Mayo probably had a bit more quality - Garrity

Mayo’s ability to put together scoring opportunities was just that little bit better in last Saturday’s TG4 LGFA All-Ireland SFC Relegation Semi-Final, according to Leitrim manager Jonny Garrity who admitted that the Green & Red possessed that little extra bit of quality over the Green & Gold.

Speaking after the 2-14 to 0-13 loss in Tubbercurry’s Kilcoyne Park on Saturday, Garrity, forthright and honest as ever, pointed to the impact of Mayo’s goals: “The goals came at good times for them. I think that had a massive bearing on the way the game ultimately went.”

Garrity’s analytical side also compelled him to admit that Mayo’s experience and teamwork was a key factor in deciding the game while also highlighting that Leitrim matched their opponents individually: “Probably on the day, if we're being brutally honest, that Mayo probably showed a wee bit more quality, especially in the attacking third - not individually but certainly as a team.

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“I think they worked their scoring opportunities just that wee bit better than we did. But we certainly leave with our heads up - the girls have put together a really good performance on the day. It was a great game of football and that's the first thing. 

“Two teams really, really going for it under the circumstances where their performance could be dictated by fear - that wasn't the case. They were going for it, they were determined.”

Mayo’s goals ultimately proved the difference with Garrity feeling that Leitrim have struggled somewhat against teams more used to playing Senior football but he is confident that lessons are being learned: “We've probably been susceptible to that sort of concession of goals all year and we can look back on it and I don't think we'll have to look too far to find the source of the goals. 

“There's probably a wee naivety to the team and you would find that a lot with promoted teams. You're coming up against battle-hardened teams here at this level where, if you do make a mistake, they're going to punish you. The only way to really counteract that for us is to learn those lessons and we've been absolutely determined to learn those lessons. 

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“Today I think there was evidence of those lessons being learned. Unfortunately it wasn't enough to get over the line but it's certainly enough to give us lots and lots of optimism going into next week.”

The process of learning those lessons can be painstaking but Jonny believes progress is being made: “Something that we asked for a wee step forward every day, every day we were out. That incremental improvement that would see us being competitive throughout this relegation pathway and that's what we wanted.

“We did have improvements over the course of the three Championship matches, the last three since the Mayo game. Those improvements weren't always evident, probably from the outside looking in but today was a leap forward really and the best performance since we played Mayo last time. We'll need to improve again but I've got every confidence in the girls' ability to do that.”

What was evident before and during the game was Mayo’s nervousness about taking on Leitrim, something that didn’t surprise the Green & Gold manager: “I'm not surprised because when we show up and when the girls are on it, we're a very, very good team and we've got dangerous players. 

“We've found the going tough, there's no question about that at this level. The more we play at this level, the more lessons we learn, we're improving and we are improving all the time. Today was evidence of that and I hope that next week those lessons that today throws up we can work on during the week.”

Donegal are next up in the relegation final next Saturday afternoon and Garrity believes his team can pull off the upset win to maintain Leitrim’s senior status: “We can put together a real performance and if it's enough to keep us up, then you would have faith and confidence that we can keep building as a team at this level. 

“It's been tough and it's a very hard division but it has also been a privilege, it's been fantastic. We've enjoyed it despite the defeats because you're coming up against the best and we are improving as players and as managers because of that. We want to keep it going and we do not want to bow out next week so we'll be doing absolutely everything we can.”