This Sunday, Roscommon look to make it lucky number-14 by landing a first championship win in Croke Park since 1980.
Sunday’s meeting with Dublin in the All-Ireland championship group stage is Roscommon’s 14th championship game in Croke Park since the All-Ireland final of 1980.
The Roscommon men lost out 1-9 to 1-6 to the all-conquering Kerry team. Since the earlier semi-final victory over Armagh, Roscommon have yet to win a championship game in Croke Park.
Kerry, Cork, Meath, Tyrone, Mayo, Dublin and Clare have all beaten Roscommon in Croker since August 10 1980. The day Roscommon beat Armagh in that famous semi-final.
It work take 10 years for the Rossies to return to an All-Ireland championship game. In fact it went back-to-back.
1990 and 91 saw All-Ireland semi-final defeats to Cork and Meath. 0-17 to 0-10 against Cork in 90 and 0-15 to 0-11 to Meath in 91. The Rossies have not made it back to an All-Ireland semi-final since.
The back-door years
While Roscommon won the 2001 Connacht title, it was the famous year they never saw Croke Park. Galway avenging their Connacht semi-final defeat by beating Roscommon in the All-Ireland quarter-final in MacHale Park.
The first year of the back-door and All-Ireland quarter-finals, saw just one quarter-final in Croker. Meath v Westmeath the only game in HQ.
Munster champions Kerry met Dublin in Thurles. Ulster champions Tyrone met Derry in Clones and Connacht champions Roscommon faced Galway in MacHale Park.
Roscommon had beaten Galway in the Connacht semi-final 2-12 to 0-14 in Tuam. Galway however came through the back door to win the All-Ireland quarter-final 14 points to 1-5.
John O’Mahony’s Galway went onto beat Meath in that years All-Ireland final. A feat that has occurred on three occasions.
1990 (Cork), 2001 (Galway) and 2010 (Cork), the side eliminating Roscommon has won Sam. While Dublin beat Roscommon in the group-stage quarter-final in both 2018 and 19 before winning Sam.
Since the inception of the backdoor, Roscommon have failed to the make the semi-final stage. Yet have made nine Croke Park championship appearances.
There was quarter-final defeats to Kerry in 2003 (1-21 to 3-10), Cork in 2010 (0-10 to 0-16) and Mayo in 2017 after a replay.
While in 2011 (Tyrone) and again in 2022 (Clare) saw defeat in round four/two. The qualifier round before the quarter-finals.
Three additional quarter-final defeats occurred in 2018 and 2019. The famous super-eight period or the All-Ireland quarter-final round one to Tyrone (4-24- to 2-12) and round three to Dublin (4-24 to 2-16).
In fact the four Croke Park championship matches under Kevin McStay reads, won-nil, drawn-one, lost-three. For: 6-46, Against: 13-79.
The final year of the failed super-eights saw Dublin beat Roscommon 2-26 to 0-14. While last year saw All-Ireland round four defeat to Sligo.
It hasn’t been a happy hunting ground for the Rossies, will things change this Sunday?
