Lessons from the Dome

Lessons are there to be learned and if ever there was a day to learn, last Friday in Connacht GAA's magnificent Air Dome was it, as two Leitrim teams suffered defeats, albeit in very different fashion, but there were lessons to be absorbed if you have a care to.

That's the thing about lessons - no matter whether you win, lose or draw, every day is a school day and there is always something to learn. Sometimes those learnings are negative, other days positives but there is a school of thought  that you learn from a defeat so Friday's outing for the County Senior footballers and the Schools team has given us a lot to ponder.

To be honest, my immediate reaction was a struggle to see the positives - a third successive heavy defeat for the Colleges team was not unexpected as Coláiste Bhaile Chláir, Claregalway turned in a performance which demonstrated exactly why they topped Leitrim's group. Their 1-24 to 1-6 victory was tough on a battling Leitrim schools team but I've got to say it wasn't undeserved either.

A sticky love for the Toffees

THE LAST POINT

If anything, it exposed the problem that haunted Andy Moran's Senior team later in the day in the Dome - intensity and physicality, topics we've been banging on about time and time again in these pages but, unfortunately, it is a problem where the solution is going to take time and unglamorous work at the coalface of Leitrim football.

Curiously, the notion I've had that Leitrim's footballers have both the physique and skills to match their neighbours was backed up by a Claregalway coach and one of the match officials who, in the course of a quick chat, both remarked more than favourably on the abilities of the Leitrim players but crucially both also remarked that the Green & Gold players obviously weren't used to the intensity that Claregalway brought to the fare.

The Claregalway coach also, as an aside, remarked how unlucky Leitrim were to be stuck in this group, one of the toughest he had ever seen in Colleges competition as he reckons Leitrim could have done quite well in the other group.

For all that, these young Leitrim lads deserve huge credit - they stuck at it when some of their teammates dropped from the panel and there are logistical issues that have got to be sorted out, changes that would greatly enhance the chances of the Schools team in the future, but if the young lads who saw action in this year's inaugural campaign learn from these harsh lessons, it will undoubtedly pay off for Leitrim Minor, U20 and even Senior teams in the years to come.

Quite what lessons we can take from Friday's FBD Insurance Connacht League clash with Galway is both more complex and simple at the same time. Leitrim's conditioning has definitely improved over the last three years but losing out to what was virtually a third string Galway outfit is tough to take for a County Senior side. In many ways, last year's hammering from the Tribesmen was easier to take because it came at the hands of a Galway team sprinkled with All-Ireland finalists.

Unfortunately, you can't say the same last Friday and while I'll be the first to agree that there is no such thing as a bad Galway team, illustrated by the fact that nearly all of their players have, at some stage, seen action for the Tribesmen in the League, it was sobering to hear that one Galway pressman reckoned two, maybe three of their contingent in action in the Dome, will make it to Padraic Joyce's championship panel.

That's a staggering revelation, that this young  development side could get the better of a Leitrim team with 12 players who started either on a League or Championship team in 2024 and two more off the bench who did the same - and that's not counting Ryan O'Rourke. It's a sobering reminder of the challenges Leitrim face in terms of strength in depth and playing numbers and if you don't believe that makes a difference, you're not living in the real world.

The intensity these Galway lads played with, obviously intent on catching Padraic Joyce's eye before he jetted off with his first string squad for a training camp, again speaks to the intensity problem that afflicted Leitrim's young footballers earlier in the day. You'd imagine players like Cein Darcy, Cillian O'Curraoin, Charlie Power Daniel Flaherty, Antaine O'Laoi, Jack Kirrane and Oran Burke walking into many a county side, but right now they're fighting for a place on the Galway League squad.

Darren Mulvey's highs and lows of Leitrim's sporting year in 2023

That our Senior footballers work their socks off is unquestioned but Friday's game demonstrates all too clearly that intensity makes an enormous difference and if  you need to burst yourself to just make a panel, it pays off eventually in the trenches of inter-county football.

Deep down, I know that had Leitrim taken one of the five goal chances they  missed,  we'd be having a very different conversation and probably looking forward to a FBD League Final  against Roscommon. But you only have to go back to last April and the loss in New York to know it is not a new problem.

Credit Galway keeper Oran Burke, unbelievably only second choice for Corofin, for making a series of wonderful saves, the stops from Ryan O'Rourke, Donal Casey and Darragh Rooney absolute match winners but it is not a new tale for Leitrim, regret at missed chances and even more regret that a chance to beat a Galway team, understrength and all, was lost.

You've also got to wonder what Galway were at - seven points up and cruising, they ran in nine subs and you wonder if their mentality slipped during that time. Andy Moran's side fought like warriors to get back in touch but once they did, Galway literally went straight down the field and blasted the ball to the net. Whether that was down to complacency beforehand  or a devastating illustration of the inherent ability in the Tribesmen (it almost felt as if they were taking the proverbial piss) suddenly springing to life once threatened, but maybe that's me over-reacting.

For all that, there was so much to be positive about - resilience is an oft bandied about word when it comes to sport but a Leitrim team seemingly headed for a tanking midway through the second half, dug deep and fought their way back into the contest, a quality that will stand to them during what promises to be a tough and draining League campaign.

Fitness and physical power isn't lacking either on a blisteringly quick surface that makes drawing conclusions from this game almost impossible - Leitrim won't play on a pitch as good as this before April at the very earliest, and maybe even into May, but the Leitrim players were moving strongly right to the final whistle, some 77 minutes after the game began.

Of the newcomers, Jamie McGreal made a big impression in the first half but probably ran himself into the ground - that's not a criticism, far from it, the Ballinaglera man will get stronger and that sort of absolute commitment is vital for any team. 

Special mention too for Kiltubrid's Jack Foley making his debut, even if it made me feel like an old, old man - I've reported on the exploits of his father Shane  with the Green & Gold of Leitrim and Green & Red of Kiltubrid for longer than I care to admit  so you kinda feel old when Jack dons the Leitrim jersey. The younger Foley has a proud legacy to live up to but he certainly looks the part.

More lows than highs in 2023

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So when you put it all together, you can understand why I'm a little bit conflicted by Friday's day out in the Dome, two trips over and back to Bekan making it a Freaky Friday of my own. It reinforced my belief that there is genuine talent in the county  but work remains to be done, be it the Senior team being that bit more clinical or our underage players getting to play at a higher intensity.

That work is being done and if it comes together, Andy Moran's team could do something special. The loss of several experienced players will hurt  going forward but there is a new generation starting to come through -  Moran could very well turn out to be another PJ Carroll, a man who laid the groundwork for future success but we have to start somewhere and after the humbling in New York last year, maybe the Dome last Friday was a good place to start!