Leitrim GAA thread - 6 Like(s)
Honeyman, Cox and Guckian were our best players on show yesterday.
Conor Quinn had some really good catches but physically he can't sustain it for a long period and not near a full game. Hopefully now with S&C he will improve further.

Our U20 players are really standing out which is good for the future - but theyve all been earmarked to make an impact for years.
Worryingly I'm not seeing any of the 'new players' who have been drafted in this year making an impact or coming to terms with the higher level of football they are at. Not sure if thats a poor reflection on the coaching they are receiving or if they are just not able for it.

On a separate note (hopefully the Admin won't cut this) The county board need to really cut out the nonsense with the posts on our social media pages from a fan (who is obviously a great reflection of our support) but I'm not sure why his opinions are being broadcast ahead of everyone elses. It was nice the first few times but unfortunately now the posts are just cringy and increasingly irrelevant.

third midfielder (National) - 03/03/2025 12:24:16

Leitrim GAA thread - 5 Like(s)
Once again why is the Admin letting so much nonsense being posted on here?

It has taken me a few days to come to terms with Leitrim performance last Sunday. One of the most deflating performances I've seen from Leitrim in over 30 years going to games. This was an Antrim team bereft of confidence playing in our home ground and we did noting to take the game to them. It takes away the opportunity of promotion for the year and reality bring an end to the Steven Poacher era which means we will be starting from ground zero again.

I posted here last week saying we should not be underestimating Antrim and it proved to be the case. Added in to the fact that 2/3 best players in McNulty and Tom Prior weren't fit to start and we were going to be up against it.
Did Cillian McGloin injure himself in his first game back against London (hence why he was taken off in the first half) or has he left the panel since?

To be honest it looked like our only game plan was to wait for Barry McNulty to come on and play the hero card and save the day again.
He was excellent again but thats surely not a way for any management team to set up a team.

Attacking wise in the First Half (apart from get the ball to Ryan O'Rourke who was being double marked) we seemed to have no plan against the wind. We had no ideas on how to break Antrim down in either fast counter attacks or in slow attacks when they had everyone back.
We didn't trust Oisin McLoughlin or Paul Honeyman to get at their markers at all even though we all know they are well capable of doing so. We then took Oisin McLoughlin off for the second half when we had the wind even though he is a 2 point threat?

Defensively in the First half we were at Sea, If Antrim were in anyway a half decent outfit they would have been ahead by 15 or 16 points at the break. We were sitting back in a low block and not putting any pressure on the ball what so ever. They could get a shot off at every attack.
We didn't seem to have a plan for our '3up' players. Constantly we had McNamara, Quinn and another defender left as our 3 attacking players while attackers tried to defend - Honeyman made a mistake for their last goal exactly from this.
We showed no intent or defensive know-how and every time Antrim ran at us they had success.
Our discipline is poor. Eoin McLoughlin, McNamara, Diffley and Quinn all gave away soft frees and were getting involved in needless stuff off the ball.
The reality is this comes from the line.
In the Middle third we were taken apart. We couldn't win the ball in the air or we couldn't get near a break. dismantled. I'm not sure if this is a structure thing in how we are set up or its the reality of the personnel we have available. We need Conor Quinns height and ability but he becomes a liability with his lack of maturity throughout games.

We don't have a number 6 who can control the game from deep or we don't have an 11 who can link the play when we are in possession. Solving both of these issues in an immediate concern before our next game. That's a selection issue and Poacher will have to be brave about dropping or moving more experienced players from their favoured positions.

Any update on injuries?

We need to be seeing some progression and development of our players and some accountability from management. The results and or performances have been terrible as a whole both this year and last year. We still have excellent players available to us so we can't just write everything off as a 3 year plan or whatever.

third midfielder (National) - 25/02/2026 12:16:41

Leitrim GAA thread - 5 Like(s)
A lot to be said on yesterdays game. Travelled to Bekan in pure fear to be honest when I seen both teams that were names. When Roscommon started to make substitutions after 22mins my worst fears were coming through.

Firstly, Tom Prior was simply outstanding yesterday. Arguably the best player on the pitch. His workrate on both defence and attacking is brilliant. He is so so effective.

Jack Kelly deserves enormous koudous. For a guy of his age and stature to make the impact he did was great to see. Once again we are producing seriously talented forwards.

Before I talk about yesterdays game any Leitrim management that goes into a year without:
Donal Casey (injury), Jack Foley (Erasmus), Adam Reynolds (Non-committal), Darren Cox (injury) David Bruen (Emigration), Pearce Dolan (Emigration), Niall McGovern (Emigration), Mark Plunkett (Emigration) Oisin McCaffey (Emigration), Daragh Rooney (Non-committal), Fergal McTague (Emigration), Conor Dwyer (Emigration), Jack Flynn (Non-committal), Jamie Wrynn (Non-committal), Radek Oberwan (Non-committal),Jordan Reynolds (Non-committal), Keith Beirne (Non-committal), Jack Gilheany (Injury/Non-committal), Conor Dolan (Emigration), Shane Moran & Donal Wrynn (Retired),

That's off the top of my head who won't be available for this year (some talk that we might see Cox and Casey at some stage).
Its great to see some of the players back involved that were not there last year but the reality is Leitrim can't afford to not have the sheer scale of players that I mentioned above not playing. Anyone who has watched either Leitrim club or county action in the last decade would know a lot of these men are our better players and have the S&C work done.
I think most of us when naming an ideal Leitrim team would have a lot of the above players in their actual starting teams but at the very least they would be on the panel making it more competitive.

When you add in the crazy amount of injuries Leitrim seemed to have suffered over the winter (and were not fit to tog yesterday) and then a few boys with College Commitments this week you can see where we are at.

Interesting that there is only one Leitrim Gaels player on the panel this year - Paddy Keane.

Saying all that I am not making excuses for the management team either.
Has Ryan Jones left the coaching group by the way? He wasn't listed yesterday.
I also know that both him and Conal nearly decided to play for us this year but choose not to in the end.

I'm not sure what Poacher was trying to get out of yesterdays game? Or was he just trying to get it out of the way and wait for our injured players to come back for the league.

Our defence is incredibly weak - I really struggle to see how with the players that are available how it will improve either. Diffley is more than likely going to have to play at 6 as we have nobody else from what I see. McNamara did okay at wing back yesterday but he was excellent at corner back last year. Outside of that there wasn't really any of them you could be sure of at inter-county level.


Our kickouts especially in the second half were shambolic and looked as if Poacher told the keeper to just throw his hat at it and just aim for the exact same spot for everyone? I'm not sure how you develop a game plan with that attitude. After yesterday its more apparent then ever that Killian Gaffey will have to start in goals. In all truth Roscommon if they wanted could have put 10 goals past us. A long year ahead if we don't come up with solutions for our defence both technically and player wise.

third midfielder (National) - 05/01/2026 13:19:06

Leitrim GAA thread - 4 Like(s)
The document the GAA brought out last week was both immense work and depressing.
I'd suggest everyone should be reading it.
On one hand it shows the sheer interest in Football in the county where we have the most active Gaa players per population but also shows the reality of what is to come in the coming years.
The question is how many of our clubs will survive?

A poster made a point regarding Ballinaglera letter earlier. It was brilliant.
The same when Ballinamore Gaa got involved when AIB tried to close their local ATMs.
Both of these examples show the power of the Gaa when they want to lobby Decision Makers and Govt but it also shows both Gaa HQ and local clubs need to start taking matters into their own hands and begin lobbying for things that directly effect them. - Planning being the number one issue in rural clubs in Leitrim.
Its now easier then ever to work from home or hybrid - but thats not appealing to our young people if they have to live with Mammy & Daddy or pay extortionate rent somehwere.

Someone mentioned to me recently that 5 of Aughawillans best players are now abroad and they also finished their game where they were embarrassed by Ballinamore with 5 players well into their 40s - Not sure if we will find a better example.
Would Ballinamore have won the last two championships if they had all their top players at home who have left?

The parochial nature of the Gaa is one of the things we all love. That will be ruined once the likes of Augawillan, Drumreilly and Aughnasheelin are forced to amalgamate together at senior level.
Same goes for the likes of Aughavas & Cloone or Drumkieran & Dromahair.

The towns in the centre of Leitrim surrounding Carrick, close to the motorway or the train to Dublin are going to take over.
Unless its easier for our young people to build houses in rural areas the majority of our clubs in rural places have a battle to survive.

third midfielder (National) - 11/12/2025 12:19:45

Leitrim GAA thread - 4 Like(s)
A lot of unbalanced criticism of Andy Moran here.

I don't think anybody is saying he is Jim Gavin either but when the job became available Moran/Sloan were the best option. Now Moran/Graham are a duo most Division 3 or 4 counties would be very happy to have. That's the bottom line of it. That conversation needs to be parked until September.

The players also love playing for him which was not the case even if we had great success. This is shown with pretty much all available players comminating over the last few years.

They have also had to deal with Covid, The Keith Beirne situation, Ryan O'Rourkes injuries and mass emigration of young people out of the county which has weakened our playing pool/standards in the county considerably.

We are 3 wins from 3 in Division Four. Without Keith Beirne, Pearce Dolan, Cillian McGloin, Jordan Reynolds, Jack Heslin, David Bruen, Fergal McTague and Shane Moran for various reasons. They also took the brave decision to push Paddy Maguire into retirement after his waning commitment last year. All of those players would start for Leitrim or make a big impact on the panel.

However, I do think Moran and co. are particularly weak when it comes to in-game substitutions which again baffled me at the weekend. Bringing on Tom Prior before Plunkett and Keaney was strange when we clearly needed ball winners.

As good as newcomers McGreal and Foley have been I do think our half back line is really struggling physically which is natural as it will take a few years to build up their S&C. Diffley in my eyes is not a natural 6 and also struggles physically. Plunkett or Gilheany at 6 is the natural solution. Plunkett is also our best foot passer so that should stop a lot of the lateral play if he was played there. He is struggling with a hip injury according to the radio so maybe they are easing him back in.

Does anyone know of Jordan Reynolds injury status? He would defiantly be a starter along with Keaney in our forward line.

Was a huge call to start Cathal McHugh at corner back for his first start for Leitrim. He looks to have huge potential and a great engine. He struggled a small bit but I've never seen him play for Ballinamore in the full back line before so it'll be a great learning experience for him.

McNulty looks like he is ready to go to the next level which could be huge for the team. He was our best player against Wexford and hopefully he kicks on now.
The hatrick and overall performance by O'Rourke should give him the confidence to go on and show that he's the best forward in the Division on his day. Hopefully we continue to play him close to goal.

The Goalkeeper situation still makes me uneasy. A natural goalkeeper deals with the Wexford goal easily but at the same time O'Donnell offers long-range free taking and is a good option to receive the ball as a 'fly' keeper. They must not rate Gaffey as highly as others do.

That performance won't be good enough to beat Carlow but add in Pearce Dolan who is a huge loss and a few other players and we now have a real chance of going up.

Wexford have every right to be livid about the penalty decision but Ben Brosnan should have been sent off before that. In Leitrim its very rare we have got the rub of the green so we ill take what we get.

third midfielder (National) - 19/02/2024 23:08:06

Leitrim v Roscommon May 22nd - 3 Like(s)
By allowing Ward to continue the county board obviously thinks theres no one better to replace him? Off the tip off my tongue Glen Young, Michael Moyles, Gary Donoghoe Aidan Rooney are all more capable then this present management team and that's just inside the county. There's definitely coaches in either Rosscommon or Cavan that can't get their own county job because of the success that they are having that would take on Leitrim in an effort to prove themselves. Declan Darcy would be the ideal candidate. Clearly capable because of his role in Dublin and would surely inspire all players to join the panel. Even if he couldn't be convinced to take the job surely he could be an advisor for structures or have some involvement. The signs are that the county board are slowly waking up with their proposed new coaching template but it needs to be implemented ASAP with good young energetic coaches. When people see good structures being put in place money will also start to flow so the excuse of a lack of resources would quit. Something small to consider Mohill won last years championship and are clearly the best team in the county at present had two players playing yesterday and Aughawillan won it the year previously and had none starting? Surely in a small county we should be using players from the strongest teams, are they not committing or not being picked?

third midfielder (Leitrim) - 23/05/2016 13:31:13

County Panel 2019 - 3 Like(s)
Enjoyed the positivity in that last post. I might not agree with all of the selections but in the main if all them players commit we are looking up. The age profile is something that Terry H must be impressed with.

Most exciting time in 20 years to be a Leitrim supporter in my view. New management team that we could only have dreamed of in the last 10 years. A young group of attack minded players who have huge potential to develop.

Yet then we have our most high profile player in Emlyn Mulligan who has been at every media possible in the past few weeks putting a downer on everything. He attended the draw for the Connacht championship where we could only draw Sligo, Mayo, Galway or Roscommon and we drew Roscommon. In my view the second best result we could have hoped for. He then proceeds to attempt to gain as much publicity as possible by stating his dismay with this. Would he have preferred to have drawn Mayo or Galway? Why go to the event if you are just going to be negative about your own county straight away. Terry Hyland and the rest of the players must have been fuming with him.

I understand his overall point but he knows the structures are not going to be changed for next year yet still uses his 'status' for negativity. All he had to say was 'our focus is on Division 4 and we will worry about Ross later on in the year'. I would imagine most of the younger players will have a complete contrasting view of things and will only relish the challenge.

Genuine question and when you consider the new rules with the 'attacking Mark' and the pace of the current game does Emlyn on current form get into the Leitrim starting line up next year? I know he was only coming back from another serious knee injury this year but on his form does he get in a forward line that will feature Ryan O'Rourke, Gary Plunkett, Jack Heslin, Shane Moran, Keith Beirne, Mark Plunkett, Darragh Rooney, Cillian McGloin and Niall McGovern? I can't see how he does. Now I do believe he has been our top player in god knows how long especially when you consider the torture with his injuries but I can't see any way in that he won't be an impact sub especially with that attitude.

third midfielder (Leitrim) - 22/10/2018 14:39:10

Leitrim GAA thread - 3 Like(s)
Has taken a few days to digest that Laois game. One of the most sobering Leitrim games I've been to in 40 years.

Firstly, some absolutely ridiculous and embarrassing comments coming out of anonymous posters here.
Personally insulting/criticising players who gave up a decade to represent Leitrim instead of addressing what is actually happening with the current set up or in this year. Shows a lack of class and knowledge of actual football to be even saying things like that especially when they have no relevance to this year? Keyboard warriors.

As I've said here numerous times, I'm not surprised with the hammering that Leitrim team took against Laois.
What else would anyone expect coming from the panel available at the weekend? Along with the 20 - 25 players who haven't been part of the panel from the start of the year add in Ben Guckian, Cillian McGloin, Adam Reynolds and Donal Casey who were all sitting with the subs at the weekend and who were injured.
Then Barry McNulty who now seems will miss the Sigerson final and the rest of our League campaign. This was also compounded by Jordan Reynolds taking a bad looking injury in the first half.
Along with this Jack Foley seemed to be on a 'minutes restriction' which the management agreed to before the game as he was only returning from injury.

Who in their right mind think Leitrim could compete with any county when missing 20-25 players from their original panel, then add in the 5 injuries mentioned above?

On to what we seen at the weekend - We looked comically unfit and undersized strength wise. The fitness aspect lies squarely with the management. From speaking to panel members Poacher speaks a good game to the group and 'enjoys' his media commitments but the training itself has been lacklustre with many questioning the level of fitness work that is being completed in training along with some of the analysis work being done.

Tactically and game plan wise we looked underprepared.
Kickouts for example were a disaster. We had two men in Keegan/Quinn from the same club yet they consistently jumped for the ball (winning very few).
Keith Beirne seems well short of match fitness (which is to be expected when he was not involved in pre-season) but this made it a strange decision not to use him as our forward played closest to goal) He was toiling out around the middle third for large parts of the game.
Sean Harkin has never played corner back for Mohill yet he was put in their and Eanna McNamara at wing back and Harkin was shown up and replaced after 15 mins - this was unfair and cost us on the scoreboard.
Paul Honeyman is known as an out an out scorer yet he was played as one of our middle third players and was competing for kickouts.
We are playing a low block with Mark Diffley trying to play sweeper yet we are conceding 3 goals in the first 10 minutes? To me this doesn't add up. The whole point in a low block is to kill the space but with the new rules you need to be really well drilled and communicate well for this to be a success.

On the few positives, Tom Prior on occasion can cause havoc for the opposition. Paul Honeyman has no ego and works so hard for the team and competed well and Darren Cox looked lively.


On a side point on Prior and Cox. They have so much ability and are a joy to watch on the ball - But in no other county would a player that 'light' be able to come through all the underage county development panels and not have the required S&C work done to be stronger. That needs to change.

The best that we can hope for is damage limitation for the rest of the year. See these young players develop within this years set-up and then have a glut of returning players next year.

The management and county Board have some tough questions to ask themselves - Should Honeyman, McNamara and any other U20 player be left with the U20 squad only? It's a tough decision but it may be better for the county in the long run. Poacher and Co. wouldn't be impressed with hat idea however.

third midfielder (National) - 11/02/2025 11:18:03

Championship 2018 - 3 Like(s)
From what I understand the named team will have a change or two. Noel Plunkett is supposedly starting at Wing Back.

If the Roscommon teams starts as announced I see a few areas where we could potentially gain the upper hand. Compton and O'Rourke are two brilliant rangy midfielders but thankfully they are not hugely athletic which suits us perfectly. We were in so much trouble at midfield in the Bronx as a result of the sheer pace and athleticism of the New York midfielders so hopefully this match up will suit us better. Brian Stack is named at Centre Back for them. I can see him switching with McManus on the wing but if he does start there we need to move M. Plunkett onto him as Stack may be a brilliant footballer but I think Plunkett would have the upper hand physically on him. Dominican at Full Back is a past Roscommon captain but with the form Beirne has been in the past year I have no doubts that he can pick off a few scores. Kilroy is their Centre Forward. He is a brilliant fast footballer but is tiny, he generally drops deep so if this is the case Wrynn can become a sweeper in front of our full back line if Kilroy pushes up I would argue that we should put Madden on him as he has the pace and agility to track him whereas Wrynn could struggle is this respect. The Ross player I worry most about is Enda Smith from the named team I don't see anyone who has the pace, strength and awareness to match him. This is why I think Benny will place Noel Plunkett on him with James Rooney going to Wing Forward and dropping deep as an extra defender. Our Full back line is where I think we need to say our prayers as we will be under considerable pressure trying to control Diarmuid Murtagh (Paddy will tag him), Donie Smith and Ciaran Murtagh who will come deeper to leave space for the other two.

In our forward line I would like to think Ryan O'Rourke can get Deaveny playing on the back foot taking him on. He should also have the pace to track his runs from deep. Mulligan will probably be marked by McInerney where I hope he can engineer a few frees.
I hope the boys are fired up and bring physicality to this game otherwise the Rossies will run through us again. I'd have no problem with us getting very physical and getting into a dog fight and taking them out of their comfort zone. We are at home against our main rivals after getting embarrassed last year so we need to get stuck in and not show them to much respect.
Look, I don't expect Leitrim to win but we should all be expecting a good performance at the very least. If we can avoid conceding a raft of goals I think it's possible we can keep it under 10 points.

Defensive Match ups:
Donie Smith - Michael McWeeney
D.Murtagh - Paddy Maguire
C. Murtagh -Donal Wrynn
Kilroy - Oisin Madden
E.Smith - N Plunkett
Fintan Cregg - Shane Quinn

third midfielder (Leitrim) - 24/05/2018 16:32:52

Leitrim GAA thread - 3 Like(s)
Lads,

How in gods name is there anyone still discussing the rights and wrong of Andy Morans tenure? Its embarrassing. He's gone and we are onto our second manager since. Move on.


Good to see Donal Casey back and Cillian McGloin back on the bench - they will both help to steady the ship. same goes for Ben Guckian.

I'm assuming McNulty won't play in our remaining league fixtures - would be crazy not to take the opportunity (now that the games are meaningless) to allow him to do a full and proper rehab on that hamstring.

Offaly coming to town next weekend - They play a lovely fast brand of football and have been racking up a lot of goals in this campaign. Physically they wont be as developed as other teams but they are fast with very dangerous forwards.

Hopefully Poacher and co this week come up with an improved plan for our kickouts and the oppositions kickouts as what we attempted to do in Belfast at the weekend (in the first half) was pathetic and looked badly coached. As Cox, Prior and Honeyman showed in Corrigan Park- They are well capable of doing some damage but we need to gain more primary possession.

Nobody is even expecting a win but seeing some sort of progress or improvement should be a minimum requirement.

third midfielder (National) - 24/02/2025 11:38:01

Leitrim GAA thread - 3 Like(s)
The Admin of this page has a lot to answer for. Why let so much nonsense be written here? Ruining the page for all real fans.

McNulty is a gem. Great for the county to have his shooting go viral like it has. Be interesting to see will he start against Antrim. Barry himself, Manor and Leitrim as a county can't afford him to get a third Hamstring injury within a year so its a tough decision.
He's worth 6 points a game minimum to this team, aside from his shooting abillty, his workrate, aerial ability to win kickouts/throw-ins and the fact most teams will now double up on him will create space for everyone else.

Poacher would have had a lot to answer for with his selection and tactics only for McNulty last weekend. Antrim are on a desperate bad run of form but they are also a team we regularly struggle against.

Any update on the rest of our injuries (Keaney, Casey and Cox and Colm McLoughlin in particular) and Eanna McNamara? The young lad hasn't been looked after too well in my opinion from what I've heard, he needs medical treatment on his hips before most games for the last year and him 19.

Gaffey needs to start in goals now. It's not even up for debate.
As predicted our defence is really struggling on all levels, physically, pace and positioning. Diffley most defenitly is not a 6 that is for sure.
I see no reason why Poacher wouldn't try and go back for Radek Oberwan - he's out training with Allen Gaels and keeps himself in great condition or even Jack Gilheany.

I'd personally put Cillian McGloin back at wing back if he didn't pick up any knocks last weekend before being taken off.

He got it wrong last weekend but Poacher needs to be ruthless here. The management are up against it with the injuries we have had but the reality is we lost to Wicklow in a game we should have won, were really poor against Waterford and we were getting a trouncing against London only for McNulty.
If we loose to Antrim thats us done. There should be a great buzz in the camp this week so Poacher needs to really go for it here.
We should have lots of options off the bench which is huge in Div 4.


Killian Gaffey

Conor Reynolds Kieran Clancy Sean Harkin

Cillian McGloin Colm McLoughlin** Mark Diffley

Conor Quinn
Barry McNulty

Tom Prior Keith Keegan Oisin McLoughlin

Paul Honeyman Ryan O'Rourke Ben Guckian

Could be smart to play Oisin McLoughlin or Beezer McKiernan - Antrim will be drawn to McNulty around the arc so having another shooter around there could be crucial.

Great to see the County Board finally showing some initiative and putting up the highlights of McNultys scores. This should be done for every game win or lose. Our youngsters/supporters need to see our own players every week instead of just the usual teams on the Sunday Game - Its something simple they can do which will make a difference.

third midfielder (National) - 18/02/2026 15:58:25

Qualifiers 2019 - 3 Like(s)

third midfielder (Leitrim) - 04/06/2019 15:50:20

Leitrim GAA thread - 3 Like(s)
It's taken a few days for that performance and result to sink in.

The result itself is so so disappointing. With 5 minutes left ourselves and Laois were being promoted but the reality of it is when the game finished we were in 5th place in division four. A bottom half team in the weakest division. The players have set to high of a standard in the last few years to hide from that fact. If that was any other management team there would be serious questions being asked.


The performance itself was so blunt and really poor. If we are being honest Sligo were at least a 6 point better team then us. It would have been a lovely daylight robbery if they won. We were so deep and invited Sligo onto us and went out of the game after the first 10 minutes. We rallied really well when it looked as if there was nothing to play for but in reality their was no plan as to what we were doing. It was all guts at hearts from the lads and a fantastic performance from Tom Prior that got us back into the game.

I see a poster is getting abuse for saying Keith doesn't perform when it matters. If we just take this game in isolation he was roasted.
Have a watch of this video https://twitter.com/NoPlanBGAA/status/1640379215982874628.
I would say Keith won't mind admitting that himself. It can happen to any player on any day. The problem is we have had no strategy whatsoever all year apart from hoping that Beirne kicks 10 points a game. You might get away with that against poor teams but against half decent opposition it just won't happen.


Paul Keaney isn't ready or conditioned enough to play at midfield on a county team just yet. I thought he should have been on the 40. But taking him and Plunkett off with 15 minutes left was lunacy and made me question Morans decision making once again. We had no shooters left on the field when it mattered and it meant Sligo could crowd Beirne out. We all know Plunkett and Keaney have the ability to kick long range scores and draw the opposition out. Which would have created space for our inside forwards.

Starting Domhnail Flynn in our half back was a nightmare waiting to happen and it's exactly what occurred. Trying to copy what Mayo are doing with Conor Loftus was a lazy strategy.

Fair play to Nevin O'Donnell for keeping us in the game with the two superb saves he made but his kickouts along with Beirne being out of the game were the main reason we lost the game. It was like watching Leitrim in the 90s where every kickout would be ballooned upon the great Mickey Quinn. Pearce Dolan (and Plunkett in the first half) were having to jump against two men every time and was completely gassed by the end of the game. I'm not sure if we went short once?

Paddy Maguire was exceptional again but I do think we got it wrong and he should have been our man marker closest to our goals. Diffley was roasted and doesn't have the power to compete yet. He was brushed aside at times.

The referee was a disgrace I thought at significant moments as well which was the most frustrating thing.

From what I know there has been no falling our with Ryan O'Rourke but after NYC he will not be a part of the panel along with a few other squad players. Its completely understandable. He can't get his body right to play and with the management Fenagh have in place there is now real pressure to win the club championship.

New York have Quinlivan from Tipp and Gavin O'Brien from Kerry and it was interesting to see some of their management team in the Pairc at the weekend.

third midfielder (National) - 29/03/2023 10:40:04

Leitrim GAA thread - 3 Like(s)
I went to Ballinasloe for the U21 game. Last night. Firstly, I'd be surprised if Galway aren't the best team we face all year at that age group. That's also a Galway pane; who only have 4/5 players on the panel that won the U19 a few years ago. A crazily impressive stat.

Firstly the make-up of the backroom team. Andy Moran, Barry McWeeney, Ryan Jones and James Mannion (who is extremely well regarded in Galway Gaa as a coach) So theres no doubt the team is getting top-class coaching. They don't get it often but credit to the county board for that.

Galway were excellent. Pace, Power and Top class forwards a long with an excellent goalkeeper. I think we will be hearing/seeing a lot about Mathhew Thompson and Colm Costello for Galway seniors in the next few years. Their S&C looked a fair few steps ahead of ours and it told. Its an area where Leitrim Gaa need to address and get into the secondary schools.
I think Galway were missing a few regulars through injury but that's why they are one of the favourites for the All Ireland.

Saying all this I was quite impressed with Leitrim. The scoreline flattered Galway. A 3 or 4 point difference would have been a real reflection of the game.

The team really picked itself - The only gripes I would have is: why play Michael McBrien who was one of the best Wing-Backs in the club championship last year at wing-forward? He looked a little lost and didn't impact the game.
Paul Moran was also used as a sub (he had a slight knock) If he was fit to play I find it a brave call that he wasn't starting seeing as he has already played for Leitrim seniors. I also would have liked to have seen more of Tom Plunkett.

Paul Honeyman really justified the hype. He was really excellent especially in the first half on limited ball. Up there as good as anything Galway had. The umpire getting involved needlessly and getting him a black card for nothing towards the end was a disgrace we missed him when he was off the field.

Darren Cox is a joy to watch as well. Reminds me of a Darragh Canavan type player. It takes real courage to play how he does (which will also lead to mistakes) but his vision and running with the ball caused Galway problems all night. His attempt at a goal from a quick free and a few other attempts at points just showed his lack of experience though and it'll be a good lesson for him. He's a throwback.

Barry McNulty really showed his class/leadership in what has been a hectic time for him. He really gave his all and drove the team on all night. I was really impressed with his workrate for such a big player he covered a serious amount of ground. Hopefully his injury isn't too bad and that he is fit for the Senior game on Sunday. He has been carrying a knock on that ankle for a while now.
I also think Eannagh McNamara and Brian Cull had great games and have big futures if they want it.

Galways first goal was a killer - We were just about keeping in touch with them and we lazily didn't track a runner and they punished us with a brilliant finish. This was then compounded by the penalty miss (which clipped the post). A question that no one at the ground could understand: The penalty award looked extremely soft - but if the Ref thought it was a penalty why was the Galway defender not black carded? Honeyman was destroying him at the time.

We then started slowly in the second half - poor turn-overs and poor shot selection let Galway extend the lead. But when we fought back in the 3rd quarter Galway were really on the ropes. There was 4 points in it with 8 minutes left. There was a fierce buzz in the crowd from our supporters - It looked like a shock was on.

They turned us over from a short kick-out and punished us with a goal - That was game over. Their subs made a huge impact and it sucked the life out of the game.

Theres no doubt a few players like Ben Guckian, Jack Casey McBrien and Moran can make a bigger impact in the upcoming games.

Serious talent and potential in that team. It's fantastic that its now league based and not just a knock out game. Hopefully they can shock a few teams in the next games.

third midfielder (National) - 21/03/2024 08:55:10

Division 4 - National League - 2 Like(s)
Must say I like 'OnTheBanks' team for the game against Waterford. But the risk of injury worries me.

Very undecided personally on how we should approach this game. Do we try and give squad players another chance to impress or do we put out a full team in an effort to gain more confidence and pray we don't pick up injuries? With the way the surface is in Pairc Sean I'd be worried about injuries. From what I can see Shane Moran, Mark Plunkett, Shane Quinn and Aidan Flynn have played all the games so I'd give them a rest this weekend.

I also want to see if McTague is back to his best yet, same goes for Oisin Madden. Dean McGovern has been poor since the Mayo game so he needs to play himself into contention. Is Flanagan still injured since before the Limerick game. Would have been good to see what he would bring.

Agree that we should not be defensive. A Big win would give everyone's confidence a boost going for Croker.

Not sure what to do with Jack Heslin, feel he could be our Key Player in Croker with his pace but his history of Hamstring injuries worries me especially with the sod in Carrick. But does he need game time to be sharp? Maybe a second half appearance would be enough.

McCrann
Reynolds McTague (Michael) McWeeney
Madden Reynolds (Nicholas)McWeeney
McGovern
Cullen
McGloin Rooney Domhnail Flynn
Sweeney Mulligan (G)Plunkett

third midfielder (Leitrim) - 21/03/2019 15:59:29

National League 2018 - 2 Like(s)
I know I have been saying this for a long time on here and I get no happiness out of being right but when do the county board begin to act? The unfortunate thing is losing to Carlow is no surprise. We beat them by 2 points last year in the league and should have won way easier so within a year we have had a turnover of 14 points. We have lost the majority of players that backboned the team that beat Carlow last year. It seems as if we have no clear defined game plan other than just hope for moments of magic off Rooney, O'Rourke and Beirne. That may have worked when John O'Mahony was in his pomp and Benny and Seamus were players but Football has completely changed and their needs to be structures and systems in place. Especially, when these three players are only in their second year of senior county football. Carlow are a case study in this, I believe within the county we have far better footballers then Carlow but they have an effective even if it's an ugly system that has been getting them results. To play against a blanket defence you need width, patience and power to break through the lines. We have lost Shane Moran, the two Plunketts, Paddy McGuire to name a few who are all physically able to break the lines. Yesterday we just lost our patience and either kicked the ball into the Carlows spare men or got bottled up in the tackles as we had no plan in place to deal with the blanket defence. How long before the rest of the players get sick of this ineptness? Our 2 sub keepers are already gone off the panel so if anyone has spare gloves be prepared for a call. Tick Tock, Tick Tock.

third midfielder (Leitrim) - 11/02/2018 19:23:37

Leitrim GAA thread - 2 Like(s)

third midfielder (National) - 26/02/2026 10:04:58

Leitrim GAA thread - 2 Like(s)
Anyway. Still no white smoke regarding the managers position.

Rumours that O'Hara is in line for the role is concerning after his behaviour last weekend and throughout the championship.

Hopefully James Mannion will be kept on with the U20s and Kevin Stritch will be with the U17s again as they brought some top level coaching to both teams last year which our own coaches could then learn off.

How James Glancy hasn't been reintegrated somehow into his position with the county board is both telling and bewildering. He might rub people up the wrong way but theres no doubt the structures he was trying to implement at underage level and his focus on coaching workshops was having an effect before he stepped away. He would also be a good inclusion as a coach for our U20s/U17s. Same goes for Shane Ward.

third midfielder (National) - 18/10/2024 11:45:59

Championship 2018 - 2 Like(s)
McKiernan
Madden McWeeney Paddy
Rooney Wrynn Plunkett
Quinn
McGovern
O'Rourke Plunkett McGloin
Rooney Beirne Mulligan

With Murphy being ruled out I feel Madden might be moved into corner back. His speed will suit Gaelic Park and give an out ball to the defence especially as most teams only play two-inside these days aswell so he will be left free if McWeeney and McGuire are man-marking. The midfield is an issue McGovern is the only guaranteed starter here. I would have thought Plunkett would have been nailed on once he returned but he doesn't even start there for the Willies and would be a massive presence on our half forward line if left there where he could roam to the middle. Shane Quinn has been our most consistent performer all year and I'm not comfortable taking him away from wingback but he easily holds his own for Mohill at midfield and he should be able to do this while protecting the defence for the county. I feel O'Rourke (if fit), Beirne and Darragh Rooney are the three forwards who have their name on the team sheet so far. Mulligan if he is comfortable playing on the synthetic surface will also probably start at corner forward and then it's between McGloin, Gaffney, Gallagher (who played well for Lucan in the Dublin championship), Heslin, Flynn, Ward etc. for the final wing forward spot. I feel McGloin will get the call as he has height, can kick long range scores and is fast, his only negatives are his lack of strength and his inexperience. Ward could be a dark horse as he could become an auxiliary centre back to help out our defence. Heslin is unfortunate as his form at the tail end of the league was superb but himself, Gaffney and Kennedy could make a big impact off the bench which we will need in the heat. With this selection it is fair to question both wing back slots as they have both played little inter-county football this year but to me of what players are on the squad and fit this is our strongest starting team. We can't let New York get a good start as it will drive them on as well as putting more doubt into the minds of our players. Winning the middle third will be crucial.

third midfielder (Leitrim) - 16/04/2018 15:13:41

Division 4 - National League - 2 Like(s)
Going to name what I think will be our panel of 26 for the day. I to agree with previous posters when they said there's probably 13 or 14 of the starting team decided upon already. The hardest part I feel is going to be deciding on who doesn't make the panel for such a big day. As far as I know Noel Plunkett and Sean Flanagan are still injured or not back to sufficient fitness to be considered and there's question marks over Damien Moran.

1. Diarmuid McKiernan
2. Aidan Flynn
3. Michael McWeeney
4. Paddy Maguire
5. Shane Quinn
6. Mark Plunkett
7. Ray Mulvey
8. Shane Moran
9. Dean McGovern
10. Sean McWeeney
11. Domhnail Flynn
12. Jack Heslin
13. Evan Sweeney
14. Pearce Dolan
15. Ryan O'Rourke

16. Cathal McCrann
17. Fergal McTague
18. Conor Reynolds
19. Oisin Madden
20. Gary Reynolds
21. Emlyn Mulligan
22. Gary Plunkett
23. Darragh Rooney
24. Cillian McGloin
25. Conor Cullen
26. Damien Moran*

Players who are on the panel but won't be named.
1. Cathal McCauley
2. Niall Brady
3. James Rooney
4. Nicholas McWeeney
5. Oisin McCaffery
6. Sean Flanagan*
7. Noel Plunkett*

third midfielder (Leitrim) - 26/03/2019 11:01:51