Someone recently told me that unbridled optimism is not a state of mind that a Leitrim fan should allow himself to become accustomed to too often.
Yet I did go and get my hopes up for 2013 after we won the pre-season FBD League out of the blue – Leitrim’s first trophy since the fabled Connacht triumph of 1994.
Predictably optimism has since given way to faint hope for the summer after a disappointing league campaign in Division 4.
Before the league got started Leitrim were expected to be in the mix for promotion to the third tier. But results turned out to be rather disappointing as the team slumped to fifth in the standings.
Unsurprisingly, joint coaches Brian Breen and George Dugdale were understandably frustrated with the setback.
However Breen was correct in his assertion that “we should have been in Croke Park” for the Division 4 final which was contested by Limerick and Offaly.
On closer inspection Leitrim had a positive point difference and the four defeats they suffered were by narrow margins in games that could easily have gone Leitrim’s way with a bit of luck.
At least the narrow margins of defeat give Leitrim both hope and something to work on in training for the weeks and months ahead. And in any case, a successful league campaign could have led to some complacency even if that is a word that should never be in a Leitrim fan’s vocabulary.
2013
The 2013 All Ireland Championship throws in today with Leitrim having the honour of getting things started in the opening game of the Connacht championship at the Gaelic Grounds in New York. It’s a game they should win comfortably, barring a catastrophe.
It’s also that time of year when fans, coaches and players are looking at the fixture lists and tracing a path to All Ireland final day on September 22nd.
For the likes of Dublin, Donegal, Mayo, Tyrone and Cork, reaching the decider is realistic.
For Leitrim, it is always going to be virtually impossible. But provincial success is not out of reach despite limited resource.
If they complete the job against New York, the team will then face the winner of the Sligo v London match, with a place in the Connact final up for grabs.
Realistically and with a little bias, I think we can make it to that Connacht final on July 21st. Leitrim beat Sligo in the final of the FBD League and also defeated the Yeats County in the opening round of the 2011 Championship, and there is no reason why a repeat is not on the cards.
And if Leitrim do reach the final, even if it is against Mayo – who battered us by 4-20 to 0-10 last year – anything can happen, especially if the lads can channel the spirit of the ’94 side which beat Mayo in that year’s final to leave cows unmilked throughout the summer months.
Ah well, seems like that bout of optimism has reared its head again. Leitrim throw in against New York at 3pm local time (8pm Irish time).
How do you expect your counties to do in the summer? Leave your comments below.
©INPHO/James Crombie
