Guilty as I often am of losing the run of myself, it is almost impossible not to think that Leitrim teams could be gracing Croke Park at least twice over the next few months. The Hurlers are making great strides in the Lory Meagher Cup but images of Croke Park sprung to mind especially after the Ladies team produced a display in Sunday’s TG4 Connacht LGFA Intermediate Final demolition of Roscommon that usually has the bookies reducing the odds in a hurry!
Regular readers will know I try hard not to let my emotions run away with me, indeed last week’s reflections on the exertions of the Senior Men’s footballers against Galway fell right into the category – a good performance and hope for the future doesn’t necessarily automatically lead to immediate success, just as the unfortunate Down footballers who went from contemplating a place in the Ulster Final to suffering a record-breaking Provincial championship defeat against Armagh in Clones last Sunday.
Steven Poacher will know that his native county aren’t as bad as they were made look last Sunday and Armagh are a county who can blitz you in an instant if they get a run on you. Certainly Roscommon Ladies will know how the Mournemen feel as they suffered something similar at the hands of a ravenous Leitrim in Heartland Credit Union Pairc Sean Mac Diarmada last Sunday, the sort of defeat that leaves scars and puts the rest of the Intermediate contenders on notice that Leitrim are a force to be reckoned with.
No more than Down’s display in St Tiernach’s Park last Sunday, there are caveats – I’ve never seen a Roscommon team, male or female, so badly off the pace in terms of intensity and physical output. What you usually get from the Rossies, male or female, is full-blooded commitment and non-stop workrate, that’s in their DNA, but this was a very un-Rossie like performance.
Muireann Devaney, who plundered 1-10, had the freedom of the park, Laura O’Dowd looked as if she could solo the length of the field unimpeded, and almost did on a few occasions, as Leitrim looked in a different class to a Roscommon side clearly not in the right place at the moment. We’re used to ferocious battles with our near neighbours in the Ladies and while I believe Leitrim have an edge in depth and attacking quality, no Leitrim team ever left the field feeling anything other than they had been in a battle royale with the Rossies.
THE LAST POINT: A BIG STEP FOR LEITRIM IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION
Credit Leitrim for much of Roscommon’s lethargy and perhaps the lessons of the Division 4 Final, as cruel as they were, were heeded – Leitrim dropped back in their usual defensive set-up but this time, the forwards stayed further up the field and harried the Roscommon ball-carriers to the point of distraction, so much so that you got the sense that the visitors simply didn’t know what to do when they eventually got near the danger area.
That meant Leitrim’s rearguard wasn’t coming under quite as much pressure and with Jasmine Maye locking down the dangerous Aisling Hanly, you could sense Roscommon’s frustration that their game-plan never had the chance to get off the ground, the immense pressure their ball carriers and defenders coming out with the ball faced causing turnovers.
The cumulative effect of all this was Leitrim’s attack grew in confidence so much that it seemed, at times, that they couldn’t miss. They did make a mess of a few chances but those came late in the game when the heat was long gone from the contest so I’d forgive them that, although I’m not sure Jonny Garrity would!
Standing in the tunnel underneath the presentation area after the game, I was discussing who should get the Player of the Match award and just as I had gone through the claims of Muireann Devaney and Laura O’Dowd, I was about to say Leah Fox should get it as her name was being called out and, to be fair, I was delighted. I’ve been at previous Finals where a match winning display between the posts from Michelle Guckian was overlooked in favour of an attacker so to see a player with a solitary point to her name get the gong, I think it is fair to say it signifies a special performance.
We’re all guilty of swooning over the scorers and, to be fair, without them teams don’t win but Fox’s display in creating, forcing turnovers and pulling the strings around the field simply had to be acknowledged with the Award. Some of her passes rivalled how Kobe McDonald is wowing crowds and drew appreciation from the crowd, the Glencar Manorhamilton woman a worthy winner albeit ahead of a host of contenders from among her teammates.
THE LAST POINT: LEITRIM’S ECSTASY & AGONY IN SLIGO AND BIRR
Next up is the All-Ireland series and on the back of this performance, you’ve got to think Leitrim have put themselves at the top of the list of favourites, albeit they’ll face much, much tougher tests as the championship progresses. But right now, Leitrim are in a good place, they’re eager and mad to crack on and who knows where it might end!
HURLERS ON THE CUSP OF CROKER TRIP
A big weekend ahead for the small ball devotees in the county as they can seal a place in the Lory Meagher Cup Final with a victory over Warwickshire next Saturday (2pm throw-in). I know better than to exhort Leitrim fans to get out in big numbers to cheer on the hurlers in Heartland Credit Union Pairc Sean Mac Diarmada – the old mantra of ‘you can lead a horse to water, you can’t make them drink’ but Mike Wall’s team deserve to have the county get behind them.
The hurlers play with passion, with ferocious intent and huge pride – everything you’d want from a team representing their county. With Cavan and Longford, both on four points, meeting at the same time, a draw may even be enough to seal a trip to GAA headquarters but knowing Wall and his squad, they’ll want to do it in style.
Warwickshire represent a potential ambush, they beat Monaghan last day out and Leitrim will be sweating on the availability of Daniel Miller but all I know is that if this group of players continue to perform as they have so far in the campaign, the hurlers will be the first Leitrim team to Croke Park in 2026!