Memories and medals matter to Shine

By Cian O'Connell

Donie Shine acknowledges it was a particularly good time for Roscommon. So, the fact that an All-Ireland SFC Semi-Final wasn't reached is a source of disappointment.

Talented players were developed in the county, but despite the fact Connacht senior titles were gleaned, Roscommon didn't deliver wins in the last eight at Croke Park.

The 2006 All-Ireland MFC success hinted at Roscommon's potential and two appearances in national U21 Finals provided further encouragement.

Shine, though, reflects on a bittersweet spell. "I would say it's very disappointing because I think even in 2010 we were building," Shine says. "We upped the standards big time in terms of our preparation and everything else. We had a really good management team.

"We built a team and then a lot of talent came in the years after that. We had really good U21 teams and lost a couple of finals as well to strong Dublin teams. I think there was a very strong crop of players there from about 2015 to 2022. Like really strong.

"Maybe we should have broken that one and gone a little bit further. We faded out of championships late on at a number of stages.

"Bad qualifier defeats after maybe a Connacht final loss and things like that, with the quick turnaround. I'd say we probably underachieved in those years."

Shine believes that the current panel can make an impact under new manager Mark Dowd. "I still think there's a very strong crop of players there at the moment," he adds.

"Obviously, we have a big Brigid's contingent, 10 players on the county panel. A lot of good young players. There's definitely loads of talent still there.

"I think if we get the right set-up in place we still can do that and get towards the latter stage. I think maybe we did miss opportunities in the past to break that one."

How important was Roscommon's underage improvement? "It doesn't generally translate into senior football," Shine replies.

"It's so different when you go up playing senior football. The standard is so much higher. With the minors it's a year or two at it. It's a bit of an unknown in terms of what team is going to come through.

"We got momentum in 2006. We beat Mayo in the Connacht final. We just got a good feeling about the group. We were very well prepared. We went into the set-up with Fergal O'Donnell. It was just a different standard than anyone had ever seen.

"He just brought a new thing to the table altogether. We were lucky to see that. Minor is one where it was the old format. It was knockout more or less. If you had a few wins and momentum you could go a long way."

The alterations to the Championship format in recent years is significant according to Shine. "It's a little bit different now because you get a reset chance in the senior championship," he says.

"If you lose one you're probably going to get through to another phase. It's a different aspect to it. Teams get a chance to reset.

"Underage football definitely doesn't translate into senior success. I know for some players it does. Like David Clifford who has won minors and come through and won seniors.

"It's a very difficult transition and a lot of players fall off. We've got a lot of our players through to senior football who have had success underage. It hasn't translated. We've won some Connacht titles. We've probably over-indexed versus the previous decades.

"We win one on average every 10 years or something like that. That's what we always had in our heads. We needed to break that. We have done that in the last 10 years. I think there's a good crop of players there. The championship is actually really good this year. I've been at a number of games and watched them on the stream as well.

"There's loads of good players there. There's even players who haven't been part of the panel. I'd expect to see a new, fresh panel mixed in with a lot of the good guys that are there already."

Shine, who retired from inter-county duty in 2016, was a star in Roscommon's Connacht victory in 2010, but a severe knee injury suffered in 2014 disturbed his career. "It's very frustrating," Shine replies when asked about dealing with injuries.

"When I did it in 2014, John Evans was our manager. John was a really good fella. He had Liam Kearns with him. Liam passed away a couple of years ago.

"They were very good to me in terms of my preparation and allowing me time to get back. It was a constant battle with trying to stay injury free and trying to get the training under your belt.

"So, I found it very frustrating. Even when I left the county set up in 2016, I knew my time was very limited in terms of years to achieve something with Clan."

That Shine captained his club to Roscommon glory in 2018 brought a real sense of satisfaction. "It was just constantly managing training, trying to get through training, trying to get to some level of fitness that was acceptable to be on the pitch," he adds.

"So many niggles. It was a very frustrating time. When we won the county title in 2018, for example, I was very satisfied with that and relieved that we'd won it because I knew I didn't have much left.

"It was just constant management of injuries, an injection here and there, and things like that to keep yourself going so that doesn't last forever. So, '18 was definitely a point in my career with clan that I was very relieved that we could win the county title.

"I was captain at that stage as well, so it was a really important one for me. My father had passed away the year before, so that was the year where I felt a bit of closure on football.

"I was satisfied that I'd done that and I knew the injuries were catching up and I probably wouldn't have many years left after that. I finished up playing in 2021, I think, I called it, in January. I knew I just couldn't maintain the training and get the level I needed to be."

The medals and memories still matter.

Be there for New York v Roscommon in the 2026 Connacht Senior Football Championship! Clann na nGael GAA Club would like to send you and three friends to New York next Summer. The trip includes flights, accommodation and spending money, to the value of €5,000. The draw, which takes place on December 30th 2025, is fundraising for Clann na nGael GAA Club, Co. Roscommon, to assist with ongoing development to their grounds and clubhouse. Ticket cost €50 and are limited to 1,500 entries. Get your ticket now at www.clanngaa.ie/newyork