Roscommon manager Kevin McStay has revealed that they will plan accordingly to the new GAA calendar.

McStay admitted to the Roscommon Herald that the Rossies will be targetting a NFL Division 2 final, which will be played earlier than usual in 2018.

The Connacht side will defend their provincial title next year also and McStay stressed that it will be important for them to be in top condition for the coming year.

"There's a paradigm shift coming in terms of the calendar. The league final is on April 1st and that's a date that we'd be circling in our heads thinking that we could be there. We're in division two which I believe is a perfect position to develop this team further," said McStay.

"There would have been a sense in the league last year that we were really up against it because we hadn't the groundwork done. It's not an easy way to be going into a game. The top teams don't fall out of condition.

"They're just topping up the whole time. The key thing next season in the league is whether we'll have four home games or four away games. That might seem like a small thing but we love playing in the Hyde, as we showed last year. I'll certainly be trying to get our FBD League matches into the Hyde."

He added: "I'm a big supporter of the Super 8 but there's a selfish caveat - it's great as long as you're in it. For us, the idea that Kildare, Galway, Cavan or Monaghan would beat us to the punch and get in puts pressure on all of us."

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