THE LAST POINT: A glimpse towards a bright future

How many times have you witnessed a team or an individual hit an absolute peak in the sporting arena? We know it when we see it but translating the work from the training field to what happens on the pitch is one of those little mysteries that leaves managers, fans and players often mystified.

I only ask because last Saturday, myself and Willie Donnellan were privileged to witness a Leitrim team hit an extraordinary level of performance when St Clare’s CS Manorhamilton booked their place in the Masita All-Ireland PPS Senior C Final with a stunning 4-17 to 1-9 demolition of Donaghmede's Gaelcholáiste Reachrann in Kingspan Breffni Park.

It was the sort of performance that would  have your typical dye-in-the-wool GAA fan scrambling to downplay the significance of the victory - 'we got lucky', 'the goals came against the run of play', 'the opposition had an off-day', whatever it is you are having yourself when it comes to downplaying a performance but Saturday’s semi-final had me contemplating what exactly goes into a performance like that?

We’ve witnessed it many times down through the years, oftentimes Leitrim teams are on the receiving end but some days, a team or an individual suddenly find themselves playing as if they are untouchable, on a completely different wavelength and blessed by the footballing Gods!

The last thing I want to do is heap pressure on the young footballers of St Clare’s but when Willie Donnellan remarks at halftime that the game is over and Darren Mulvey, as good a judge of schools’ football as there is thanks to  his involvement in Moyne CS’s teams, tells you he is heading for home at the break, you know something special has occurred.

THE LAST POINT: ONE STEP FORWARD, TWO STEPS BACK

To be honest, I felt sorry for Gaelcholáiste Reachrann, the Donaghmede school were physically bigger and looked a good side but on the lightning fast 3G pitch at Kingspan Breffni Park, they found themselves in the midst of a maelstrom and they were unable to escape the suffocating grasp of what seemed like the hordes of St Clare’s players.

Jack Kelly did Jack Kelly things in the first 12 minutes - one solitary wide is  remarkable only because he landed six points and tortured the Gaelcholáiste Reachrann defence, his pace, ability to find gaps and skill on the ball leaving everyone in awe. Six points in just over 11 minutes is some going, by any standard, but  he also turned provider for Bailey McBride’s goal and, with that, the game was over.

Zach Gethins did a passable impersonation of David Clifford with a hat-trick of goals, Bailey McBride and Ronan Fox dominated the middle of the park and Evin Gilligan looks a rare prospect at centre-back but what really stood out in the St Clare’s cyclone was the ferocious workrate and immense fitness of the Manorhamilton lads.

Shane Ward’s team are well drilled, have a clear game-plan that everyone knows and a work-ethic that has to be seen to be believed, everything you want in a team but what really sets them apart is  their hunger and desire, never sitting back and keeping the foot to the pedal until the final whistle. 

Gaelcholáiste Reachrann undoubtedly possess some fantastic footballers, there were glimpses of it here and there but everything they tried was met with  a smothering St Clare's defensive effort that left them grasping for straws. No more than Steven Poacher’s Leitrim senior team, when things go against you, everything multiplies in terms of difficulty and for juveniles, momentum can turn what was expected to be a close game into an avalanche in the blink of an eye.

Gaelcholáiste Reachrann must have felt their dreams turned into dust - even at the end, St Clare’s fought as if their lives depended on it to prevent the Dublin school from finding the net for a second time. And contrary to the speculation of some St Clare’s fans that the Donaghmede lads had underestimated the team from Leitrim, I didn't find that to be the case from my conversations with the Dublin lads.

Chatting to some of their mentors before the game, they were well aware that they were up against a formidable opponent. They had a bit of good fortune in winning the Leinster Final, a long range free sneaking into the O’Carolan CS Nobber net in much the same way as they got their only goal in Breffni Park -  definitely no over-confidence in the camp, if anything they were incredibly cautious before a ball was  kicked.

I was standing in the gap between the two teams along the sideline and the mentors from Gaelcholáiste Reachrann never stopped encouraging their players, always looking for positives. But as the game progressed, you could see they were shell-shocked by the football produced by St Clare’s, much like Laois stunned Leitrim in Ballinamore in the Green & Gold’s first outing in the League.

Steven Poacher’s side suffered something similar against Antrim on Saturday in Corrigan Park, a three goal blitz in nine minutes that transformed the game while Jonny Garrity’s ladies got hit by the Saffrons with a two goal blast midway through the second half that ultimately consigned Leitrim to a second defeat in the League.

Reading Garrity’s comments after the game, you get the sense that the Leitrim manager was perplexed with how the game got away from his charges and I’d expect a fairly strong response when they host Longford next Sunday in Kiltubrid. There is a possibility that the Ladies could miss out on the semi-finals were they to lose to both Longford and Sligo  but getting to and winning the  semi-final  is the only target for the Ladies in this League campaign.

For Steven Poacher’s side, there are permutations out there that could see Leitrims survive but they need Fermanagh and Sligo to lose all their remaining games. Leitrim play both their neighbours in their final two games so the hope is always there but given the scale of player losses and injuries, it is hard to see that happening and that’s a hard thing to write.

THE LAST POINT: SHELL SHOCK AND DELIGHT IN 24 HOURS

If the Senior team's confidence is low, there is a growing sense that Leitrim’s underage system is producing quality players at a much higher rate than in the past - the young lads suffering with the Seniors at the moment are just the vanguard with St Clare’s and the Minors coming behind them, giving genuine hope for the future.

The fear is that we’re placing too much on young shoulders and writing so enthusiastically about what St Clare’s produced last Saturday  can be a double-edged sword - does a glowing write-up set them up  for a classic GAA ambush or is it  only an accurate reflection what we witnessed in Kingspan Breffni Park?

I’m not a fan of those “Believe” banners that used to pop up at Leitrim games over the years but I can’t ignore the evidence before my eyes either. St Clare’s may or may not lift the Dr Eamonn O’Sullivan Cup when they take on Ennistymon CBS but their demeanour and attitude suggest it is going to take a special team to beat them - and that has got to inspire confidence for the future!