Leitrim boss Steven Poacher has ruffled his fair share of feathers in the last two weeks and his latest comments on the Tailteann Cup will do little to repair any damage with the Leitrim support.
After a turbulent few weeks in Leitrim, Poacher has all but dismissed the prospect of his side reaching the All-Ireland Championship, instead turning his gaze to the second-tier Tailteann Cup.
As it stands Leitrim are already in the Connacht Senior Football Championship semi-final and therefore are just a single win away from qualifying for the All-Ireland championship.
Poacher's men will play the winner of Mayo and Sligo's quarter-final where a win will see them through to the top tier of championship football, a loss however would end that path and see them compete in the Tailteann Cup this summer.
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Steven Poacher's comments unlikely to thrill Leitrim fans
Despite their proximity to qualifying for the All-Ireland championship, boss Steven Poacher glossed over the prospect when he spoke to Shannonside Sport's Darren Mulvey.
"Our priority now is really giving the Tailteann a good rattle now," said Poacher.
"We’ve parked the league it’s been a disappointing league campaign."
Poacher's Leitrim finished dead last of Division Three without recording a win or draw in the campaign and on zero points. Their score difference was -99.
Failing to acknowledge the prospect of winning their upcoming provincial semi-final, Poacher was looking straight ahead to both the Tailteann Cup and life in Division Four, claiming his priority was to get an admittedly young side back on the field.
It’s been a disappointing campaign, I think 14 or 15 lads have played their first competitive game for Leitrim. That’s where we are at, at the minute with this young group.
The reality is there are teams in division four that are very good teams, the likes of Wexford. The Tailteann Cup is a competitive competition.
A lot of teams at a very similar level. I’ve always felt, the bottom 12/14 teams, you could throw a blanket over a lot of them. There’s not a massive group.
Our priority now, will just be getting as many bodies back on the field as we possibly can and get a consistent bit of training done for the first time since January.
Poacher's comments come just a week after Leitrim forfeited their round six league clash with Fermanagh over player welfare concerns. Twelve injuries had hit the relatively small squad which was also heavily reliant on U20s who had intercounty championship that week as well.
Despite the county's insistence that there was no other option, the decision was met with surprise both within and outside the county and was heavily scrutinised nationally.
Poacher also ruffled his share of feathers when he took aim at past Leitrim managers for the saga, and his latest dismissal of All-Ireland qualification is unlikely to repair the damage caused by that saga.
Obviously it's unlikely that Leitrim in their current shape will muster a win against Mayo, however, it's Championship football and they're just one surprise away from an unlikely spot contesting for Sam Maguire.
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