Kiltubrid aim to seize the day in Connacht LGFA Intermediate Club Final

Kiltubrid may be facing into a Connacht LGFA Intermediate Club Final next Saturday but the message from manager Stephen Sheeran is simple - strike now because you may never get this chance again!

Kiltubrid take on Mayo’s Charlestown Sarsfield on Saturday next in St Croan’s GAA club in Ballintubber in Roscommon and their manager is stressing the opportunity that exists for the Leitrim team: “What we’ve tried to say to them all year is that the bigger the games get, the bigger the challenge gets, the bigger the opportunity presents. 

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“We’ve said to them ‘you’re only going to get one shot at this’ - you’re not going to play in the Intermediate grade again, here’s your chance, try and do everything you possibly can and hopefully get something out of it.

“If we play at 100% and don’t win, so be it but at least give yourselves that chance. That’s what we’ve tried to say all year, they’ve listened to it, done the right thing and hopefully they will keep their eyes focused straight ahead and take the opportunity that is presenting itself.”

Yet Stephen is pushing against an open door in that regard as Kiltubrid’s players quickly turned their focus after winning the Leitrim Senior B title towards Connacht as their manager admits his players were more aware of what awaited than he was!

“To be fair, the girls probably more so than me! The girls were able to tell me the date of the next game, they were really on the ball as to who was coming next so I think they were excited for that opportunity to go back into Connacht. Obviously they hadn’t been there since 2016 so there was that little bit of excitement. 

“Playing new teams is class, you do get stuck in a rut playing the same five or six teams in Leitrim, playing new teams gives you that new opportunity. The girls were absolutely buzzing for the Oranmore game, they are probably even more excited because there is an opportunity to win another title, to add to the Senior B title we’ve already won.”

The chance to win a Connacht title is motivation enough Stephen believes: “Every player is motivated by that opportunity of success. You may not have started off your year saying that is what we’re targeting but as a competition presents itself, you do get excited, you say let’s do this, we’re in this competition and let's give it everything we have.”

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Leitrim teams don’t have a great record against Galway teams but Stephen felt the schedule suited Kiltubrid: “We were probably in a nice position in that we had our Final out of the way a little bit before them so we had a little bit more time to chill out and celebrate, enjoy it and then refocus on training. 

“Oranmore were probably still a little bit in the throes of having won that intermediate championship and then thinking we’ve got to turn this around in 14 days so there was probably a little bit more pressure on them whereas we could come into it a little more relaxed. That is obviously an opportunity we won’t have again, everyone is on the same schedule now.”

Charlestown Sarsfields will pose a significant threat as Stephen admits he has been trying to do his homework on the Mayo champions: “To be honest now, I wouldn't have looked at them until the results. I’ve done a bit of work on them since and we have a decent idea of what they’re going to bring. 

“The Doherty sisters are class, their inside line is very strong and they are well able to run up scores so I think we will have to be slightly more tuned in at the back than we were the last day. Saying that, I think we worked really hard in defence against Oranmore, we probably gave up a few too many opportunities.”

The performances of Kiltubrid, Glencar Manorhamilton and St Mary’s in the Connacht LGFA club championships underlines the strength of the ladies game in the county: “I think Leitrim Ladies football is in a really good place. Even in my second year with the girls, since Covid and the way they’ve stepped up, the difference.

“I’d have been looking at them from afar and the way football is improving is unreal both at county level and at club level, there are new girls coming through the whole time. That is going to keep driving that standard up and hopefully we can keep everybody playing and be involved and continue to be as competitive. 

“We had loads of competitive games this year, if they can keep the model they have now, all those clubs are going to be in a really good place for the next few years.”

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Michelle Guckian naturally attracts a lot of attention when lining out with Kiltubrid but Stephen is enthused by the growing strength in depth of the Kiltubrid squad: “It is unreal, that is the really exciting thing and I’m probably in that lovely position when you come in as a new coach, you can look at it with a different set of eyes. 

“The standard of footballers they have in that club is unbelievable and there is more coming through, it is really exciting and we’re finally getting to that stage where it is hard to pick the team. If one person has an off-day, other people can stand in their shoes and that is really exciting to have.”

One big unanswered question is where Aussie Rules star Aine Tighe might line out with her native Kiltubrid on Saturday but Stephen gives a somewhat vague answer: “A man could only wish, a man can only hope. No I think this one might come a little bit soon for Aine I’m afraid. 

“We’ll do everything we can. We’d find a jersey and a pair of football boots for her somewhere but I think unfortunately, that might be a little bit too challenging.”

Hailing from Maynooth, Stephen jokes about how he got involved with Kiltubrid: “I’m just trying to work out how I got roped into it, what went wrong there!”

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In a serious vein, it was the ambition to experience football in a different county that motivated him to join forces with Kiltubrid: “I coached a couple of teams in Kildare and I was looking to get out of Kildare, you can get stuck in your own county and everyone in Kildare would look at football a certain way. That’s not necessarily the way people in other counties would look at football and I think it is nice to get an experience of other counties and other groups.

“So it was a case of let's get out of Kildare, let's get out of Leinster and let's see what is out there. The opportunity came up in Kiltubrid, I would have known of the standard of footballers they have and it was a really exciting opportunity.”