No clouds lingering over Leitrim for Man of the Match Barry McNulty

Doom and gloom may have been the pervasive feeling going into Saturday’s Connacht SFC Semi-Final against Mayo in Avant Money Pairc Sean Mac Diarmada but for Leitrim’s colossus Barry McNulty, the reality inside the Green & Gold camp was very, very different.

Asked just how Leitrim had produced such a battling display against one of the top teams in the country given all that had transpired over the League, Barry simply said “I think the cloud might have been more over the country than over us, I don't know was there much of a cloud over the team, the positivity in the camp never really left. 

“Maybe a week or two where it was tough after Fermanagh but we are driving in the right direction and I think that's shown there today. Outside noise is outside noise but I think it showed today that we don't pass much heed of it.”

That outside noise included quite a backlash in the media and on social media and the Glencar Manorhamilton clubman admitted it is difficult to block all the noise out: “You're always going to hear it, you can't stay away from social media. If you're on it, you're going to see it, it's fairly simple. 

“But I think the lads have dealt with it really well. The management team have dealt with it really well. Stephen and the lads have really instilled a belief in us and I think that belief is showing there today.”

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An automatic Man of the Match selection, Barry admitted that getting back on the field was an enormous relief: A joy to get back out here, to be honest. To get playing again, it's just a burden off the shoulders. To get in Parc Sean in playing conditions like this is amazing. I was struggling a wee bit there coming towards the end, the body was tiring but I'm just delighted to maybe get the first game over now and drive forward to the Tailteann Cup.”

The challenges of being injured combined with a difficult League campaign, culminating in the Green & Gold conceding a walkover to Fermanagh, meant being left on the sidelines while he recuperated from injury was very difficult: “It was a tough time for everyone but to be honest, it was kind of killing me.

“Looking at the lads and seeing them struggling in games and maybe thinking if I was there, maybe I could have helped them in some way. But we're a resilient group. I think that showed it today and we're just really looking forward now for the next few weeks. 

Given his own struggles with injury, Barry was full of praise for how Donal Casey and Cillian McGloin came through the game, particularly as both were absent for over a year: “To be honest, I don't know how we got through it but I'm very proud of them. I thought Donal was excellent. Ryan O'Donoghue is a top-class footballer, one of the best forwards in the country and Donal, I thought, really nullified him. To be fair, the lads, I thought defensively, were excellent, the lads were covering each other really well. Really proud of the boys.”

The Leitrim talisman also had words of praise for the impact of the Green & Gold fans on his team: “The Leitrim fans are amazing, to be honest. When you give them something to cheer about, they will get behind you. There were blocks, tackles, boys throwing their bodies on the line. It was an electrifying time. There were a couple of turnovers, it was pinball maybe at stages but that lifts you, there's no point in lying. When the crowd gets behind us, it's amazing.”