Stevie's absolutely right, we need to believe in ourselves and keep pushing on - Leitrim's Oisin McLoughlin
Connacht SFC Semi-Final reaction: Leitrim star speaks of disappointment at not beating Galway and pride in lining out with Fenagh St Caillins contingent
It is a strange soundbite that has a player acknowledging that people outside the camp may believe his manager is somewhat delusional with his proclamations of belief in his team. But the point Oisin McLoughlin is making is quite a series one, stressing that the belief Steven Poacher has instilled in the Leitrim players is beginning to be seen on the field of play as it was in Saturday’s Connacht SFC Semi-Final against Galway.
Galway won the contest 1-20 to 2-12 in Heartland Credit Union Pairc Sean Mac Diarmada but Leitrim took so much out of the contest with Oisin, a goal scorer and creator, capturing the mood in the Green & Gold camp pretty much perfectly as he spoke of regret over missed chances!
“If you told me before the game we'd be going in 11 points to 4 down against Galway at halftime, playing against the wind, I'd have taken that any day,” Oisin told the Observer, “but there was disappointment at halftime. They'd got scores from our mistakes and it was surprising that we were disappointed. They pulled away in the end, they showed their class, they brought on some great players that saw them through at the end, but having to do that just really shows how far we've come.
"Galway couldn't sit back and just walk all over us now, we're happy to keep pushing on. It is nice that we're playing one of the best teams in the country and we're disappointed that we're not tighter and closer to them.”
Before the interview commenced, Oisin joked about his unfamiliarity with post match interviews and what he might say but the Fenagh St Caillins clubman spoke from the heart, giving an insight into the emotions and mindset that comes with playing for Leitrim. It is why his comments about the impact Steven Poacher has made on the mentality of this Leitrim team struck a chord: “It's funny, a lot of people might think Stevie's delusional but he believes in us, he sees what we can do and it starts from there.
“Once we get believing too, we put out performances like we did today, like we did against Sligo in Markievicz. Stevie's right, he's absolutely right, we have it in us, we have the quality there - we just need to believe in ourselves and keep pushing on from this into the Tailteann Cup and hopefully go far in a good Tailteann campaign.”
Interestingly, Oisin is obviously one of those players who lives by the mantra of concentrating on nothing else but the next ball: “I think we're in our own little bubble out here. I'm very bad for not knowing what's going on outside the pitch. That's what a coach wants, but when the coaches are calling me, I need them to say it three or four times.
“When you're in the heat of the game, you're gasping for air and your legs are going, it's just about keeping concentration. Focusing on the next ball, focusing on the next play, the next 30 seconds and what you can control. Not worrying about the lads that are off the pitch, worrying about yourself and worrying about the boys that are on the pitch with you.”
So much so that he actually forgot that both teams lost a player for ten minutes due to black cards during the second half: “Actually I forgot about both black cards. I suppose when you're in the heat of the game, you're just up and down, up and down, you just want to keep the ball and get the score. We had a man up for a few minutes and then went even, so I suppose we just really forgot about it then.”
Keep focus certainly helped when it came to putting the ball in the net, although Oisin reveals Keith Keegan played a big part in freeing him up to score Leitrim’s first goal: “There were a few lads wrestling on the line there. I let them wrestle away. Squidgy was there wrestling, two of them held two men back. I got around them. There was every man doing their own part without even realising and that's what I mean, in the heat of the moment, you're focusing on your own thing.”
McLoughlin also helped set up Jack Kelly for Leitrim’s second but he downplayed the creator’s part in the goal and highlighted the young Glencar Manorhamilton player’s commitment: “I know I won the ball and got in fast but to look up and see Jack coming in at some speed, that just takes a lot of pressure off myself. If I looked up and saw nothing but Galway, I could have kicked it wide straight at the goalie over the bar but to look up and see Jack ahead of the Galway players, that's huge for him. A young buck coming in and really asserting his position there. He's a big, big influence now.”
Having suffered with injuries over the years including the dreaded cruciate curse, Oisin is just delighted to be playing football but it is his love of the game that keeps him coming back: “I've spoken with lots of people about it and they're surprised after I did both-knees, they would have finished but I don't know any different, I couldn't go away. Maybe another one I might think of or a fourth one I might think of but, look, these are the days that make it all worth it. This is what you train for. It's what you work hard and what you do.”
Taking to the field with brothers Fergal and Colm in the squad, his cousin Eoin in defence and clubmates Ryan, Riordan and Ruairi O’Rourke in the squad made it extra special for Oisin: “Having the seven of us from Fenagh, the two brothers and the cousin as well, playing with family and the boys you grew up with. Riordan, Ryan and Ruairi that I went to school with. That's what it is. It's a small little county but you're playing with the lads you grew up with and that's what makes it all the more worth it.”
Now the focus turns to Tailteann Cup but Oisin is keen to stress that Leitrim need to keep their feet on the ground and keep doing the work: “It'll be easy to go to training for the next few weeks but we have to keep the heads down. We can't get ahead of ourselves. We still lost at the end of the day, we have lots of things to work on and that's what we need to focus on.”