Rivalry, history & passion driving Sean & Leitrim hurlers on

We’re used to fighting against the odds in Leitrim but when it comes to overcoming the odds, vice captain Sean O’Riordan points to a potent combination of passion for the game of hurling, a unique family history and a fierce rivalry with Lory Meagher Cup Final opponents Longford as key factors in the Green & Gold reaching Croke Park.

It is hard to believe that Sean, who plays his club hurling with Carrick and football with Bornacoola, is actually in his eighth season with the County hurlers given that he is only 24 years old but it comes as no surprise his love of the small ball game given his family connections with the legendary Tommy O’Riordan.

It is why playing hurling for Leitrim means so much to Sean - “For me, it's rooted in my family going back a long, long time. For the other lads, it's just that determination to just go out and prove everyone wrong - sometimes we're kind of looked down upon. We have an opportunity and hopefully now we’ll walk the steps of the Hogan Stand that things will start to turn. That's the aim.”

That drive and passion for hurling is replicated in small pockets around the county and concentrated in two hurling hubs in Cluainin and Carrick-on-Shannon. It also helps explain why there was such a ferocious backlash when a proposal was aired a few years ago that suggested Leitrim drop out of inter-county hurling action.

“It's a small community, but it's tight,” agrees Sean, “The support we had when that proposal first came in was unbelievable. Even outside the county, there was huge support and top hurlers across the country - Conor Whelan, Declan Hannon - spoke out. Then you bring it back to our local area. It's a small community, but they're so driven and they're so passionate about hurling. That's why we would just love, as much for ourselves, but for them as well, to get the job done on Sunday.”

LEITRIM’S GOAL IS TO WIN LORY MEAGHER CUP IN CROKE PARK INSISTS MANAGER MIKE WALL

An added special element for Leitrim is a derby clash with neighbours Longford and, of all the hurlers in Mike Wall’s squad, there is nobody who will feel the rivalry more! “I'm a stone's throw from the border. Look, there's always been a huge rivalry there between ourselves and Longford, no matter when we go out: “It could be a league game, it could be a challenge game, but to do it now in an All-Ireland Final, it's going to be humdinger. There's going to be nothing in it. They beat us by three in the league, we beat them by three in the championship. There's going to be a puck of a ball in it.”

As one of only five survivors from Leitrim’s Lory Meagher Cup team in 2019, Sean has witnessed a few ups and downs in the intervening years as Leitrim stayed in the Nicky Rackard Cup in 2020 but struggled as old stalwarts departed and new faces came in. But Sean sees the positives in those struggles.

“As far as I know, there's only five left from that team in 19. It's been a huge turnover, but it just shows the work that's going in underage now at the minute. When I started hurling at five or six years old, there wasn't a whole lot going on underage but it just shows the development that's come now in the last 10-15 years. It's all paying dividends now in the last year or so. We had a good year under Mike last year, probably a bit disappointed results wise in the Championship. But it's all started to come together now in the last three or four months.

As one of the few players who have experienced playing in Croke Park, Sean encourages his teammates to savour the day: “Every player dreams of playing in Crowe Park when they're a youngster. I know myself out in the back yard and you picture yourself there. I suppose being from a smaller county like Leitrim, you don't get too many opportunities. Fortunately, this is my second time to experience it now, but you just have to cherish every moment. For us, we've dreamt about this for, it's coming on eight years now since we were last there. Mick and the boys came in last year and Olcan was there five years previous and the goal is always the same.

“The goal is always to get there and now we have that opportunity so we have to take it with both hands. I can only speak for myself, but on a personal level, it hasn't really sunk in yet. Maybe when we're only two sessions away, things might be a bit different. At the minute, it's just another game coming down the road.”

Sean also points to the impact that manager Mike Wall and his management team have had on this squad: “To have somebody with his experience coming up from a county like Kilkenny and even his backroom team there like Keith Murray, Gerry Walsh, another Kilkenny man, Dennis Byrne, an All-Ireland winner and all coaching us. It's a fantastic experience. For them boys to have faith in us, it's a huge advantage and a huge boost of confidence. I think we were fortunate that we got the job done after four games. We were able to play the Cavan game with the pressure off, knowing that we were there and to get that extra game under your belt is obviously a huge benefit.”

Asked if he is confident going into Sunday’s Final, Sean simply says “Absolutely” but adding “I think it's just a matter of who's going to want it more, who's going to be willing to dig it out more. I believe that group of 30 men that we have inside there, I believe that's the group to get it done. We lost the first two games in the league and we set ourselves a target - we had ten games left, including a Lory Meagher Cup final, so we set ourselves a target of a perfect ten. We're nine games in now, four in the league, five in the championship, unbeaten. We're hoping to make it that perfect ten, and that's all we're looking at.”