Poacher seeks culture change as he encourages fans to get behind young Leitrim team

Steven Poacher stresses that a year round strength & conditioning must be instilled in the county's young footballers as he urged the county's supporters to get behind his young team after last Sunday's defeat to Offaly.

Up against the joint league leaders Offaly, Leitrim battled to a 1-9 to 1-13 loss in Pairc Sheain Ui Eslin as Poacher stressed the need for the county to get behind his young team: “I'm a teacher, and young boys respond to positivity and praise. They don't respond to negative energy and negativity. What we want is fans to  get behind them because they've got to understand there's a group of young boys out there, young men that are fighting hard.

“They're representing their county. I spoke to Eanna McNamara's mother and father down in Belfast. They're so proud of him. He's 18, doing his Leaving Cert. The words they said to me was all Eanna has ever wanted to do since he was a child was play for Leitrim seniors. Eanna is fulfilling his dream five, six years quicker than most young lads are in this country.”

What we want to do is to slowly change that culture. Eight, nine years ago, Armagh were sitting bottom in Division 3 with a very small group of men that were driving the culture. Kiernan McGeeney came through the door and the culture changed.

“What we need to do is do the same. What we need to do, and that starts this year, it starts when the club championship's on here in Leitrim. When we get a proper look at the club championship, we get a proper look at extending our panel for next year and we get a proper pre-season.”

REPORT: BATTLING LEITRIM EFFORT NOT QUITE ENOUGH TO GET PAST OFFALY

To give some idea of the challenge Poacher and his management team have faced, he spoke of Antrim being months ahead of Leitrim due to the lack of a management team following Andy Moran's departure: “Antrim were doing fitness testing this year on July 20, last year, Leitrim didn’t have a manager so you've got to understand that counties are way, way ahead of where we are. 

“We only got going in December and that with no Mohill players, getting our full panel back in January. That's not good enough at this level. We need to be together 12 months of the year and I'm not talking about training three nights a week. I'm talking about installing a strength and conditioning culture.”