1/3. Those were the odds on Galway to beat Roscommon on Sunday.
That sort of talk is an insult to men like Enda Smith.
He might only be 22 but he’s in his fifth season serving the Rossies already. He might not be as big in stature as some of the Tribesmen midfielders but he has a heart the size of the county and by Jesus he has skill.
His performance in that stunning Connacht final typified the rise of a people sick to the back teeth of being dismissed.
It was the height of ignorance how some outlets wrote off Roscommon’s chances – The GAA Hour more so than any and that’s why Monday’s show began with a formal apology to Kevin McStay’s troops.
Enda Smith, too, was overlooked. Everyone focused on the strength of the Galway middle third and how that’s where they’ll win the game and not one being considered O’Rourke or Smith.
Well, a young man from Roscommon with number 10 on his back made sure that would never happen again.
“That was all the talk really. I think even yourselves were chatting about it last week on the show saying that’s where the game was going to be won or lost,” Smith admitted to The GAA Hour that the build-up provided a bit of personal motivation for him before the game.
“Galway do have a very formidable midfield in Paul Conroy and Fiontán Ó Curraoin – I would’ve played against them before and they are quality players – but myself and Tadhg [O’Rourke] knew that was going to be the winning of the game, in midfield.
“Especially with the conditions in Salthill, we knew to try and target their kickouts because it was a place where they could build their platform to deliver ball inside to their forwards.
“Myself and Tadhg just gritted the teeth and just went at it. We were very happy ourselves with how it went and once we got a foothold there, the lads inside – Diarmuid [Murtagh] and Cian [Connolly] and Ciaran [Murtagh] – they really stole the show then with their scores and that.”
It wasn’t just Smith’s work around the middle that set him apart. He was an absolute animal tackling back and putting dents in Galway bodies and, when he won possession, he was immediately squaring up and driving straight at the posts no matter where on the field he was.
It was an inspiring performance from the man who last captained the Roscommon minors to the provincial title.
He rammed every word down their doubters’ throats – if anyone had even bothered talking about them in the first place.
“Reading the papers all week and listening to different journalists, no-one really gave us a chance – even at home, people in Roscommon were hoping for the best but they didn’t really think we would do it.
“The way the league went for us and the way the league went for Galway – and they had a really big win against Mayo too – there was no real chat about us at all which was brilliant.
“Definitely an ambush is the correct term.”
Listen to the full interview below from 19:50.
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