Roscommon's Connacht final victory was impressive and heartening, while the championship marker laid down by Tyrone won't have escaped notice, writes DARRAGH O'SE

LAST WEEKEND’S football seemed to endorse the suggestion that reputations are earned not handed out. Monaghan and Sligo would have travelled to the Ulster and Connacht Football finals respectively with great expectations only to leave with their hopes shattered.

For those counties eyeing up the Sam Maguire trophy it won’t have escaped notice that Tyrone laid down an impressive marker. They have not gone away and if anything, look to be motoring nicely, maintaining their appetite and enjoyment of big occasions.

We’ll return to Tyrone later, because to my mind, the performance of the weekend was Roscommon’s victory over Sligo in the Connacht final. It was achieved on the strength of a superb display of football, one that would have met with the approval of the purists. The quality of foot passing was striking, as was the score-taking – and that also applied to the Sligo players: young Alan Costello kicked some great points.

It was a hugely entertaining tussle, played in the right spirit; a high-quality encounter that appealed to the neutral because of the commitment, athleticism and footballing skills of both teams. I had a feeling going into the match Roscommon would rise to the challenge. That in itself is a tribute to Sligo and the fact they earned the right to be considered favourites. They disposed of Mayo and Galway en route to the final and two years ago won the Connacht title. They hadn’t reached a final by accident or fluke.

Sligo had established a new tradition or at the very least a new pecking order in Connacht football during that period. This would not have sat easily with Roscommon ahead of the final at the weekend. They have a proud tradition of producing great teams and players over the years and in their history would rarely have been viewed as underdogs when opposing Sligo in a final. That might have rankled with the Rossies’ traditionalists.

Roscommon won the All-Ireland minor title (2006) and also are the under 21 champions in the province so there is an obvious pedigree. I remember the late, great Dermot Earley celebrating, overjoyed – how he would have enjoyed last Sunday’s victory – with that minor team after they had beaten Kerry in the final replay in Ennis. Fergal O’Donnell was in charge of that side.

If you look at Roscommon last year when beaten comprehensively by Mayo in the provincial championship, they were at a very low ebb. There was a snippet on The Sunday Game of O’Donnell speaking in the aftermath of that defeat looking forlorn. Contrast that with the scenes last Sunday and it was instructive to see how the players raced to him when the final whistle went. There’s obviously a strong bond there.

It’s a great story when considering that starting point to becoming the Connacht champions and it speaks volumes about the character and quality of the young players involved.

It’s possible to see the history of Roscommon football in the current team, with players like David O’Gara (son of John) and Donie Shine (son of Donal), while Karol Mannion and Michael Finneran also stood out in a marvellous team performance.

The county should be proud of their sons.

Sligo will reflect on what might have been, given the narrow margin. Costello came into the game with a reputation, one he enhanced on the day, kicking some great scores. They were forced into chasing the game a little from the opening half and just fell agonisingly short. I’d be surprised if there wasn’t a positive backlash against Down.

Sligo will certainly be stung by the defeat but given the Kevin Walsh factor, I’d expect them to harness those emotions to produce a big display at the weekend. It might be a blessing in disguise going forward for Sligo to negotiate their passage through the qualifiers.

Clones was an anti-climax for the neutral. Tyrone simply choked the life out of Monaghan. That’s not a criticism of their performance – they kicked some great scores – but their dominance made for a very one-sided affair. Probably the most disappointing aspect from a Monaghan perspective was the manner in which they were bossed about physically. The county prides itself on its physicality and that specific shortcoming against Tyrone will really have annoyed Séamus McEnaney.

The Monaghan manager will also have been appalled when considering his team scored their last point after about 17 minutes and did not raise the white flag again until roughly 16 minutes into the second half: that’s criminal at this level of football.

They’re a mature bunch of players so it shouldn’t have been a case of rabbit-in-the-headlights syndrome. There is no time for them to feel sorry because they have to dust themselves down and get ready for a very tough game against Kildare.

Tyrone had a number of stand-out players on the day: Conor Gormley is back to his best; Justin McMahon is continuing in the rich vein of form he has shown this season, while Brian Dooher got through his usual workload. Seán Cavanagh kicked some good scores but the big concern for the remainder of the counties left in the championship is Tyrone still have significant scope to improve.

Cavanagh has had and will have a more influential role in determining outcomes, while Eoin Mulligan was largely quiet against Monaghan. The wider expanses and faster surface of Croke Park will suit Tyrone. A goal was to win the Ulster championship and now it has been achieved they’ll refocus, secure in the knowledge their form is good.

Casting an eye across the remainder of the qualifiers, Cork, while not impressive in accounting for Wexford, still negotiated the task with plenty to spare. At times it’s not easy to look good picking a way through the qualifiers and ultimately it’s about getting to Croke Park. I think that will fire Cork’s imagination. GAA headquarters is the perfect arena for their patterns. All teams must learn to win ugly. Cork will face a more difficult assignment in the Gaelic Grounds against Limerick but I don’t expect their hosts to hit the same heights they did against Kerry.

Kildare have been impressive on their travels, winning in Antrim and Derry and playing some excellent, pacy football. I think they might have a little bit too much for Monaghan. There is an intelligence to the way they are playing, getting their pivotal players on the ball and demonstrating vision and patience in working scoring opportunities.

It’s simple and effective use of the ball and comes down to good coaching. I’m delighted for Kieran McGeeney, although you’d be hard pressed to notice a glimmer of satisfaction cross his features. I can exclusively reveal though he has been known to smile. I have been in his company when he has done so and he’s actually very entertaining, good craic.

I was delighted for Dublin the way they responded to the criticism and produced a decent performance in beating Armagh. I was particularly taken with midfielder Michael Darragh MacAuley: he caught some great ball at crucial times and his work-rate and tackling, something Dublin have put a lot of work into, was excellent.

The qualifiers suit the Dubs. There is no real pressure on them at the minute because expectations are muted. It’ll change slightly against Louth at the weekend because it’ll be the first game in a while they might start as favourites. I’d expect them to pull through, the one proviso being that they spread the scoring workload wider than Bernard Brogan. Overall Dublin will be satisfied with their progress.

It’s a pity the wider public won’t get a chance to see Offaly’s Niall McNamee, a forward of tremendous ability. A two-footed player with great balance, vision and a top quality finisher he’s the closest thing we’ve seen to Matt Connor. If there was a transfer system in football his agent would be a busy man this week.