There was little between the sides in the opening 12 minutes as the Rossies and Leitrim traded four points each. In this period Dara Curran put over three Roscommon frees while Colin Murray chipped in with a point. For Leitrim Jack Kelly got two points with Senan Bohan and Bailey McBride getting one apiece.
Roscommon pulled four points clear by the 20th minute as Dara Curran (free), Gordon Casey, Stephen Tighe and Shay McGuinness all hit the target. A Gavin Gallagher point in reply kept the home side in contention, but their opponents were getting on top.
Roscommon stretched then stretched their lead further with a Cathal Enright goal and a point from Eoin Collins. Leitrim rallied before the break thanks to an Oran Foley goal and a Kyle Russell point which left the interval score line reading Roscommon 1-9, Leitrim 1-6.
Leitrim managed to reduce the deficit further when Dáire McCabe put over a 33rd minute free. After this Roscommon upped their game again and grabbed a five point’s advantage by the 41st minute thanks to unanswered points from Shay McGuinness, Cathal Enright and Stephen Tighe.
Leitrim responded with another Dáire McCabe converted free. Following that Roscommon snuffed out any chance of a Leitrim comeback when Dara Curran hammered home a goal while before that Stephen Tighe and Darragh Devaney split the home side’s posts.
Scorers – Roscommon: D Curran 1-5 (5f); C Enright 1-1; S Tighe, S McGuinness 0-2 each; C Murray, G Casey, E Collins, D Devaney & S McDonnell 0-1 each. Leitrim: D McCabe 0-3; O Foley 1-0; J Kelly 0-2 (fs); S Bohan, B McBride, G Gallagher, K Russell 0-1 each.
Roscommon: P Gaynor; L Finneran, G Casey, M Connaughton; A Conroy, K Kelly,C Murray; D Devaney, D Kennedy; S McGuinness, E Collins, C Enright; D Curran, S Tighe, D Casey. Subs: S McDonnell for Casey(38); J McKeon for Conroy (46); C Kennedy for McGuinness (55); A Cox for Murray (56).
Leitrim: S Carolan-Morris, K Russell, O Foley, L Fitzsimons; S Bohan, L Braam-Farrell, B McBride; C Moran, G Curley; N Torsney, J Kelly, G Gallagher; D McCabe, J Moolick, J McBrien. Subs: C Reynolds for Curley (26); Jamie Plunkett for Torsney (46); Jack Prior for Bohan (57); Ryan Gordon for Foley (59); C McWeeney for Gallagher (61).
Referee: S Corcoran (Mayo).
