carlo (Carlow) - Posts: 212 - 05/03/2023 15:20:46    2461947

Hard to see signs of improvement after that performance. Same old issues
Great turnout of Leitrim supporters in Aughrim , it'll be a long journey home

EddieMatt (Leitrim) - Posts: 9 - 05/03/2023 15:29:54    2461951

leitrim4sam (Leitrim) - Posts: 644 - 05/03/2023 15:42:52    2461956

Funny game. At 1-9 to 0-9 I thought Leitrim would kick on. There's a bit more steel in this Wicklow team. Some good footballers there, Eoin Darcy who kicked 6 points and Kevin Quinn, nephew of the great Kevin O'Brien. Fair effort to score the last 6 points to win it. Disappointing for the large Leitrim crowd. I've a feeling we'll be pipped for promotion by Sligo and Laois... unless of course Leitrim can do us two mighty favours.

Wicklowman (Wicklow) - Posts: 1138 - 05/03/2023 15:46:44    2461957

index777 (Leitrim) - Posts: 66 - 05/03/2023 15:48:27    2461958

williesboy (Leitrim) - Posts: 341 - 05/03/2023 15:58:16    2461967

Square_B (Leitrim) - Posts: 844 - 05/03/2023 16:02:30    2461973

Square_B (Leitrim) - Posts: 844 - 05/03/2023 16:09:14    2461982

williesboy (Leitrim) - Posts: 341 - 05/03/2023 16:29:16    2461992

martinjoe (Mayo) - Posts: 499 - 05/03/2023 17:14:03    2462018

Square_B (Leitrim) - Posts: 844 - 05/03/2023 17:23:46    2462023

supersub15 (Carlow) - Posts: 2907 - 05/03/2023 17:37:15    2462028

supersub15 (Carlow) - Posts: 2907 - 05/03/2023 17:45:16    2462031

Square_B (Leitrim) - Posts: 844 - 05/03/2023 17:56:15    2462042

Square_B (Leitrim) - Posts: 844 - 05/03/2023 17:57:28    2462043

Square_B (Leitrim) - Posts: 844 - 05/03/2023 18:07:47    2462046

Hugely disappointing result today, outscored 6 to nil in the last quarter same as Wexford game they are the times you need to dig in an grind out a result this team seems incapable of doing that. No Tom Prior today left the impact from our bench weak and with Keith Beirne somewhat curtailed and still no Ryan o Rourke we were short upfront. Promotion out of our hands now will have to win our last 2 games and hope results fall our way. On todays form we won't beat either laois or Sligo. Huge support there today bitterly disappointed afterwards players and management have a lot of soul searching to do. Finally well done to the ladies on an excellent win .

JimmyNail (Leitrim) - Posts: 182 - 05/03/2023 18:36:43    2462055

I'm afraid it's most definitely another year in division 4 for us and with that performance today , it's division 4 where we belong . It was always going to be fairly straightforward for Wicklow to find out how to beat us , stop Keith Beirne . They didn't stop him but definitely greatly reduced his impact he usually had , and because of that Leitrim had no other backup plan . Very disappointed and frustrated and have a long drive home now . As for the situation in regards to Emlyn mulligan , I'd have to agree that it's extremely daft to be bringing him on when he has essentially nothing to offer other than "experience" . He's been a great servant to Leitrim gaa no doubt , but his time is up and it's time to invest in our youth . It was confirmed for me at the game that riordan orourke has left the panel , not sure if this is because of the mulligan situation or for other reasons , but I could completely understand his frustration if it is for mulligan being selected over him . Two very tough games at home now for us , you'd be hoping to get two wins but after todays display I can't see us beating either Sligo or Laois .

leitrimman1994 (Leitrim) - Posts: 25 - 05/03/2023 18:36:54    2462056

Another long drive home from Aughrim.


I've followed Leitrim for many a year and we've unfortunately got well used to losing. However, it was always easy to console ourselves with the 'we just don't have the players' line.

Even with all the injuries and players emigrating and not rejoining/leaving the panel we still had more than enough to beat both Wicklow and Wexford. (Including injuries, from my count there is upto 15 players gone from the squad yesterday that seen game time in the last year or so)

I'll start with mentioning who this panel is missing to try and be fair to the management as we just can't possibly have the depth of quality needed to replace these players.

Ryan O'Rourke - Genuinely irreplaceable in a county like Leitrim. It sounds like he is still struggling with his hip however which is worrying.
Pearce Dolan only came on when we were beginning to struggle and probably shouldn't have been risked. Cillian McGloin has a foot issue which could hamper him long long term. Shane Moran did all the preseason and didn't re-join the panel after his wedding which is strange as everyone knows how committed Moran is. So, it is said theres something not right there. David Bruen emigrated a year after being made Leitrim captain. Very understandable on his behalf but let's be honest if he really felt like we were going places he wouldn't be leaving. Brendan Flynn wasn't asked back/Walked depending on who you ask, which now looks foolish as our keeper is struggling and our number two is an outfield player from another county. Jordan Reynolds is now out for the foreseeable future even if he was bizarrely being played as a wing-back. Tom Prior has reinjured his troublesome hamstring. Riordan O'Rourke after being messed around being played in a position that clearly doesn't suit him and then being dropped from the match day 26 has left the panel. Fergal McTague from Aughawillan who was also being tried as a forward in challenge games (yes you read that correctly) is said to be considering if he will go back in after not making the panel for the last few weeks.
Ciaran Cullen and Aaron Hoare both did not rejoin the panel this year but are still in the country. Oisin McCaffery, Dean McGovern and a few more have also left the panel since last year. Conor Cullen also has a serious injury. We simply cannot deal with the sort of turnover.

I think I upset a few people here earlier in the year when I mentioned about Keith Beirne being dropped for ill-discipline last year and nothing being said about it and Domhnail Flynn going on holidays during the league and then being started in games after. But the reality is that sort of thing is toxic for a panel and you reap what you sow. Squad players playing for the stronger teams in the county will naturally come under pressure from their clubs to drop off if they are not seeing game time when Emlyn (who should be credited for his commitment) is still getting game time when he wasn't seen as a starter 4 years ago and won't even play club football in the county.

Onto the actual game yesterday.

We threw it away. No doubt about it. We were the master of our own downfall, however. Once the real team (and not the pathetic dummy team that Moran/Sloan keep naming) took the field it was clear we were going to struggle for scores. In my eyes we started with 8 defenders - Maguire, Diffley, Reynolds, Farrell, Casey, Rooney, Quinn and Aidan Flynn and Donal Wrynn also plays quiet deep at times. This may have been fine if Keith was going to have another supernatural day but he was well marshalled all game.
We were going nicely if not playing all that well until we took Darragh Rooney and Plunkett off (which seems to be pre-planned as both players seem to get substituted no matter how well they are playing.
Plunkett was the only player we had able to link the game with Keith Beirne inside and once he was taken off we completely went into our shell and lost all momentum. Casey's legs were gone and Dolan clearly wasn't match fit when he was brought on aswell. Our keeper began to panic and we had no outlet to get out of our defence and what occurred was inevitable.
We had Mulligan, Domhnail Flynn and Wrynn on the field at the end - None of them are particularly mobile, Caseys legs were gone and Pearce Dolan clearly wasn't match fit along with a keeper bereft of confidence - That's 6 players. You won't get away with that at Inter-county level. How Moran thought we would is incredible.

Added to this our perpetual fouling is giving teams a way back into every game.

It's not out of the realms of possibility but promotion is pretty unlikely now. If more players decide to focus on their clubs or pick-up injuries then we really are under pressure come New York.

GreenMan94 (Leitrim) - Posts: 29 - 06/03/2023 09:51:44    2462189

I think Moran has serious questions to answer really. This is not good enough. Bringing on mulligan at that stage of game when someone who could actually run at them late against tiring legs would make more sense.
Its shameful to be spending so much money following this dross.

Leitrimdivide (Leitrim) - Posts: 84 - 06/03/2023 12:21:59    2462242