Enda Varley and Steven Poacher talk about Roscommon’s style of play after the held the ball for almost six minutes against Dublin.
Steven Poacher has no issue with Roscommon holding the ball for extended spells.
The Rossies held possession for almost six minutes against Dublin last weekend before ultimately firing over a point.
Enda Varley commented that “I was talking to a Dub who was at the hurling, and they left the football game at half time because they were disgusted”.
For Poacher, he has no issue with the approach of Davy Burke’s side: “It was a tricky one, Enda.
“I have a theory on this and these things are obviously done intentionally.
“For me, there’s number of things. When you’re minding possession, you’re managing the game and it’s five minutes before half time — those are clutch moments where major things can happen.
“So instead of being four points up at half time, Roscommon could conceivably be all square if they make a mistake and Dublin hit the net.
“All your good work got get in front and control the game… ultimately, you want to be in control of games, and particularly if you’re the underdog.
“Regardless of where Roscommon finished in the league, Roscommon went in on Sunday with a lot of mental scar tissue from previous defeats — a lot of huge mental scare tissue.
“Fourteen,18 and 22 point defeats that they have taken from Dublin in league and championship matches.
“So they went in with a game plan of managing the game, the opposition can’t hurt us when we have the ball.
“The other thing now is that 65% of scores in Gaelic football comes from turnovers, so what does a team want to do?
“They want to limit the turnovers they make in a game. If you’re keeping it for long bouts of slow play, you’re limiting your turnovers.
“When a game turns into a basketball match, that’s when you’re vulnerable. For me, I have no issue with what Roscommon did on Sunday.”
