THE LAST POINT: Return of the Mac and other stories

Well that was a hectic weekend with enough talking points to fill up several columns - from another underage triumph for a Leitrim team to unexpected shocks and some absolutely predictable victories in the opening rounds of the championship, both men and ladies and a few other things, good and bad, that caught my eye.

Rather than dive into one single subject, I'm going to take a quick look at a few topics that caught my attention, starting first  with the return of Barry McNulty!

RETURN OF THE MAC!

Readers of an older vintage will remember Mark Morrison's 1996 Return of the Mac - a catchy number that you can't prevent becoming one of those earworms that stay with you. In fairness, the 'return of the mac' in this case is Barry McNulty and what his return from Chicago meant for Glencar Manorhamilton.

Jack Kelly, pictured above sharing a rare lighthearted moment  with Conor Farrell, was the star of the show but having McNulty back in Manor colours infused his team with self-belief as they shocked the newly crowned League champions to really start the championship with a bang.

McNulty is almost an old school throw-back to the inspirational Cuchulainn type figures that lifts everyone around him - I wasn't at the game but anyone I've talked to says that Barry has had better games, understandably so as he only touched down from the US on Friday or Thursday, but when the moment needed someone to stand up, he did so and five points is a huge contribution in a tight game.

THE LAST POINT: APPETISERS SET UP THE MAIN COURSE

McNulty's return was also an unexpected return for Glencar Manorhamilton on their motion at last year’s Convention, putting the start of the championship back for a few weeks so as to give Leitrim teams a shorter run-in time to the Connacht Club - in previous years, we would have had three rounds played by now but with the later start, McNulty has missed no championship football and probably altered the ambitions  of several teams, Glencar Manor among them! I wonder if the clubs who voted for the motion  are having buyers' regret now!

WHEN A ROBBERY IS NOTHING OF THE SORT!

No beating around the bush - Leitrim robbed Sligo with a dramatic match winning goal in Saturday's Humphrey Kelleher U15 Cup Final at the Connacht GAA Centre of Excellence, wiping out the Yeatsmen's two point lead and prompting wild, wild celebrations!

Only thing is, it really wasn't a robbery - Leitrim were clearly the better team over the 60 minutes, emphatically so, but  two goals in a minute, against the run of play, kept Sligo alive. Over the hour, Leitrim should never have been in the position they were but, in all honesty, if the Green & Gold had lost the game, and we've lost plenty in similar situations, we'd have been crying pure daylight robbery.

Credit Leitrim for their resilience and the impact of the subs, particularly Alex Kilrane and goal hero Ruairi Mulvey for the ice in their veins they displayed to deliver glory to Leitrim. You can't buy that sort of killer instinct and it bodes well for the future.

One word of warning, keep the feet on the ground - Leitrim won this competition two years ago and a Fr Manning a year later but the U15 is a developmental grade so we need to let these young players develop at their own pace and not place too many expectations on them - something we've all been guilty of with previous Leitrim teams down through the years.

LET'S GET WITH THE PROGRAMME

I'm reluctant to get on the back of officials - they're doing a job not many want, devoting hours of their time to ensuring competitions and games go ahead for thousands of people around the country. Without them, we wouldn't have the games or the sports we do, whatever your poison is, and they deserve our deepest gratitude.

But sometimes, you just have to call out oversights and that was the case when spectators turned up for Saturday's Humphrey Kelleher Cup Final and no programme was to be found. It mightn't seem like a big deal but it was the equivalent of an  All Ireland at that grade and years from now, players, their  parents and families and even the community of programme anoraks will have nothing to look back on and savour a wonderful triumph.

In truth, the game almost had the feel of an after-thought - no neutral linesmen or umpires, just one volunteer at each end and a referee in Mel Kenny who, I am led to believe, was only asked to officiate the night before the game. A programme is a small thing but it is important all the same.

Unfortunately, the same goes for club games in Leitrim over the weekend with a distinct lack of programmes. Aughawillan had programmes for their clash with Fenagh St Caillins and so may have others as did Leitrim LGFA  for all their games on Sunday but elsewhere, it seems to have been a programme wasteland - more than once I had enquiries from outside the fence in Kinlough about who was playing where!

A COMMUNITY BOUND TOGETHER

We often wax lyrical about the power of sport, the community spirit it embodies but I haven't seen many better examples than the way Dromahair came together to remember and celebrate the all too short life of Conor Torsney who passed away in June 2024, an expression of solidarity and community that found its fullest expression in the “Cycle for Conor” that raised €100,000 that will go towards funding facilities at the Dromahair Area Recreation Centre (DARC) in the coming years.

Myself and Willie Donnellan stopped off in Dromahair on our way home from Kinlough on Saturday for the presentation of the proceeds of the cycle to DARC by Conor's parents Kevin and Clodagh. You can read about it elsewhere but what I will say is that Dromahair came together as a community in a time of great sorrow to support Conor's family and friends.

THE LAST POINT: LEITRIM'S CAPITAL GAINS ON THE RISE

Words  seem meaningless and hollow after such great loss but the consolation Kevin & Clodagh have taken in the unconditional support of their community and the legacy that the “Cycle for Conor” will leave for DARC and Dromahair is something they will cherish for many, many years to come.

TO VAR OR NOT TO VAR?

As an Everton fan, I’m not too enamoured with VAR right now but I often wonder what might happen if VAR was in Gaelic games. I’m sure many of you have seen the video clip that is going around of the penalty incident that led to Glencar Manor’s late winner over St Mary’s. Referees have a thankless, almost impossible job and whatever way the referee went, one side would have been furious.

A spectator at the game that I met afterwards in Dromahair described the penalty as ‘soft’  - I wasn’t there but, after viewing it, I'd have to agree with that sentiment although I'm sure someone else watching the same clip might have a very different interpretation!