Punching above their weight

GAELIC FOOTBALL: Leitrim's ability to be competitive and make the most of limited resources impresses former Roscommon boss John Tobin. Ian O'Riordan reports .

Here's counting Roscommon's advantages going into Sunday's Connacht football semi-final against Leitrim: a team still built around provincial winning players of three years ago, two hard tests already against Sligo, and opposition whose resources simply pale in comparison. No prizes for guessing where the pressure lies.

For a more balanced view the former Roscommon manager John Tobin is ideally placed. Now the Coaching and Games Development manager for Connacht, his work over the past two years has taken him across county borders, and what he's seen in Leitrim has convinced him that hard work can make up for lack of assets.

"I have fantastic admiration for what they're doing in Leitrim," says Tobin, "and the way they compete so favourably at the level they do. And they are doing a huge amount of work, so you have to pay huge compliments to them.

"And that's being reflected in all their performances. I mean last year their minor team was very unlucky not to win a Connacht title. And their under-21 team did exceptionally well against Mayo. But then if you go back over the last few years Leitrim have always been close to Roscommon."

Tobin was in charge of Roscommon when they collected their last Connacht title in 2001, having famously beaten Galway en route. Yet the year before Roscommon were beaten by Leitrim in the semi-final - despite leading at one stage by seven points. The lessons, says Tobin, have clearly been learned.

"I know for certain that over the last number of years Roscommon have developed a tremendous respect for Leitrim. And they'll have that on Sunday. They've had some very close games and people forget too that there is a great tradition between these counties.

"And I know that psychologically Leitrim will enjoy playing Roscommon. So there's no way this Roscommon team will under-estimate Leitrim. But that's the way it is around the country.

"Having said that, the two games Roscommon had against Sligo will have to be hugely beneficial. They had to extend themselves in every way and they were sternly tested mentally and physically, and that has to be huge bonus."

With a population of about 24,000 there are reasons to wonder why Leitrim manage to put it up to their more established Connacht rivals on such a regular basis. Through his work Tobin is involved with the coaching committees in every county in the province, and again he singles out Leitrim for special recognition.

"It almost seems unfair when you look at the figures. Leitrim have 39 primary schools whereas Galway have about 290. And Mayo have about 240. If you're talking about secondary schools then Leitrim don't have any in the A division. And yet they can do it.

"So for a very small county, with very limited resources, I must say they do an enormous amount of work. They have a great coaching officer in Thomas Keenan and they've had a school of excellence there for the past number of years where the likes of Jimmy Houlihan have done fantastic work.

"So on any given day I honestly feel Leitrim can compete with anybody. Their difficulty, though, is the small reservoir of players, and through injury or whatever they can suffer with the lack of back-up talent."

Roscommon's more precocious talent is exemplified in players like Seamus O'Neill and Frankie Dolan, yet Tobin also believes that the roots of success spread beyond the ability of the players on the field.

"Part of it comes down to the rural and urban differences, and in Leitrim they have a great sense of bond between the players, and that rural thing is something they work on as well. They realise too that unlike, say, Dublin they can't afford to let players slip through the net, and they are doing everything in their power to keep players involved.

"It helps too when you have someone like Declan Rowley on board. He's a very good manager, a very shrewd operator, and tactically very good. He's been around a long time and has a lot of experience with some very good players. And he's brought a totally professional approach to the team.

"So I expect a very close game on Sunday."