Captain Enda Smith will be fully fit for Roscommon’s Connacht final with Galway, manager Anthony Cunningham has confirmed.
Smith missed the quarter-final win over Leitrim due to a fractured finger but returned off the bench in the semi-final against Mayo, kicking a crucial late point in the 2-12 to 0-17 victory.
And he’s available for selection from the off as Roscommon bid for a second provincial crown in three years at Pearse Stadium on Sunday week.
Cunningham said: “He’s back there the same as anybody else, fighting for a place.
“He got a fracture on the base of his index finger. He actually played a bit for a night or two after that and didn’t realise that it was as bad.
“You’d want a degree in medicine now nearly at this stage. So the first MRI scan didn’t pick up the fracture, it was still sore. The second MRI scan needed a dye, sometimes you have to inject the hand or the bone in dye and that showed up a small fracture there.
“He lost out on a week or two and wasn’t able to have full force.”
Cunningham has no other injuries to report ahead of the clash with his native county.
“No, we’re fine, touch wood. We’re still a week and a half out from the match. You just don’t know but this week will be the last serious week so if we get by, get over the weekend, we should be ok.”
The return of the Smith, most likely at midfield, will be a welcome boost to Cunningham after Roscommon were dominated in that sector by Mayo.
He added: “Mayo push up, as Galway push up, on kickouts. That’s a skill that you don’t learn overnight.
“You take Mayo, they’re eight or 10 years at it now and have that perfected. They’re probably second to Dublin or maybe even ahead of Dublin in doing that.
“Galway are very similar and when you’ve a younger team that takes time and effort but we’re getting there.”
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