Connacht Gold Leitrim SFC Final replay: ​Injuries could play a big part in destination of Fenagh Cup

The October Bank Holiday weekend usually sees people plan their last big blow-out or weekend away before Christmas but next Saturday, Leitrim GAA enthusiasts will flock to Heartland Credit Union Pairc Sean Mac Diarmada hoping that Ballinamore Sean O’Heslins and Fenagh St Caillins serve up another helping of excitement and drama in the Connacht Gold Leitrim SFC Final replay (3.30 pm throw-in).

​You’d be forgiven for thinking, with the memory of the two classic encounters between Ballinamore and eventual winners Mohill two years ago still fresh, that replays on Leitrim GAA’s biggest day are a common occurence but over the past 60 years, just five previous editions have gone to a second day out, a remarkable fact given how fiercely fought these occasions are.

Gortletteragh convincingly got the better of Ballinamore in 1985 and Aughawillan did much the same in 1993 against St Mary’s Kiltoghert. The Carrick men lost an epic decider against Allen Gaels three years later but we had to wait 19 seasons for another drawn encounter, Mohill lifting the Fenagh Cup with Ronan Kennedy’s dramatic last gasp goal against Glencar Manorhamilton.

Drawn games and replays usually follow very different paths – if the drawn game was an epic, the replay is a dud and vice-versa but two years ago, Mohill needed extra-time and then penalties before they scrapped by Ballinamore. That’s because both teams know each other so well after the first day that bringing something new to the table seems impossible – after all, nobody holds back in a final!

The big question is, the first and most common one I’ve been asked since the drawn game, will Darren Maxwell be able to line out for Ballinamore Sean O’Heslins next Saturday? After that, there is all manner of speculation about injured stars who may or may not be available to play in the the replay, I’ve heard names mentioned and speculated about.

Both camps will keep their powder dry and cards close to their chest, as is their right and the first time we will truly know what the state of play is when the teams take to the field – after all, we were told teams were lining out per the programme the last day and lo-and-behold, the teams that started were different to what was confirmed to the PA before the game.

Feverish speculation aside, what we do know is that Ballinamore have a big dilemma as the Maxwell factor is huge – his kickouts, the familiarity of his teammates with his routine not to mention his shot-stopping skills, all potential match winners. That was evident in how stand-in Wayne McKeon got decent accuracy and length in his kickouts but his teammates out the field simply lost their mojo, Fenagh taking control of the breaking ball and driving on.

If Maxwell is deemed fit to play, how is his mobility and kickouts effected, genuine concern considering his dislocated knee with reports suggesting more serious damage. Ballinamore will have prepared contingency plans but will McKeon stand between the posts on Saturday? Ballinamore missed his presence around the middle in the crucial final quarter or will they look to someone else to fill the role?

It adds an uncertainty to Ballinamore’s preparations but in a weird way, it also takes the pressure off – before the drawn game, I’d say nine out of ten neutrals I spoke to had O’Heslins as hot favourites, while agreeing that Fenagh were more than capable to lifting the Cup, but I imagine the pendulum has firmly swung the other way now, the pressure on St Caillins to take advantage of the occasion.

Interestingly, the same opinion still holds since the drawn game and, if anything, it has hardened among neutrals who feel that Fenagh may have missed the boat and that Ballinamore have greater room for improvement but I’m not exactly sure that belief holds true either.

You got the sense that Fenagh felt they didn’t perform at all the first day out and, for the guts of 40, 45 minutes, that is true but in that frantic final quarter, they were the team with momentum and their self-belief will have gotten a major boost for that – delivering for the full hour is the task for Martin Dunne’s team on Saturday but has that got easier or harder with the shift in perception and expectations?

Riordan O’Rourke’s excellent display aside, the curious aspect of the drawn game was that the marquee forwards were kept relatively quiet and it was others who shone brightest. Expect Tom Prior, Ryan O’Rourke and Paul Honeyman to have more decisive impacts, although one of those rumours floating around suggests that Prior is suffering from injury, another potential debilitating blow for Ballinamore.

Another curious aspect, for the modern day game, is that Fenagh didn’t use their bench at all in the drawn game – no one came off the bench and that is hard to get a read on. Does that leave Fenagh in a dangerous spot if one of their players gets injured? And does it lead to more pressure on to those who do come on? It all adds to the psychological dance that both teams will indulge in ahead of the replay, seeking to gain an edge that might lead them to victory.

Both teams are incredibly well matched, physicaly and skillful but we knew that going into the first day - other than injuries or illness, nothing will have changed except the mindset both teams will adapt next Saturday. Initially, neutrals felt Fenagh will have been most gutted, coming so close to ending a 96 year wait for the title but watching the Ballinamore men emerge from the dressing room, the disappointment was just as gut wrenching.

Is Ballinamore’s experience of the replay two years ago a significant benefit to Mark Henry’s team? Well, it can’t but be a help, even with the loss against Mohill, because Ballinamore simply have the experience of a second day out, albeit with the caveat that the two week gap compared to one two years ago alters the equation drastically.

So how will it all go? Honestly, impossible to know – if the scuttlebutt is true, Ballinamore will be severely weakened but O’Heslins have good strength in depth. Has momentum shifted to Fenagh and expectations along with it? Probably if we’re being honest and, having come so close the last day, their desire to bring the Fenagh Cup home certainly won’t be diminished.

And that, as much as any of the many other factors in play next Saturday, could well be the most important one. Fenagh get the nod this time round, only just, but as I said first time around, nothing would surprise me about this contest, it really could go either way!