Conway proud as Leitrim Hurlers finish on a high

It wasn’t quite the end to the season they wanted but in a year that saw them fail to get across the line in League and Championship, Leitrim hurlers brought the curtain down on a frustrating year with a hard fought and inspiring win over Division 3B champions Cavan last Saturday In Kingspan Breffni Park.

Having lost in the League and the Division 3B Final to the Breffni blues, manager Olcan Conway was determined there wouldn’t be a third defeat and the county hurlers delivered: “That was the talk all week, we didn’t want to lose three times to Cavan, we lost up there to them in the League and we were very, very upset and annoyed about the League Final loss, we felt we left that one behind us badly. 

“To get over Cavan was a tricky, tricky affair - all they needed was a draw or a win and they were in a final in Croke Park. We didn’t have all that much to play for, only our own pride, the badge and our jerseys - so to go over and beat them was very satisfying.”

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What pleased Olcan most of all was the way Leitrim reacted to seeing all hope of making the Lory Meagher Cup Final disappear after losses to Lancashire and Longford: “After the loss to Longford and the previous week to Lancashire, we knew our season was practically over and it would have been very easy for the lads to throw in the towel, stop training, go back to their clubs and play hurling and football with their clubs.

“But we got together, we asked them that we started this together, lets finish it together and in fairness, every man did. Training has actually been fantastic the last few weeks and to go over to Cavan and over to Warwickshire with nothing to play for only our own pride and belief in ourselves is very gratifying. 

“I was very proud coming off the pitch, looking at the lads with a smile on their faces having played a fantastic game of hurling. You’ve got to say you’ve got to feel a bit sorry for Cavan but for our own benefit and for the players’ own pride in themselves, it was an excellent result really.”

Pride may have been the dominant emotion but there was also frustration at what might have been for Leitrim’s hurling manager: “I suppose the frustration has probably being building up all year. The Leitrim hurling management job is not a very easy job - we lost the two McDermotts, Cathal O’Donnell, Diarmuid Kelleher taking up with the footballers, Conor Hackett stepped away in the middle of the season, Cian Mallon stepped away in the middle of the season, there’s four or five lads who were all on our starting 15 last year.

“You’re trying to rebuild a squad and get consistency going and things like that and it is difficult to keep going, keep building again but don’t get me wrong, we had a fantastic squad this year and some new lads came and there is some fantastic young talent coming through.

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“The biggest frustration is probably the League Final and the performances against Longford and Lancashire because it was something we talked about, we didn’t want to finish the season looking back at those under par performances, it didn’t have a true reflection of who we are and what we do.

“That is what we talked about over the last few weeks, let's finish the season together with two wins and take immense pride in ourselves and I keep telling them, that badge and that jersey is all your playing for and that’s what we are, who we are and what we will always be, that we fight to the end and for each other.”

The exploits of the hurlers are almost like some underground fight club, unknown to the general public with all but a handful of devoted fans cheering them on but for Olcan, it is not about public acclaim but rather the pride in the Leitrim jersey that the hurlers display each and every day they don it.

“It doesn’t bother me or the players so much,” reflected Oclan, “we all know how it is in Leitrim with the football, it gets the most attention and that’s fair enough, they draw the big ticket but there is a lot of very passionate, loyal supporters who go to all our matches and shout just as loud at the hurling matches as they do at the football matches and maybe even louder at times.

“We’re always playing for ourselves, we’re always up against it, we probably don’t always get some of the support and respect we deserve but that’s ok, I keep telling the lads if you want respect, you have to go and earn it yourself, make people sit up and take notice of you.

“And that is probably why the win over Cavan was a very proud moment for me after the game, saying to myself you have to love these lads, they just went out and fought tooth and nail and a fantastic game of hurling, never gave up, dug out a point at the end from Enda Moreton to win it so you’ve got to take that as a win.

“It was a moral victory, we stopped Cavan beating us three times this year and it wasn’t about stopping Cavan getting to a final, it was more about proving a point to ourselves.”

As for his own future at the helm of the County hurlers, Olcan was non-committal: “At the minute, I wouldn’t even be thinking about it. I just wanted the last couple of weeks to be about the players and what they’ve achieved. I don’t know many other county teams who were basically out of a competition and kept training and kept trying. 

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“There are lots of other county teams where the players would just walk away once they can’t get to the goal they want and our lads didn’t, they stuck it out, took the defeats on the chin but came bouncing back with real guts and determination. You can’t buy that because whatever players you have in the land, if they’re willing to do it when there is nothing to play for, you know that they’re going to be there for you when it is needed. 

“It is a new squad, a big learning curve this year and it won’t be about me at the minute, it is all about the players and I can’t say it enough times, I am so proud of what they’ve achieved in the last couple of games and finishing the season with a lot of pride.”