Leitrim turn on the second half jets to cruise past Waterford

The biggest winning margin of the weekend in the Allianz NFL may give them the impression that Leitrim’s 16 point victory over Waterford in the first game of the Division 4 campaign was routine but it took a much improved second half display from Andy Moran’s side to put away the stubborn Deise men.

Anxious mummers were to be heard all around Avant Money Pairc Sean Mac Diarmada as the visitors led at the break 0-8 to 0-7, Leitrim thankfully for a brace of wonderful Darragh Rooney scores for keeping the game as close as it was at that stage.

Waterford were certainly standing toe to toe with Leitrim at that stage - they may have struggled to curtail Keith Beirne and Leitrim did waste one glorious goal chance and could have had a penalty but the Munster men were good value for their one point lead.

Crowds out in force for Leitrim's victory over Waterford in Allianz NFL - GALLERY

Leitrim fans were out in force as Andy Moran's side opened their 2023 Allianz NFL Division 4 campaign with a 3-18 to 0-11 victory over Waterford on Sunday in Avant Money Pairc Sean Mac Diarmada. Observer photographer Willie Donnellan was a busy man with his camera .... see who you can spot from Willie's photos of fans enjoying the action!

There are some who will opine that there must have been a blistering halftime dressing down from Andy Moran such was the transformation in Leitrim’s fortunes in the second half but it was more likely that with the considerable wind at their backs and perhaps a few tactical tweeks, Leitrim finally found their grove.

By the time Waterford hit their ninth point of the game, Leitrim had transformed a one point deficit into a five point lead and even if the visitors were hanging around obdurately much longer than the partisan Leitrim fans would have liked, Jack Heslin’s goal 20 minutes into the second half settled the game there and then.

Waterford just didn’t have the power to trouble the Leitrim middle third which was exceptional in forcing turnovers, so much so that all three Leitrim goals came from calamitously misplaced Waterford passes that a coldly clinical Green & Gold took full advantage of.

Once the first goal went in, Leitrim’s confidence blossomed as they held off whatever Waterford threw with relative ease to open the 2023 campaign with a welcome win.

Sub Tom Prior offloads the ball under pressure against Waterford Picture: Willie Donnellan

It was, unfortunately, not a win without cost - Leitrim Gaels duo Aidan Flynn and Donal Casey both had to leave the action with injuries, Flynn suffering a serious arm injury that saw him stretchered off after a typically energetic and full blooded display from the returned Flynn.

Casey, in a real blow to UL’s Sigerson Cup hopes, pulled up very sharply with a hamstring pull with just four minutes of normal time left and the absence of the Gaels duo will certainly be felt next Sunday in Ruislip.

Riordan O’Rourke had the first shot of the day but his effort flew wide before Conor Murray opened the scoring for Waterford after he ran in along the endline to fist the ball over the bar.

Leitrim cruise to easy victory with destruction of Kilkenny newcomers

LEITRIM 7-26 KILKENNY 0-5

Three Keith Beirne points, two from frees and the only from play set up by good work from Evan Sweeney put Leitrim in command after just five minutes but then Leitrim started to lose their way. Jack Heslin was put through on goal but cut the ball too far wide of the post and a goal chance was lost.

Michael Curry and Beirne swapped points before Aidan Flynn did extremely well to fist over the ball after a Beirne effort fell short. Three points up midway through the first half, Leitrim suddenly lost their way as Brian Lynch (free) and Murray both fired over good points.

There were howls of protest when it appeared a Leitrim player was taken out by a high challenge on the edge of the square. Whether it was inside or out, it was hard to tell but referee Enda McFeely from Donegal was clearly unsighted by both players and sun and Waterford broke quickly, going straight down the field for Curry to score.

That tied the scores but Waterford weren’t finished - Lynch drove a good shot over the bar before Darragh Corcoran scored a lovely point from long range and suddenly there was a lot of uncomfortable mummerings among the Leitrim faithful.

Lynch notched another point to extend the lead to three points approaching halftime but then Darragh Rooney pulled one of those wonderful high dropping points out of his bag and when the St Jude’s player quickly added another, Donal Wrynn and Aidan Flynn doing extremely well to keep the ball alive, the score read 0-8 to 0-7 in favour of Waterford at the break.

Andy Moran sent on Tom Prior for the second half and rejigged the lines but it was obvious that Leitrim came out with more intensity in the second half, Rooney getting his third on the trot as he curled a long range shot over the bar to tie the scores.

Two Beirne points, one set up by a Jack Heslin burst, the second from a fifty, had Leitrim two clear and when another foul on Heslin led to a Beirne free, the ball flew over the bar. The Mohill man added another after a foul on Evan Sweeney and Pearce Dolan pounced for a point after Tom Prior intercepted a wayward Waterford clearance.

An injured Aidan Flynn is stretchered from the field after suffering a serious injury Picture: Willie Donnellan

Waterford got the first point of the second half, a disputed effort that looked almost certainly wide from the stand side when Dermot Ryan’s shot was adjudged to have flown inside the post by the umpire.

There was a long stoppage when Aidan Flynn was injured in a collision, Paul Keaney coming on in his place. Conor Reynolds was yellow carded for a high tackle but any worries there evaporated when Waterford again lost the ball sloppily in possession and Jack Heslin led the counter-attack, getting onto the final ball to find the net.

Six minutes later, it was as if history repeated itself as an ill-advised Waterford handpass was intercepted, Pearce Dolan’s run created the overlap and the ball was fed to Tom Prior. His first effort was blocked but the Ballinamore man recovered well to grab the rebound and stick it in the net.

Beirne converted a mark before Jack Heslin should have had a second goal when he burst through the Waterford defence only for keeper Aaron Beresford to get a hand to his shot, diverting it up over the crossbar.

Lynch and Murray added late points for Waterford, Beirne (free) and Keaney (2) doing likewise for Leitrim with the icing on the cake coming in the last minute of eight minutes of added time when a long ball found Tom Prior behind the defence, the youngster unselfishly passing to allow Keith Beirne a tap-in.

Ladies enjoy comfortable win over Kilkenny as fans cheer them on - GALLERY

Leitrim proved far too strong for Kilkenny in the second round of the Lidl LGFA NFL Division 4 campaign on Sunday afternoon in Pairc Naomh Mhuire as they cruised to a 7-26 to 0-5 victory and Observer photographer Willie Donnellan was there to capture images of the fans enjoying the action.

LEITRIM

Scorers: Keith Beirne 1-10, 6f, 1 45, 1M; Jack Heslin 1-1; Darragh Rooney 0-3; Tom Prior 1-0; Paul Keaney 0-2; Pearce Dolan & Aidan Flynn 0-1 each

Team: Darren Maxwell; Paddy Maguire, Mark Diffley, Conor Reynolds; Conor Farrell, Donal Casey, Riordan O'Rourke; Pearce Dolan), Donal Wrynn; Darragh Rooney, Jack Heslin, Aidan Flynn; Evan Sweeney, Keith Beirne, Jordan Reynolds. Subs: Tom Prior for O'Rourke (HT); Paul Kenaey for Flynn (52); Mark Plunkett for Sweeney (60); James Rooney for D. Rooney (62); Tom Quinn for Casey (66)

WATERFORD

Scorers: Brian Lynch 0-4, 4f; Conor Murray 0-3; Michael Curry 0-2; Darragh Corcoran & Dermot Ryan 0-1 each

Team: Aaron Beresford; Liam Fennel, Barry O'Brien, Darragh Ó'Cathasaigh; Darragh Corcoran, Brian Looby, Jordan O'Sullivan; Caoimhin Maguire, Brian Lynch; Dermot Ryan, Eoghan McGrath-Butler, Michael Curry; Conor Murray, Shane Whelan-Barrett, Michael Kiely. Subs: Billy Hynes for Maguire (HT); Niall McSweeney for McGrath Butler (41); Conor O'Cuirin for O'Brien (43); Donal Fitzgerald for Whelan-Barrett (57)

Referee: Enda McFeely (Donegal)