Leitrim captain Michelle Guckian is just one of a team of leaders

Anybody who knows Michelle Guckian knows that Leitrim’s captain prefers to do her talking on the field but despite professing an aversion to chatting with the press, the Green & Gold’s star forward shows she is as effective off the field as she is on it.

Chatting ahead of next Sunday’s Lidl LGFA Division 4 Final against Antrim next Sunday, April 16, in Parnell Park (2pm throw-in), Michelle jokes “You know how much I love this!” when asked about the chores involved in being a captain but she knows how to get her message across effectively and succinctly.

Asked what it felt like taking over from Clare Owens as captain, Michelle said “They are definitely, definitely big boots to fill - Clare is just a brilliant footballer and an exceptional leader, on and off the field. It has its challenges, no doubt, but it is an absolute honour to take over from Clare as captain. I’m enjoying it, it is an enjoyable experience.”

Get your tickets for Leitrim's Lidl LGFA Division 4 Final next Sunday

Not that it has changed her approach to the game: “I was always kind of vocal on the pitch and in the changing room so I’ve stayed the same. We’ve a good bunch of us in there who have been there for many, many years so I think they know what it’s about at this stage.

“The young ones are coming to grips with what we’re all like so we’re all in the same kind of team culture - it is not just one leader on that team, everyone is a leader. The younger ones  are not afraid to talk and they’re chomping at the bit to get their chance, to play on the team and give it everything.”

For Michelle, that has been the secret to Leitrim’s march to the Division 4 Final, the immense commitment being given by each and every one of the panel: “Everyone had to perform at their best at every training session, at every game, to keep their place on the team or to get a number. 

“It is great, it pushes everyone on, everyone is enjoying training and everyone is really, really determined to get out of Division 4. The youth coming through is just brilliant, there are serious players from every club around the county coming through, it is great to see, they are just pushing on. 

“You could see from the semi-final, it came down to the subs who came on, even during extra-time, the changes that were made that really pushed us on and gave us those extra legs. There is depth in the defence and the forwards just to keep running at them and that helped us prevail against Fermanagh.”

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THE LAST POINT

That dramatic extra-time semi-final sees Jonny Garrity’s side back in the final for the first time since 2021 when Leitrim were shocked by a Louth team they had beaten in the group stages while the memory of last year’s extra-time semi-final loss to Offaly is also driving Leitrim on.

“Great to be back in a final again, we were very disappointed last year losing out in the semi-final against Offaly but it is great to be great in the final again. There are big hopes for us, we’re very hopeful and we’re really looking forward to it.

“That was a very disappointing final two years ago, we had such a great League campaign up to the final, it was just we didn’t perform to our best in the first half and we went down by a few points but I think if there was maybe another five or ten minutes in that game, I think we would have pushed on and won it but look, that’s football isn’t it.”

So how do Leitrim go about ensuring that the memory of the final two years ago is a help rather than a hindrance? “That’s a difficult one - everybody prepares differently but I suppose the work is done and the tactics are there and it is all about how you bring yourself to the game. 

“If we can get off to a good start, I think that is a big thing for us in Leitrim, we can push on from there and keep the heads up, no matter what way it is going, because it can always change around, just like the semi-final.”

Not that Michelle expects anything easy from Antrim: “Antrim are an exceptional team, you can see that they’re coached very well over the last couple of years. They’ve come up through the ranks massively over the last three to four years, they are exceptionally strong and their workrate and everything is just brilliant.

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“They won the Junior All-Ireland last year and they’ve never given us an easy game, you’re talking maybe two or three points in the difference, never a huge gap. We know it is going to be an absolutely massive test and a brilliant challenge but we have to be confident in ourselves and our own ability and stick to our own game plan and hopefully that will be enough.”

Confidence is key according to the Leitrim captain but you also have to be wary about straying into over-confidence: “You have to be confident, there is no point in saying you’re not but there is a very narrow line there between confidence and cockiness but we’re definitely not cocky going into it. 

“We’re confident in our own ability, we’re confident in our management team we have and the game plan we have in place. If we can go out, implement what we’ve done the last couple of months in training sessions, hopefully we can bring home a Division 4 title.”