Moran delighted to see fruits of Leitrim's hard work showing in results

Crediting the hard work that has gone in on the training field, a delighted Andy Moran hailed Saturday’s dramatic Allianz NFL Division 4 victory over Laois but stressed that Leitrim still have a job to do next Sunday against Tipperary in the final round of the campaign.

With late points from Paul Keaney and Barry McNulty earning Leitrim a 0-17 to 1-13 victory over the Division leaders, Leitrim need a win against Tipperary and a Wexford victory to clinch promotion but for Moran, Saturday’s result was a vindication of his belief in his team: “My wife Jennifer came up to me after the game and said ‘what a win’ and I said I told you these boys can play and since the day I’ve taken the job, I’ve never doubted that. 

“Everyone gets questioned, I get questioned, players get questioned - that’s fine, it is all in the nature of the game but the one thing deep down is we know our Leitrim players can play and when it was really put up to them, they delivered. But we’ve another game next week. It’s great, I love that winning feeling but we have to go again.”

Key to Leitrim’s performance was their fitness and physical conditioning, an acknowledgement that Moran appreciates: “Justin McNulty is in his first year and they had a few lads back in so we have a head start on them but if you look at Sligo, they’re on their fifth and sixth year. You can see their fitness building and I’m delighted you said that because you can see the work we’re doing. 

“Karl Foley went down with the minors today and played Armagh in a very good performance, the U20s are playing Wednesday and hopefully they replicate the performance, training really really hard. Fitness, power and then you can play with skill - it can’t be all. The work these boys have put in on weight programmes, not just this year but for three years, you can start to see it come through.”

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Sometimes the temptation is to park a victory in the never ending merry go round of games but Andy agrees the Leitrim players need to enjoy what they achieved in O’Moore Park: “Our job this week as a management team is to analyse the game on the way home on the bus, get the video ready and get it out to the boys and plan for next week.

“I remember we beat Cork in a 2011 Quarter Final and I remember me going around telling all the boys to calm down, not to be showing our hand. Peadar Gardiner comes in to me and says ‘you’ve got to enjoy these wins’. The boys need to enjoy this, they need to get that winning feeling so they can search for it again so let them enjoy it for 20 minutes and then we’ll be back to work.”

That victory was almost snatched from Leitrim’s grasp as Mark Barry’s free hit the woodwork only highlights the precarious line between success and failure: “In fairness to poor old Quinner, and to the guys reading your piece or listening to it on the radio, Quinn catches a mark, the ref blows for the Mark and Quinner thinks the game is up and then he runs out celebrating and the referee pulls him for over-carrying.

“Shane was outstanding when he came on, everything he did was good, the positioning, the turnovers, he did his job and it would have been an awful way to get caught. He didn’t, he got a bit of luck which he deserved for all his years with Leitrim.”

Leitrim manager Andy Moran issues instructions to his players against Laois Picture: Willie Donnellan

The Leitrim manager admitted he has doubts at times but still retained confidence in his players to get the job done: “The boys knew what they were doing, they were focussed in on their job and they went and done it. The one where they chipped Nevin, we got away with it. 

“When Rourkey was going through on goal, I think every Leitrim person thought this was a goal and when he missed, of all people, it was a shock - that’s his forte. But no, I just felt the boys could always do it - even when the goal went in, I was just screaming at Nevin to slow it down because I just felt we had Laois’ number at that stage.

“Then you had young Keaney coming on, 60 yards - I’ll be honest, I doubted him when he was taking it, I thought it was the wrong decision and he puts it straight over the bar. We put the press on the kickout, win the ball and now we were one up.”

Two of his young stars should be on U20 duty during the week with Barry McNulty and Jack Foley due to line out against Galway in the Connacht U20 Championship on Wednesday in Ballinasloe and while Moran has no fears of the duo playing, he is mystified by a rule that means the Senior duo may become unavailable to the U20 side once the championship starts!

“As long as they are injury free, they can play. They are delighted - they don’t have to train! All they will be doing is topping it up. All I will say about this absolutely insane rule - it is fine for Mayo or Dublin or Kerry who have resources but Barry McNulty has literally played Sigerson on a Wednesday and League at the weekend since January.

“All of a sudden when the championship starts, you can’t do it. A crazy decision but we’ll deal with it when it comes but let's focus on this week and see where we go.”

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But for now, the focus is very much on next Sunday and the trip of a reeling Tipperary to Avant Money Pairc Sean Mac Diarmada. The Premier County, who relegated Leitrim back in 2020 from Division 3 in the final round of the league and pipped Leitrim in 2022, were walloped by Wexford 4-10 to 0-7 in a refixed game on Sunday.

But for Moran, the focus is on their own individual game: “Today was a must win game - Longford beating Carlow earlier on suited us, that’s a good result for us and what we need now is for us to get to ten points and see where it goes. 

“The last couple of years we’ve been in the exact same situation, we’ve had eight points and never got to ten points. Since the day I first talked to you, I’ve said ten points and you’d be very close to getting up.”