After the high of achieving promotion from Division 4 of the GAA league, Leitrim have been met with a number of obstacles in recent weeks.
They were well beaten in that league final against Laois, never really showing up en route to a 14-point loss. Of course, their participation in that fixture meant that they only had one week to prepare for their Connacht Championship opener against Sligo.
While Leitrim would have went into that game as an underdog in any case, their task was made all the more difficult by the fixture pileup. As well as that, they would be without some key panel members due to those players being part of the county's U20 GAA panel.
In the end, they would end up on the wrong end of a 0-15 to 0-6 scoreline.
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Pat Spillane hammers GAA treatment of Leitrim
Andy Moran was very unhappy with the schedule Leitrim were handed in recent weeks, saying it was something that the GPA needed to look at. On top of that, he questioned the rule that meant his U20 players were not available for the game against Sligo.
It seems that Pat Spillane agrees with him.
Writing in the Sunday World, the Kerry legend said the way Leitrim have been treated in recent weeks was a 'joke'.
Spare a thought for the smallest populated county in Ireland, Leitrim – forced to play their biggest championship game of the season a week after the league final.
And because of injuries, illness and the inclusion of four under-20s on the senior panel, Leitrim could only tog out 22 fit players for that Connacht Championship game last Sunday against Sligo. That’s 11 players missing from the squad. That’s wrong.
The split season suits the strong counties with big panels. The smaller counties struggle as a result. And don’t get me started on the farcical rule that doesn’t allow under-20s to play senior championship.
Last Sunday, Leitrim’s two young under-20 stars, Barry McNulty and Jack Foley, who starred in their victory over Mayo on the previous Wednesday, were not allowed to play with the senior team on Sunday. That’s a joke.
Yet again, we have a rule that suits the stronger counties and punishes the smaller ones.
Leitrim have done some brilliant work in improving GAA within the county in recent times, but it is clear that the authorities have done them no favours on this occasion.
With improving the standard in the weaker counties a priority for the Association, this is something that needs to be looked at moving forward.
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