future is bright for Roscommon, who have won three Connacht Under 21 titles since 2012. Those players can make a significant impact at senior level now according to Devaney. “Absolutely, there is optimism,” Devaney admits.
“These are players that have beaten the likes of Mayo, they have competed against the likes of Dublin, beating top teams like that. They have experience of beating those teams. There is optimism that we can turn things around, even in this Division the way things are now.
“Definitely going forward to the summer, more longer term, I think we can. There is loads of potential, there are good players in the team. Even though people have retired I think we have replaced them with those younger players, who have come through.
“Now they have two or three years of senior experience, especially Enda and Donie Smith, Ultan Harney, Diarmuid Murtagh. Some of them are a few years out of under 21 now, they are becoming and should be becoming our main players.
“They would expect to do well at this stage. Maybe straight out of under 21 there was too much expected of them, but I think now I would expect them to step up. They would expect that from themselves and there is huge optimism.”
