Newton backs youth, Galway still pro-Joyce

IF YOU’RE good enough you’re old enough – and you’re never too old if you’re good enough. Both rules, it seems, apply to Sunday’s Connacht football showdown between Roscommon and Galway.

Roscommon manager Des Newton, embarking on his first championship campaign, is clearly looking beyond Sunday already by adding eight of the county’s under-21 footballers to his panel, although not without good reason.

Roscommon pushed Dublin every step of the way in the All-Ireland under-21 final last Sunday week with an air of confidence that can only add weight to the senior panel’s challenge.

It’s unclear how many of those under-21s will actually feature in Hyde Park on Sunday, as Roscommon look for their first Connacht championship win over Galway since 2001.

Midfielders Niall Daly and Cathal Shine and forward Donie Smith look likely to play some role, although Shine – no relation to star forward Donie – is only returning from a long-term groin injury, and won’t be rushed into action.

Daly has already featured in a couple of Roscommon’s league matches and with top defender Donal Ward already out with a groin injury, it could be Newton looks to the likes of Daly.

For Galway manager Alan Mulholland, also set for his first championship match in charge, the question is whether to start 35-year-old forward Pádraic Joyce in his 15th championship campaign.

The problem is the calf injury Joyce sustained in their final league match against Kildare, last month, when he was sprung from the bench for the last 20 minutes, and chipped in with three scores of trademark accuracy, although Kildare actually snatched a late draw to gain promotion.

The 1998 and 2001 All-Ireland winner has been recovering well and although set to return to full training this week is more likely to remain an impact substitute.

Fellow forwards Michael Meehan and Seán Armstrong are also poised for a timely return to match fitness. Meehan has been dogged by a severe ankle injury for the past two seasons but has been back training for the past few weeks and looks set to play some role on Sunday.

“They’re both fit now and both have been training for the past few weeks at this stage,” said Mulholland. “What we’re trying to do is manage their return, so we can’t throw them in for 70 minutes of championship football straight away, but they definitely will be available for selection against Roscommon.”

Now 28, Meehan was named Galway captain in 2010 but sat out much of that season and attempts at a comeback last summer – as a substitute in the Connacht semi-final loss to Mayo, and as a starter in the qualifier defeat to Meath – ended in frustration.

Armstrong, too, is ready to return from a long-term hamstring injury.