Jack Foley sees young Leitrim moving in the right direction
Tailteann Cup reaction: Kiltubrid player praises exceptional spirit in Leitrim camp and looks forward with positivity to 2026 campaign
His first words may have been of disappointment but Jack Foley definitely captured the positivity embedded in this Leitrim team when he spoke of the County Senior football team moving in the right direction.
Speaking after Sunday’s 3-9 to 0-10 victory over Tipperary in the Tailteann Cup, Jack admitted his frustration at not qualifying for the preliminary quarter-finals but quickly turned to the future: “It's just so frustrating, great positivity to get the win, but looking back at the Kildare game, the score difference really let us down.
“It's just disappointing, but we are moving in the right direction. You can really see it. Ever since the Mayo game, we've really picked it up. It's nearly an upward trajectory. We're just going to keep on building into next season.”
With an horrendous catalogue of injuries and absent players, it has been a tough year for Leitrim, particularly the U20 contingent who had an extra amount of games but Jack praised both management teams for managing the load on players: “You have to credit the lads, because we have played a lot of football, especially the U20 lads.
“You're training with the U20s, you're training with the seniors, playing a match in the week. I remember there, about two or three weeks ago, there were three games in one week. It is a lot on the body, so you just have to credit the lads for sticking it out your ear.”
Coping with that schedule of game wasn't easy for Jack and his teammates: “To be fair to both management teams, U20 and senior, they have helped us and made it happen that we'd be available for every game. Obviously, Honeyman injured and Barry was injured throughout the league, he's a massive loss, Jordan Reynolds as well - I’m forgetting loads. We haven't really got a right shot with all the injuries and stuff.”
For all that, the spirit was clearly strong in Steven Poacher’s team: “The spirit in the camp is absolutely exceptional, to be fair to the management. They're a great crack, there's a great buzz around the place. This is our first win of the season and you'd think that morale in the camp would be low, but it really wasn't.
“We're still such a young core of a team there. We're just going to keep on getting better and better each year. Hopefully, we'll have a few more lads back next year. We'll just keep on building and go from there, I suppose,” concluded Jack.