It has always been tit for tat between ourselves and Leitrim - Roscommon's Helena Cummins
TG4 Connacht LGFA IFC Final preview: Roscommon captain expects a tough battle with Leitrim in Sunday in Heartland Credit Union Pairc Sean Mac Diarmada
Sometimes there is a temptation to proclaim ‘I told you so’. It’d be easy to quote lines from this column last week to convey the impression that the Observer has a soothsayer in their midst, that I always knew Leitrim would take defending champions Galway to the limit last Saturday in Heartland Credit Union Pairc Sean Mac Diarmada. Trouble is, I’m not sure even the most blinkered Green & Gold fanatic expected what Steven Poacher’s troops delivered.
Roscommon’s Helena Cummins isn’t telling any lies when she says “It’s always kind for tit for tat on the pitch, it;s always close game between the two of us and I’m sure it will be no different on Sunday” ahead of next Sunday’s TG4 Connacht LGFA IFC Final in Heartland Credit Union Pairc Sean Mac Diarmada.
The battles between the two neighbours in Connacht Finals have been legendary in recent years and while Leitrim hold the upper hand, the Green & Gold never have it ease against the Rossies and Helena expects no different next Sunday!
“It's been ourselves and Leitrim the past few years. It's always kind of tit-for-tat on the pitch. It's always close games between the two of us, so I'm sure it'll be no different on Sunday when we meet them again. I'm expecting a good game between the two of us.”
Even asking for how she thinks it will go, the Roscommon keeper believes these contests are too close to call: “It just kind of comes down to the day, I don't think you can call it. Both of us go out and we give all on the pitch, it's always a tight contest between the two. It's been the two of us contesting it the past few years since Sligo went down so I'm expecting nothing different on Sunday.”
Roscommon's Helena Cummins pictured at the launch of the TG4 Connacht LGFA Finals in The Bush Hotel recently Picture: Willie Donnellan
Roscommon had a mixed League but Helena believes that the introduction of some new faces and the return of others will benefit them as it is the championship that everyone wants to do well in: “We would have wanted to give a better representation of ourselves in the league. Unfortunately, it didn't go that way.
“We're working on the things we need to work on and also continuing on the stuff that we're doing well and developing as we go along. We've some new girls in, we've some girls back to us that would have been involved throughout the years and then we've a few that have been with us throughout the last few years.
“It's getting the team together, developing it and pushing on then for the championship, I suppose. You want to do well in the league but it's the championship that everyone pushes for to go out and represent themselves at the highest level.”
Playing the game in Pairc Sean is something to look forward to: “It will be great to play there. We played Leitrim there a few years ago and they came out on top. I think that was, if I'm correct off the top of my head, that was 2021. It was a COVID year because the final was in December. It was a bit delayed, it is a nice set up there, so I'm looking forward to playing it now that the pitch has been done up.”
Helena expects a backlash from Leitrim after their Division 4 Final loss at the hands of Carlow: “They're going to be out looking for results after to get themselves back on the right track and the winning track. They're not going to give us anything easy on Sunday and we're most certainly not expecting that. Leitrim are going to want to get back to winning ways. It's always tight between us, but I'd like to hope that we're going to get over the line and get a good start to the championship ourselves.”