Replying To Leitrim1234: "I think a few different things can be true. We are so far behind in certain areas - as a football mad county - compared to some of our neighbors - particularly when it comes to facilities/pitches but also when it comes to S&C and gyms. We are also so far behind when it comes to developing coaches. Did any of our main senior teams have a Leitrim coach last year (Fenagh don't count)
However, we are somehow against the odds getting a lot of things right. We have the smallest playing population in the country and we are ravished by emigration and rural depopulation. Yet our underage looks like its beginning to bear fruit - The standard of player we are producing in the last 10 years has improved significantly.
If we had a magic egg and and had all our players available to us (which no county does) and we were trying to construct a training panel for pre season we would have a panel more then good enough to compete in Division Three and potentially our strongest panel ever in my eyes. This shows that both the County Board are getting a lot right.
For proof - Here's a panel of what I would regard of our 50 best players (I may have forgot a few) I have put a star beside any of those who will not be involved in 2025 and going forward (for a variety of reasons). This shows that we are producing players of quality. Retaining them is the issue. Over half of the players are not available. Then think of the panel of players who are currently in training and look at the difference in quality. It should be no surprise why we will struggle next year.
Killian Gaffey
Mark Diffley Donal Casey** David Bruen**
Jack Foley Jack Gilheany** Ciaran Cullen**
Pearce Dolan** Barry McNulty
Darragh Rooney** Mark Plunkett** Tom Prior
Ryan O'Rourke Keith Beirne Darren Cox
Nevin O'Donnell* Brian Cull Noel Plunkett** Oisin Madden** Adam Reynolds Conor Reynolds** Eanna McNamara Oisin McCaffey** Fergal McTague** Cathal McHugh Kieran Clancy Jamie McGreal Shane Quinn** Radek Oberwan Jamie McGreal Cillian McGloin Conor Dwyer** Niall McGovern** Aaron Hoare** Conor Cullen** Donal Wrynn** Dean McGovern** Conor Quinn Niall McGovern ** Diarmuid Kelleher Shane Moran** Paul Keaney** Ben Guckian Jack Heslin** Conor Dolan** Jack Casey Riordan O'Rourke Paul Honeyman Niall Walsh Evan Sweeney
Caolan Clancy"
Arguably Fermanagh, Sligo and Longford have smaller or comparable playing figures to us. We can't keep using that excuse.
Replying To meathbasedfan: "when is the county board convention"
Haven't heard a dickie bird about it and if last year is anything to go by, it wouldn't bode well. Less than half of the delegates (voting) from clubs actually showed up (55) with a number of clubs having no voting delegates present at all. Normally there would be something on the Leitrim GAA website by now.
Replying To boxtyburgerbuns: "Arguably Fermanagh, Sligo and Longford have smaller or comparable playing figures to us. We can't keep using that excuse."
Leitrim need to be prepared for 11 possible defeats next year . That's the reality
Replying To boxtyburgerbuns: "Arguably Fermanagh, Sligo and Longford have smaller or comparable playing figures to us. We can't keep using that excuse."
Apart from the good work Sligo has been doing over the past number of years, the others are no better than us & Longford at in Division 4
Replying To Leitrim@1960: "Apart from the good work Sligo has been doing over the past number of years, the others are no better than us & Longford at in Division 4"