THE LAST POINT: Revenge spurs Leitrim to statement victory

​For all the talk of tactics, new rules, midfield battles and conversion rates, sometimes performance in big games comes down to something altogether more raw, more primal and that is just the desire to shut up an opponent or gain a measure of revenge for past trauma. Donegal carried that through the League Final to Killarney last Saturday after their All-Ireland Final loss last year but closer to home, the power of revenge certainly inspired Leitrim to a statement victory over Carlow in the Tailteann Cup!

​Motivation is a tricky thing – proving the doubters wrong is regularly trotted out by victorious players and managers after games but those are exactly the sort of statements you never hear before a game. Nobody proclaims the desire for revenge in bald terms ahead of a game and I’ve often wondered about the power of negative motivation as opposed to positive reinforcement – consider the difference, revenge for a heavy League defeat or playing to extend your inter-county season into June?

But turning a negative into a positive? That’s tricky but it is what Steven Poacher and his players have done since suffering an almighty hammering at the hands of Carlow in the final round of the Allianz NFL Division 4 campaign. The bald facts of the 4-22 to 2-5 scoreline doesn’t tell half of the misery that occurred down in Netwatch Cullen Park, nor of the spiky clashes along the sideline as a rivalry that was always somewhat good natured took a bitter turn that was evident for all to see last Saturday in Heartland Credit Union Pairc Sean Mac Diarmada.

Whatever about sideline antics, a few ill-advised comments from Carlow manager Joe Murphy certainly got on the goat of Leitrim’s players and management. Unbidden, Mark Diffley and Steven Poacher brought up Murphy’s comments about Wicklow having to play Leitrim and Waterford down in Division 4 next year and they certainly appeared to have struck a nerve, instilling a fire in the Leitrim players that burnt Carlow badly last Saturday.

To be honest, the vibe that this was a grudge match was evident long before the ball was thrown-in – out in Pairc Sean as I was 90 minutes before the start, the tension was palpable and, very unusually, a few words were exchanged between the rival camps, heightening the stakes even further and it certainly carried on that way throughout the contest.

THE LAST POINT: SMALL BALL DISCIPLES HAVE THEIR DAY IN THE SUN

The Green & Gold played with a rawness that was absent the previous Saturday in Newry, an edge to the game that threatened to spill over on a few occasions so much so that you didn’t know whether it was best to watch the action along the sideline or on the pitch! At times, it spilled over – the handbags at the final whistle could easily have escalated and left players facing a suspension – but on a whole, Leitrim’s fire served a very positive purpose.

Whatever about grudges between teams, you can’t underestimate the power of a team seeking to atone for what happened in Netwatch Cullen Park in April. It was easily the most demoralising defeat Leitrim have suffered in the Steven Poacher era and, as one of the few Leitrim witnesses there that day, to listen to a bewildered manager and look into the shocked faces of Leitrim players after that game reinforced just how bad of a day it was.

But here’s the main point – Leitrim took that hurt and used it positively, it whipped them into a frenzy that left the Division 4 League champions bereft long before the final whistle, a six point winning margin that was more convincing than it looked.

Truth be told, I worried at halftime despite a general happiness among the Leitrim faithful that I encountered during the break. To be only three points down against that strong wind was huge but I felt that Carlow were there to be got at, that Leitrim were playing somewhat conservatively against the wind and they could, and should, have been far closer than the three point margin at the break.

I need not have worried – Steven Poacher’s side ditched their conservative game plan and went on the front foot, attacking Carlow’s kickout so effectively that three two-pointers flew over the crossbar in about the space of 60 seconds, transforming the mood and infusing the Green & Gold with a confidence that only grew from there to the finish.

That confidence was best demonstrated as Leitrim reacted to a flukey Carlow goal, Mark Diffley’s block taking a wicked spinning bounce away from a helpless Killian Gaffey who came off his line to collect the ball, Lee Walker tapping in. That would have floored many a Leitrim team in the past but with their hackles up from pre-match comments and the aftermath of the League defeat, Leitrim simply got on with the job and were well worth their six point win.

Paul Honeyman had one of those sort of days that forwards dream about – unerringly accurate, the Ballinamore clubman spearheaded Leitrim’s charge into the next round but there was so many stand-out performers that sometimes it seems churlish to highlight one or two individuals in a superb all-round team performance. But Honeyman did have a special day!

One final point – this was the first day since the opening day of the League down in Aughrim where Leitrim played without the shadow of an absent Barry McNulty looming over their display. The Glencar Manorhamilton man is such a presence that lining out without him can have a debilitating effect on his teammates. But here was a Leitrim side attacking the sort of physically powerful team they have struggled against in the past, almost as if they had made peace with McNulty’s absence. The reliance on McNulty and Tom Prior has lessened and while we’d dearly love to have that pair back as Leitrim are definitely better with both on the field, that is a positive step in the development of this young team.

To finish this week’s musings, I’ve got to wish Mike Wall and the Leitrim hurlers all the best in Sunday’s Lory Meagher Cup Final. I admit I have a fondness for the hurling crew and, in their battles against the odds, they encapsulate all the best of Leitrim GAA. I urge Leitrim folk turn out in big numbers to cheer them on next Sunday in Croke Park, they certainly deserve all the support they can get.