THREE DAYS AFTER kicking nine points in this year’s Sigerson Cup final for UCD, Daire Cregg was back on the pitch putting in a shift for Roscommon against Dublin in the National League.
He had experienced defender Eoin Murchan tracking his scent to make his job all the harder. But he still managed to shine for Davy Burke’s side. Four points, including one mark and one free was the sum of his contribution for the evening as the Dubs ran out seven-point winners in Croke Park. Cregg also had a goal disallowed, but replay footage shows that his fisted effort that ended up in the net took a deflection off Seán MacMahon’s fingertips meaning the score should have stood.
The Boyle star kicked another five points in Roscommon’s first win of the campaign against Monaghan last weekend to stir some life into their Division 1 charge. Those tallies, coupled with the 23 points he scored throughout the Sigerson Cup, marks Cregg out as one of the most exciting forwards on show at the moment.
“We’re lucky to have him in Roscommon,” says Liam Tully who was Cregg’s manager when the Roscommon U20s contested the 2021 All-Ireland final against Offaly. Cregg was one of the stars of that team, scooping the man of the match award in their All-Ireland semi-final win over Down.
“He’s a great attacking player and has great skills which he constantly works on. He works a lot on his own and I’ve seen him for years trying to get better, kicking his frees with the 20s.”
At least 10 players from that team have featured in Roscommon’s league run so far. Goalkeeper Conor Carroll, James Fitzpatrick and Cregg have been named to start against Mayo this weekend, while Patrick Gavin is among the subs. Ruaidhrí Fallon, Adam McDermott and Robbie Dolan have also banked minutes throughout the first four rounds.
The general hope is that a few players from underage county teams eventually progress into the senior squad. But this is a particularly rich return for Roscommon.
“It’s fantastic,” Tully adds. “All of those lads want to get better and play at the high level. All these lads are looking at the Smiths, the Murtaghs, the Dalys, the Dave Murrays and all these lads who have given years to Roscommon. They want to be them.
“It’s great to have that kind of an appetite coming on in your county. We are a small county and maybe some people get sick listening to us saying that but there’s a lot of work being done behind the scenes in clubs and in development level for all the players in the county to bring them up to a good level.”
Tully first discovered Cregg’s talent as a promising forward for the Roscommon minors in 2019. However, he suffered a season-ending knee injury in their Connacht championship opener against Galway where Roscommon rallied from 1-11 to 0-6 down in the second half to eventually win by two points.
“That[the injury] put him out for a year and maybe over it,” Tully continues. “He worked very hard to get himself back and it was a very hard time for him because it was a team that he would have been very much part of it.”
When Cregg came under Tully’s supervision in the 2021 All-Ireland championship, he made sure to leave his stamp on the competition for Roscommon. He finished as the second highest scorer with 0-28, including five points in the All-Ireland final where they were bested by Offaly.
#GAABEO 38 nóim @UCDGAA 0-08@UlsterUniGAA 3-08
— Spórt TG4 (@SportTG4) February 14, 2024
An fear sin arís. Sár-chluiche á imirt ag Daire Cregg go dtí seo 🎯
Daire Cregg chips away at the lead for UCD with a well taken free 👏
BEO/LIVE AR @TG4TV 📺#GAA @GAA_BEO pic.twitter.com/48SEeUxwi7
One of those scores was a terrific shot from just inside the ’45 to cut the gap to two points in the second half. His range from distance remains to be a hallmark of his game. One recent example of this was in the Sigerson Cup final. With his side trailing Ulster University by 10 points in the first half, he sliced over a beautiful effort off his left boot from out near the sideline.
“His workrate in training, preparation and his lifestyle is around being the best that he can be,” Tully responds when asked to expand on the qualities that Tully brings to a team.
“Maybe sometimes he can be a little bit hard on himself, and he has high expectations of himself. There’s no harm in that as long as it’s not overdone, and he will learn as time goes on. It’s about the next one, the last one doesn’t matter. It’s not going to go right for him all the time and he has lots of time to improve more and he knows that better than anybody.
“I would always tell young fellas who are trying to get onto a county panel, ‘Be patient with yourself and with the management. They may not pick you today, but you work for tomorrow.’”
Cregg’s physical attributes are also helped by his work as a farmer. A student of Dairy Business in UCD, his family runs a dairy farm in Boyle. Cregg’s siblings are footballers too, including his brother Oisín who is also a developing talent in Roscommon.
It’s difficult to find room for both farm work and inter-county football in one’s life, but Tully has witnessed how Cregg excelled at managing both.
“If you rang him this evening and told him you wanted him in the morning for milking, he’s the man. He’ll be there at six in the morning because he has training at 10am and he has to be finished at a certain time. He would have told me that he came to training and was milking that morning. It’s hard work!
“He goes in working for people too. It’s good because you’re outside, you have that time to yourself and if you say something to the cow, the worst thing she can do is kick you! She’s not going to give out to you. The phone can’t be in your hand when you’re milking cows.”
Roscommon are just above the relegation zone in Division 1. But barely. Galway are also on three points and are facing bottom side Monaghan this weekend. Positions could change rapidly if Roscommon fail to get a result against Mayo. And yet, they are also just one point off third place. Nothing is certain yet.
Another big performance from Cregg in the full-forward line could be vital in keeping Roscommon safe and in contention for the concluding rounds.
“We were probably unlucky against Galway,” Tully says, remarking on that draw with their neighbours in Round 2. “That could have been two points. They’re working hard and trying hard. There’s players breaking into it developing. We’re upbeat that we can conjure up a few more points.”
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