Dublin were on a different level to us says Leitrim manager Jonny Garrity

A combination of a motivated Dublin seeking as big a victory as possible and a weakened Leitrim team not performing up to their ability saw last year’s All-Ireland Intermediate champions suffer a staggering 35 point defeat in their opening TG4 All-Ireland LGFA Senior Championship clash, prompting manager Jonny Garrity to say that the Dubs were ‘on a different level to us today.”

Speaking after Sunday’s 8-18 to 0-7 loss in The Naul, Jonny wasn’t inclined to make excuses as he said “We know that it wasn't good enough today. Plain and simple and we're up against a class outfit and all credit to them but we can only control our controllables and we know we can do better than what we've done today.”

After a draw against Waterford in the first round of the group stages, Dublin went looking for a big enough win that could see them claim top spot in the group and home advantage for the All-Ireland Quarter-Finals, meaning Leitrim walked into something of a buzz-saw!

“There was no let up and you're talking about some of the absolute legends of the game operating at very nearly their best when you talk about the likes of Carla Rowe and Hannah Tyrell and girls like that,” reflected the Leitrim manager before adding “They were on a different level from us today unfortunately.

“It was the perfect storm  when you take into consideration that they were playing us, knowing that even beating us may not be enough to top the group. They had to try and win by as much as possible. They didn't have a target so they had to set the target today. Plus they felt that they didn't perform to their ability and I can certainly verify that last week. 

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“So they were going out to prove themselves today and set as high a target as possible for Waterford and that just was a very bad day to meet them and unfortunately several factors you know combined to just make it a perfect storm and it was a hard day at the office.”

Nevertheless, Garrity felt his team hadn’t taken their chances during the first half and agreed that the Dub’s scoring salvo before halftime killed off the game: “We probably left a few chances behind us in that spell. Had we gone in at half time, maybe within touching distance or even seven or eight or nine points down with the wind at our backs, it would have been very competitive.

“As it was, the wheels fell off in that period and what compounded matters was that the concession of goals was met with another and another. The heads went down and it was a difficult day - you want to nip that in the bud early but we weren't able to do that so it was very difficult to shake it off but we are where we are now and we've got a big week ahead of us.”

Picking the troops up won’t be easy but Garrity praised Leitrim’s players for their refusal to give in on Sunday: “You're talking about a fantastic mental attitude and the positivity within the group is central and core to what we do and that was even evident at the end where we're still putting moves together and still getting chances. 

“Nobody had thrown the towel in, even the substitutes that came on and finished the game. They also showed that there was hunger there and there was a willingness to take players on and break lines and try to eke out chances and whatnot so the attitude was spot on, it was really really good but the relentlessness of the performance from Dublin made it very very difficult.”

Injury problems have not helped Leitrim either with neither Sarah Reynolds or Ailbhe Clancy fit to start the game, although both came on in the second half: “We're pressed right now for numbers, the injury problems we've had over the past couple of months have been well documented and it's made a hard job even harder. 

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“Undoubtedly, Ailbhe and Sarah are two fantastic servants for us and two girls that were central to what we have achieved up to this point. Both of them did extremely well to play any part today - they were struggling with injuries and we had a few girls on the field  that were also struggling with injuries. 

“In a perfect world, you might have been looking at the likes of Jasmine May and Vivienne Egan and girls like that to be rested because they were carrying knocks and you certainly wouldn't be asking Ailbhe and Sarah to come in when they're not fully fit following recent injuries.”