THE LAST POINT: One step forward, two steps back

Maybe it was inadvertent, maybe he knows exactly the message he is sending out but new manager Steven Poacher captured the mood of supporters around the county when he talks about one step forward and two steps back in relation to a new look Leitrim that has been brutally shorn of years of hard won experience in the past 12 months.

Leitrim's new manager was talking about the contrast between short term pain and long term gain, a point is worth stating as we wait expectantly for the start of the new Allianz NFL Division 3 campaign next Saturday in Ballinamore's Pairc Sheain Ui Eslin, renewing an intriguing rivalry with a Laois team that the Green & Gold have enjoyed famous days against in recent years.

Leitrim faced Laois twice last year in the League, securing a vital victory in O'Moore Park that almost guaranteed the Green & Gold promotion from Division 4 before suffering a heavy defeat at the hands of the midlanders in the League Final in Croke Park. It is the sort of rivalry that has been taking on a life of its own, Andy Moran's side ending Laois' promotion hopes just a year before in Pairc Sean Mac Diarmada.

But that rivalry might look very different next Saturday as Laois have lost a host of key players to retirement while talisman attacker Evan O'Carroll is reportedly injured. That would normally leave Leitrim quite optimistic but when you realise that nine players who started in Croke Park last March are no longer in Steven Poacher's squad, it gives you serious pause when you start analysing the fixtures ahead of the Green & Gold.

If we're being brutally honest, I'd imagine the other seven teams in the Division are targeting their clash with Leitrim as a 'must win' game if they are to avoid relegation. It is not something we've been familiar with in Division 4 over the years as the only aim is to escape the Division. But up the grades, the first task is to target two to three wins to secure your place in the Division for the next year.

THE LAST POINT: A NEW WORLD FOR LEITRIM LADIES

Teams in Division 1 make an art form out of it - they blood new players, pick one or two games they want to make a statement in and then see what happens. Unlike the Division 4 teams, appearing in a League Final is  regarded as a curse - consider Westmeath who secured a famous victory over Down to win the Division 3 title last year, nearly guaranteeing themselves Sam Maguire football for the Summer only to lose to relegated Wicklow just a week later in the championship.

Leitrim aren't in the position that they will be picking and choosing where they might pick up points because losing 14 of the League Final panel is staggering turnover - some of it is just the passage of time, some of it injury or career enforced, more still the lure of Oz but whatever the cause, Poacher starts the League without not only the ability of these players but the hard won knowledge gained over some tough campaigns down through the years.

Oftentimes, we don't appreciate the job a particular player might do for a team, how they knit together a formation or how they allow other players to shine - that is until they're not there on the field any more. Leitrim Ladies inadvertently made that very point last Sunday when they lost to Fermanagh in the opening round of the Lidl LGFA NFL Division 4 campaign.

No shame losing to last year's Junior champions, it does let some of the air out of the Leitrim balloon but perhaps what emerged most was the job the Bruen sisters, Orla Flynn and Aine Redican did for the Ladies team, not to mention what Michelle Guckian and a few other injured stars might have done.

That seems strange because, on the face of it, Jonny Garrity's side have gotten stronger with the influx of some 'new' players who actually aren't that new at all. Roisin McHugh, Jasmine Maye, Dearbhaile Beirne, Shaylyn Ward & Emma Guckian all lined out with the county previously and are quality additions while anyone watching club games over the past few years has no worries about the potential of Aoife Gilmartin, Rachel McIntyre, Chloe Dolan, Anna Devaney and Lauren Tivnan.

But what the Bruens, Flynn and Redican did was allow Leitrim exploit the potential of their attacking stars Ailbhe Clancy, Muireann Devaney and Michelle Guckian by their selfless workrate - all four covered the ground like cheetahs and flooded the defence, making it incredibly difficult for the opposition as they protected their colleagues in the full-back line before charging forward to support the attack.

That's not an easy job and one that was somewhat under appreciated by those outside the team. Rip that physical power and experience out of any team and it is going to suffer and Leitrim Ladies suffered against Fermanagh. That will change as the 'new players' adapt to Jonny Garrity's system but with the pedigree of these players, be assured the manager will  get his players up to speed pretty quickly.

I wouldn't be hitting the panic buttons yet and maybe the lesson of last year's League, one  that ended in brutal disappointment, is crushing everyone during the group stages means nothing if you don't make it out of the semi-finals - expect a very different Leitrim later in the year!

Steven Poacher has a different challenge - he has lost a lot of physical power around the middle of the park and years of experience. The loss of Ryan O'Rourke and Darragh Rooney will be keenly felt in attack - those two were crucial last year in winning promotion and that is going to hurt. Every line of the Leitrim team from last year has taken a hit and that is enough to fill you with dread!

Yet, even in the face of what looks like crippling losses, hope persists - you can't but be excited by the prospect of Paul Honeyman, Ben Guckian and Darren Cox linking up in attack. Eanna McNamara is lighting up the Leitrim Schools team and looks like a real tip for the top and that's without the likes of Colm McLoughlin coming through.

You might fear for their youth and physical stature as they come up against some big beasts but nobody in Leitrim doubts the talent these lads possess. Look at the trajectory of Barry McNulty and Jack Foley, youth being no bar to performance. I will add the caveat that both Barry & Jack had a vastly experienced core around them to help settle them into the senior inter-county game but they are now in the leadership roles in this young squad.

Ideally, I'd prefer if a few more of the experienced heads had remained on to guide the young lads in their first steps in Senior football but who knows, with the new rules and anticipated increase in running power and energy levels required, maybe a bunch of young, enthusiastic players might be exactly what the doctor ordered!

The pessimist in me says this could be a rough League campaign, through no fault of management nor players - the midfield battle is key and it is hard not to look at the names Dolan, Plunkett, Wrynn, Oberwan, Gilheany and Keaney and wonder what they might have added. That makes it easy to give in to despair because no matter the sport, winning the battle in the trenches and securing possession is the first order of the day.

THE LAST POINT: EOIN GALLAGHER LOOKS BACK OVER HECTIC 2024 SPORTING YEAR

But the optimist in me sees reason for hope - the reports I've heard is that Poacher had engaged this young squad, all impressed with his knowledge and his coaching acumen and I've got to admit I'd intrigued to see what Tom Prior, Darren Cox, Paul Honeyman and Ben Guckian might do against a less packed defence than what they've been used to!

There are tough games coming up in this Division 3 campaign, no denying that but if Leitrim can win one or two against the head, you never know what might happen. Stay up and this young team will achieve something nobody expects - consider what that will do for their development! 

But the odds are, admittedly, firmly against Leitrim but that's nothing new and if Poacher's team can keep taking some steps forward amidst the backward ones, the future is still bright.