THE LAST POINT: Laois crush Leitrim's Easter Rising

Easter Saturday may just have to be banned when it comes to Leitrim football, a definite no-no in years to come  because, for the second year running, thousands and thousands of Green & Gold supporters endured, and I mean endured, a rotten evening cheering on their heroes.

Easter Saturday 2023 saw Andy Moran's side defeated in a penalty shootout in Gaelic Park, an historic event surely for New York but for thousands of Leitrim expats and supporters who made the jaunt across the pond, it was a traumatic event that left quite a few footballers and fans demoralised, deflated and despondent.

Fast forward not quite 12 months and thousands of Green & Gold fans were again spending an Easter Saturday on foreign soil (the big City!)  dreaming of glory when Barry McNulty and Nevin O'Donnell thumped over a couple of monster points early in the second half that players grow up dreaming of scoring in Croke Park,  but as soon as hopes were raised, Laois slammed down their heels as if squashing a bug.

Wasteful though they may have been on the evening, Laois knew when to strike and when Paul Kingston gathered a long Shaun Fitzpatrick delivery, twisting and turning Donal Wrynn before popping over a point, Laois demonstrated a sense of purpose that was missing when Leitrim turned them over just two weeks previously in Portlaoise.

Learning from your mistakes is one of life's great mantras, particularly so in sport so Justin McNulty must be a very happy man that Laois' players so obviously learned so much from Leitrim's famous victory in Laois Hire O'Moore Park. Gone was the lethargy and sloppiness that afflicted them that day, even if it still hung around in terms of their overall accuracy.

THE LAST POINT: A THREE YEAR OVERNIGHT SUCCESS!

Laois attacked the very areas where Leitrim had made hay so effectively two weeks previously - their entire defence tackled with far greater intensity and in much bigger numbers, two or three players swarming around any unfortunate Leitrim player who came within their reach and they paid particular attention to Darragh Rooney, Ryan O'Rourke & Tom Prior.

The damage Rooney & O'Rourke did in Portlaoise was obvious and in recalling James Kelly, injured for the first clash, they closed down O'Rourke who did so much damage. The same could be said of Darragh Rooney while the damage Tom Prior did in Portlaoise by ghosting into space at kickouts was completely negated as Justin McNulty's men kept a tight rein of the Ballinamore man.

Midfield too was another area where Laois upped the ante, the combined efforts of Jack Gilheaney, Pearce Dolan and Barry McNulty swamped by Kieran Lillis and Damon Larkin. And that added to the travails of the attack as the same quality of ball wasn't going into the Leitrim forwards.

Up front, Evan O'Carroll also cut loose, hitting six points compared to four two weeks ago but it was the general damage he did around the field, pulling the Leitrim defence out of shape and he really should have had two goals to his name, hitting the crossbar and driving another just over the bar.

But most of all, what was most different from that day in Portlaoise was the intensity Laois brought to the contest. I'm not going to, with the benefit of hindsight, rewrite the  history of that day - Leitrim were the better team by a long, long way on March 16, their one point winning margin not reflective of the five goal chances Andy Moran's side had but you've got to remember that Leitrim's promotion dream still hung on Mark Barry's injury time free hitting the post and falling the right side for the visitors.

Were Laois a little complacent that day, knowing they still had  a second chance against Waterford a week later? Evidence would suggest so because they were a vastly improved team in Croke Park in all areas, except finishing, where their tally of 12 wides to Leitrim's six reflects much of what we witnessed.

For all Laois' undoubted superiority in Croker, stubborn Leitrim hung onto their coat-tails much longer than Justin McNulty would have liked and when McNulty and O'Donnell boomed over their points, it looked like deja vu all over again - a repeat of the Portlaoise game so uncanny that it seemed like a re-run!

THE LAST POINT: CELEBRATING WOMEN'S SPORT

Just consider the similarities - Pearce Dolan took off on a barnstorming run to set up Leitrim's first point, this time for Riordan O'Rourke. The sides were level when Laois burst five clear midway through the first half  but Leitrim hauled them in. Laois again got the first score of the second half and again Leitrim hauled them in. Momentum was with the Green & Gold, the extraordinary Leitrim fans finding voice as it looked as if Laois were there for the taking. 

Unfortunately, it was all an illusion, Laois pouncing for 1-1 in the space of a minute, another incident in this League where inches made all the difference - this time Jack Gilheaney unable to hold onto Nevin O'Donnell's kickout, leading to the decisive second goal. There may have been 23 minutes of time still left on the clock but in all honesty, the game was over - Leitrim failed to score for the remainder of the game as Laois ran riot and it could have been worse with much better finishing.

I've seen some posting that Leitrim weren't fit, the keyboard warriors out in force again looking for Andy Moran's head, but it wasn't fitness that let Leitrim down last Sunday, it was intensity - an argument I'm blue in the face making about the standard of our club game, but that's a discussion for another day.

Twelve months ago next weekend, Leitrim suffered a terrible humiliation in Gaelic Park and nobody but nobody would have predicted the Green & Gold would win promotion the following year. Andy Moran deserves enormous credit for leading Leitrim to promotion but what Saturday showed is we have a long way to go.

Next up is a frighteningly quick turnaround when Sligo visit Avant Money Pairc Sean Mac Diarmada next Sunday for the Connacht Senior Championship. Injuries, fatigue, morale all come into play now as the Yeatsmen, refreshed and relaxed, come to Carrick expecting another battle royale. The heart says there is another kick in this Leitrim team, the head says Sligo to prevail as the volume of matches is catching up.

Leitrim's best performances in the League this year have come off a bye-week - Wexford and Laois in Portlaoise - which doesn't help the omens given Sunday will be their fourth week on the trot but the sight of the Sligo jersey might just inspire them to another famous day in Pairc Sean.

Can't let the column go by without a word on the truly exceptional turnout of Leitrim fans last Saturday - I'd say half the 10,000 strong crowd wore Leitrim colours and the noise they generated was truly exceptional. Walking into Croke Park and seeing the line of Leitrim fans queuing on Jones Road to get into the venerable stadium over an hour before the throw-in brings home how much last Saturday means to Leitrim people.

THE LAST POINT: LOST FOR WORDS BUT FULL OF WONDER

Of course, we'd have loved to be celebrating a win, just imagine the scenes that would have greeted the final whistle but what Saturday has done is inspire the next generation of Leitrim fans. The excitement on the faces of countless youngsters is priceless and those memories will inspire for years to come.

One final aside from the weekend's action in Croke Park, I've always been a fan of penalty shootouts but being on the wrong side of one as a Dublin fan doesn't change my mind one bit that they're the best way of separating teams that can't be separated - and the drama is magnificent to boot. Of all the changes wrought in Gaelic football over the past decade, the penalty shootout has got to be the best in my opinion.