THE LAST POINT: A year never to be forgotten

When I finally sat down to consider my review of the sporting year, I truly didn't know where to begin when it came to the highs and lows of 2024. From the Olympics to Leitrim finally escaping Division 4, the European Championships to our Ladies footballers claiming the All-Ireland Intermediate crown, trying to narrow down a list for these pages seemed impossible.

So I decided to cheat! Instead of the usual one page 'The Last Point' column, I'm doubling it up  and even then, I'm struggling to get everything in because so, so much captured my imagination over the past 12 months. So forgive me for my indulgence and here goes!

HIGHLIGHT OF THE YEAR

Quite a few!

Leitrim Ladies winning the All Ireland Intermediate title - nothing more needs to be said!

Ireland's Olympic heroes - so often marginalised compared to the 'major team sports', the Green heroes who captivated us all in Paris showed this nation at it's absolute best, be it the wonders that were Daniel Wiffen or Paul O'Donovan, Rhys McClenaghan's artistic mastery of the pommel horse or Rhasidat Adeleke's glorious, if heartbreaking, fourth in the Paris 400m. And what about the almost otherworldly confidence that Kellie Harrington exuded on her way to gold!

Beating Laois to virtually win promotion - Leitrim got a large slice of luck in beating Wexford with a dubious penalty but the display in Laois Hire O'Moore Park to beat table toppers Laois to reignite the Green & Gold's promotion push was something extraordinary - the standout display of the Andy Moran era!

SPORTS REVIEW OF THE YEAR: ELISE BRUEN REFLECTS ON AN AMAZING 2024

Two Leitrim Senior Finals that stand with the best I've ever seen for the quality of fare, drama, heartbreak and joy. Bravo to Mohill and Ballinamore Sean O'Heslins for producing something so epic.

Carrick RFC's continued emergence as a power in Connacht rugby - the titles have started to flow to the Castlecarra Road club, a testament to the tremendous work being carried out by the club.

The performance of Leitrim's underage men's teams in 2024 - it didn't lead to silverware but the Minors and U20s were right in the mix with the Province's big guns and the  U20s famous win over Mayo was one of the standout occasions in 2024. The Schools team have made a big splash in this year's Connacht PPS - a vindication of the tough decisions and hard work of the Leitrim Games & Coaching Development set-up.

Leitrim defeating Mayo in the Connacht U20 FC was a big highlight Picture: John Connolly

I know people don't like them but the penalty shootout after the Leitrim Senior Final replay was sporting drama of the highest order and a memory that will live long, long in the memory!

Finally, something a little leftfield - the Leitrim Junior A championship left me thinking that Gaelic Football wasn't in such a bad place after all! I'll accept all the caveats about standard, ability, fitness, etc, etc but for sheer entertainment, I didn't enjoy any games more than I enjoyed the games I witnessed involving Eslin, Cloone and  Bornacoola.

LOWLIGHT OF THE YEAR

Again, I'm going with a few here over a hectic year:

Losing to both Carlow and Longford in the Allianz NFL seemed like mortal  body blows at the time and the mood around the county was not good. Losing to Wicklow in the Tailteann Cup, if not exactly an outright shock, was still a tough pill to swallow.

Attendances are getting better and the welcome-home on the night of the All-Ireland Final was fantastic but the poor attendances at the Ladies county, and even games, in 2024 is another pill that is tough to swallow in an era when we're supposed to be more accepting of women's sport.

You only have to listen a few minutes on the sidelines to know abuse of referees has gone beyond the tipping point. Abuse has become so all encompassing that we're almost  inured to it but what happened after the Intermediate Final to sideline official Frank Niblock has no place in society at large, let alone a sporting event. Credit Melvin Gaels that they took swift action but the antics along the sideline throughout the game created the conditions for the incident and it definitely took the gloss off what should have been a glorious day for the Kinlough men.

WILLIE DONNELLAN'S SPORTS REVIEW OF 2024

As much as the two Senior Finals were highlights, the standard of the Senior and a lot of the Intermediate grade was disappointing. Here's hoping the revamp of the grades will bear fruit in the coming years.

On that note, the race for Sam Maguire, and indeed, almost every competition in Men's gaelic football was a tough watch with some odd exceptions. The sterile, safety first approach wins games, of that there is no doubt, but this year's All-Ireland Final was soul-destroying. When teams like Armagh and Galway, known in the past for a swashbuckling approach to football, produce the All-Ireland Final we got,  something is badly wrong with the game. 

PERSONALITY OF THE YEAR

Since I've allocated myself two pages for this column, I'm going to be greedy and pick out three candidates and all are equally worthy of selection.

First up is Paul O'Donovan who, to my mind at least, is one of the most remarkable sportspeople in the history of Irish sport. His record of success is second to none but it is his no-nonsense attitude that had him classifying himself and Fintan McCarthy as underdogs that captured my imagination. After vanquishing everything the best of the world had to throw at him, O'Donovan eschewed the traditional post Paris celebrations to conquer the World as a single scull a few weeks later - extraordinary. The  lightweight class is gone from future Olympics but I wouldn't bet against O'Donovan moving up a weight category and adding to his medal collection!

Paul O'Donovan continues to fascinate as Ireland's most underrated star - even with his outstanding 2024 Picture: Sportsfile

He is a good friend and someone I coached as a youngster but Gerard O'Donnell continues to inspire this old soul with his continued development as a top class coach to go with his continued excellence as an athlete. For once in recent years, he got a bit of good fortune in the National Champions to regain the 110m Hurdles title but it is no less than he deserves, one of Leitrim's great sporting ambassadors and a source of coaching expertise maybe other sports in Leitrim  could do with utilising a bit more!

On the club scene here in Leitrim, I don't think I enjoyed watching anyone more than Conor Beirne, Shane Quinn or Muireann Devaney over the past year. Conor is some throwback, almost mythical Cuchulainn figure that is a force of nature while Shane Quinn's tour de force in the two Senior Finals kept Mohill alive when they looked dead and buried - true inspiration. And as for Muireann, Leitrim Ladies had many, many heroes but I don't think you can quantify exactly what she brought to party as she returned to the Green & Gold in 2024. Her absence from the TG4 LGFA Team of the Intermediate Championship was an absolute travesty as the Glencar Manorhamilton player was the key ingredient that allowed everyone else to flourish around her - she is my Leitrim player of the year and that's saying something!

TEAM OF THE YEAR

Probably the easiest choice of all in 2024 - Leitrim Ladies overcame the shock of losing a League semi final that threatened to derail their entire season. They lost players and Vivienne Egan suffered a traumatic injury to leave them dangerously short of resources just as the championship was picking up steam. But Jonny Garrity's side absorbed all these body blows and became so much more the sum of their parts. They rode their luck at times but there seemed almost something preordained about their journey to collecting the Mary Quinn Cup in 2024.

Leitrim Ladies were obvious winners of this category but it would be remiss of me not to mention our County Senior champions - Mohill retained the Fenagh Cup for the first time in 2024, showing remarkable will and resilience in two epic encounters against Ballinamore Sean O'Heslins. They might not quite have been the force of the past but their force was more than enough. And Glencar Manorhamilton achieved the holy grail of a five in a row, holding off an inspired and somewhat unlucky St Joseph's to retain the title. But no matter the odds, the north Leitrim women always seem to find a way!

HERO OF THE YEAR

Going very left-field with this one but Jonathan Cassidy gets the nod here - anyone who knows Cass knows he is an absolute gentleman and a great footballer to boot. We're used to the idea of Junior and second string teams featuring lads in their 40s lining out but to see the former St Mary's and Leitrim player not only shining for Coolera Strandhill but winning a second County title in a row and then winning a Connacht Senior Club title with the Sligo outfit belies the notion that nice guys finish last.

Jonathan may just be the first Leitrim man ever to win a Connacht Senior Club title, I'm not 100% sure of that, but he is in pretty elite company. He might be coming up against a hero of mine in Con O'Callaghan when Coolera Strandhill take on Cuala in the All-Ireland Club Semi-Final but he will have all of Leitrim, and I mean all of Leitrim, cheering him on and that says so much about Jonathan.

EVENT THAT MADE ME GO WOW IN 2024

Again, a slightly leftfield choice - Leitrim Ladies' All-Ireland Semi Final win in Parnell Park against Wexford was so dramatic that it defies belief. After such a display, I had no  doubt that Leitrim would lift the Mary Quinn Cup such was the power of that performance!

ONE THING I’D DO TO MAKE SPORT BETTER IN 2025

I could talk about the new rules in men's gaelic football but we have to wait and see. What I'd  like to see gone - at every level, gender and sport - is far less cynicism. I'm all for doing everything you can to win but within the rules - rule breaking, doping, feigning injury  and cheating is almost compulsory at the highest level but nobody starts out that way and it is getting harder and harder to justify what happens in the name of sport! 

WHAT ARE THE BIG CHALLENGES FACING LEITRIM SPORT IN 2025?

It is not a new topic but emigration is going to have a big effect on Leitrim clubs and county teams over the next few years and could have a major bearing on their futures. Take the case of Aughawillan who have seen Pearse Dolan and Mark Plunkett take off on their travels, joined by former county player Fergal McTague - any one of that trio are an enormous loss but to lose all three for a club with the limited pick will have enormous consequences.

If any one of Plunkett, Dolan and McTague hadn't been available for this year's  championship, it is likely Aughawillan would be playing their intermediate championship football  in 2025. Those concerns extend to the Leitrim Ladies team too with the Bruen sisters and Aine Redican departed for foreign shores - that trio were tireless runners for the ladies and allowed Leitrim to adopt a gameplan where they could sit back and break from deep, safe in the knowledge that the trio and Laura O'Dowd could burst up the field like the wind.

Emigration has a very real effect on tactics and ambition and that's without even mentioning the knock-on effects - continuity is hard to maintain and even harder to build momentum or ambitions when so many are far away from home. In no way do I resent young people heading overseas - the sacrifices they make for club  rival what was expected of County set-ups just 10 or 20 years ago as more and more is being asked.

Perhaps that is the biggest challenge facing not just Leitrim sport but gaelic games in general, resetting the growing demands on their players.

ONE TO WATCH IN 2025

Rhasidat Adeleke - fourth place in Paris was heartbreaking but expect the Tallaght athlete to move up another level, if that is possible. Remember she is only just turned 22 so is only going to get better - watch this space!

Rhasidat Adeleke and Gerard O'Donnell both make it into John Connolly's review of the sporting year