Lory Meagher Cup Final loss will sting for a while says Leitrim's Martin Feeney
Dromahair native hails Leitrim’s progress but regrets second half performance in Croke Park
There was no disguising the disappointment in the Leitrim camp in Croke Park on Sunday evening with centre-back Martin Feeney capturing the mood pretty perfectly when he stated “That one will sting for a while.”
Leitrim travelled to Croke Park on the back of a nine match winning run and for the first 45 minutes, they looked the better team, a fact that left Martin and his teammates frustrated by the final result: “Very disappointing. They kind of left us behind. That one will sting for a while, but look, you've just got to keep your head up and keep moving forward.
“Someone has to lose, but it's annoying on our end because we let it get away from us. Their goal gave them great energy and we kind of lost our shape and the way we were playing. We kind of went away from that and that was the issue at the end of the day. Look, really proud of the group.
“It's been a really good year. This is really positive and really good to put Leitrim hurling on the map again and get to Croke Park. It's our aim every year, so hoping for it again next year to push on and be here again and make a change and make a difference next year.”
The influx of young players had reinvigorated the County hurling squad according to Martin: “It's a really young group. I'd say the average is around 25. A lot of talent pushing through from the U20 All-Ireland success a few years ago.
“There's boys itching to get on the pitch there. I can see the future being bright for Leitrim Hurling. We just need to keep the standards high and keep pushing it on, really. Keep wanting more and keep wanting to be here on days like this.”
Playing in Croke Park was a thrill, even if the result didn’t go Leitrim’s way: “This is what you play hurling for. It was an absolute honour to represent the county here today. It was great to take it all in. All the hard work all over the years, so I'm really happy to get there but it's disappointing not to get the final result that you want at the Cup.
“But at the end of the day, I'm really proud of this group. We've just got to keep our head up and push on to go again next year. Get back on the horse and go again.”