One of the first championship matches I attended was v Leitrim in 1976 in Charlestown. A really windy day and we scraped a draw only to lose the replay in Carrick. Dark days indeed. Was in The Hyde in 1994 for our loss in Connacht final. Another very dark day when we managed a goal in the first half as our only score. In fairness to Leitrim they beat ourselves Galway and Roscommon that year so were very deserving Connacht winners but we were worse than brutal that day under Jack o Shea . If someone told me we would contest an AI final 2 years later I would have said they were mad. So when we get so worked up now about losing games I cast my mind back to those horror shows. Not a Connacht title in the 70s and 94 and 95 stick out for terrible performances. Yet John Maughan took us within a hop of the ball to ultimate glory in 96. Reckon we should be comfortable enough on Sunday but don’t expect our record v Leitrim and reach the AI the same year this century rot continue in 2025

Even Mayo cant mess this one up. Its a bit of a missmatch even if we are no great shakes ourselves. Credit to Leitrim they keep plugging away year after year knowing that they wont have much to show for it I wish them well but hope for an improved Mayo performance and no injuries

@Glorydays yeah agree even we can't mess this one up.

No disrespect to Leitrim they've had it tough going this year.

No injuries and give hopefully Durcan game time..

Here's hoping a few goals and 2 pointers fly

I was there too in 94. A really bad day, as I was in 06 that could have been. I wasn’t at the 1924 game, but the mass defences must have been in operation at the time too. How come it took the GAA 100 years to act. ?

Sorry. ? Was supposed to be a smiley face.

The most revealing part of this poll is that we have 18% of readers from outside the county.

@Nephin 100% agree with that definetly from outside the county ..!!

i was there in 1994
The worst game of football i ever witnessed

A win, but not sure a good day at office. Any win will be looked at, sure it only Leitrim. Getting tommy back, Paddy back and DOC, and no injuries on both teams

This is a 'no win' situation type match For Mayo

A convincing 15 points+ win will be greeted with 'it's only Leitrim'
Anything less than that we'll be saying Mayo aren't good enough.

Just go over to Carrick win the match and get home with no fresh injuries.

I'd settle for a comfortable enough win but most of all some semblance of progression. An obvious defensive strategy and attacking game plan would be nice and if we can show we've worked on kickouts that'd do.

I was there in 94 and it's one of my big football memories to see Declan Darcy and the previous Leitrim Connaught winning captain lift the Nestor Cup together.

Just get a full game out of D O Connor and as much as possible out of Durkan and hopefully Conroy, get the kick outs right, put Aiden near the square for full game and put plenty of ball into him and have him score a few and lay off a few for goals from other forwards. Win and prepare for final. JOB DONE.

In reply to Tom Garvey, he is obviously unwilling to accept that Leitrim won that day fair and square.

Hard to get excited about this one, should be an easy win. Good opportunity to test fringe players and practice kickout strategy. Hopefully see Paddy D and Tommy C for a few minutes. Is Galway V Rossies game on this weekend, probably learn more from watching that match than our own.

I remember that 94 game very clearly.the only positive thing to come out of it was the performance of a young john Casey and ciaran McDonald when introduced in second half

@Bonni Boyler: Yeah, Galway vs Rosscommon is on RTÉ on Sunday at 4pm.

https://x.com/fotoole13/status/1911813016225472800

Everything is relative and in comparing us with them you have to acknowledge the huge disparity in playing numbers. As Dublin have proven, senior inter county football is a numbers game. The more players you have, the more excellent players you will have. The more excellent players you have, the greater the competition for places on a match day squad you will have. The greater the competition for places on a match day squad you have, the higher the performance levels will be. Using every metric Sundays game is a David v Goliath contest and one that will prove very difficult to take much out of for us. But, everything is relative and Leitrim will be looking for the little wins. Despite what it looks like on the surface, they have had little wins along the way. They have two players on the Sigerson team of the year while Mayo had ZERO representation and Manorhamilton won the All Ireland colleges C final recently. Given the scarcity of resources at their disposal these are huge wins for Leitrim.
From a competitive point of view we stand to gain virtually nothing from this contest. Get minutes into DOC and hopefully Durcan (if rumours are to be believed), get some fringe players up to match fitness levels while maybe resting a few who have featured heavily throughout the league thus far, and most importantly, get through the game uninjured. From a tactical and physicality point of view, we will learn nothing. If Reape suddenly becomes prime Cluxton on his kickouts then it will count for nothing because of the opponent he is kicking out against and that issue alone has been managements single biggest blindspot and failing all year. Reape, and his terrible distribution, will be our downfall eventually. Putting Phillips in on Sunday will be a piecemeal gesture that is far too littler and certainly far too late. That ship has sailed and we have what we have.
I don't expect a big crowd but Carrick is a handy enough spot to get to and the town itself will be well able to cater for the game so, I for one, am heading for a look. In my opinion, our season has always been about the Connaught final and Sunday fortnight. This Sunday won't change that nor will it really show us whether we are ready for the challenge that Galway or Roscommon will bring us.
Hon Mayo

Funny enough I look back on 94 as a great day for the GAA , it was one of those great moments , very hard not to have a soft spot for Leitrim .

I'd tend to agree with you, Seán. For Leitrim it was the greatest of days and, having beaten ourselves Galway and Roscommon, it was a Nestor Cup that was more than fully earned.

Married to a Leitrim woman. Her side of the family regard that day in ‘94 as one of their finest moments. Very hard to begrudge it to them and that Leitrim team had some fine footballers.

It’s easy to forget that counties like Leitrim are stone mad about football. They work extremely hard to compete and it’s important that we don’t simply dismiss them.

We’ll win comfortably this weekend but I hope Leitrim can salvage something out of this season.

Thanks @Tsu should be interesting, expect Galway to win.

cant see anything but a Galway win on Sunday especially with the game being in Pearse Stadium.
It will be some occasion.

@Willie Joe - Will there be many podcasts this week ?, it is gone very quiet from a Senior team perspective.

I'll always remember the 94 season for Declan Darcy kicking points for fun. He had some year and carried Leitrim to a Nestor cup. Sadly the Dubs snatched him from Leitrim.
Always brings to mind Caractacus being paraded through Rome as a prisoner having been captured during the Roman invasion of Brittania. He looked around at the splendour and greatness of Rome and said "They have all this but they still want our mud huts".

I’m a rotten loser, and I begrudged Leitrim that win in ‘94. And, do you know what, I still begrudge it. Nothing personal of course, love the county and have some great friends there. Love going to Carrick too, but I’m going to sit this one out - have found the run of games since the Kerry one in Castlebar (including the Colleges’ final), very demanding. Do the blazers ever take fans’ interests into account at all I wonder, when they are doing up their master plans?

90s was a good time for Leitrim. B All Ireland title won along with their last minor,U21 and senior Connacht titles. Right now stuck in a rut and incredible amount of players opted off their panel from last year leaving them so short they have to start 5 teenagers.

Jaysus, JoeG... it'll take a classical tale indeed this weekend, of Sisyphean proportions, to undo that image. Good stuff... I must crack open the chateau de Caligula.

Only the four podcasts shows to come this week, Mayoman51! We'll have a Leitrim preview (out either later today or tomorrow) then Final Whistle pods from the U20, Minor and Senior matches.

Does anyone use the eSync calendar that drops Mayo (or other counties) matches into your calendar? I've found it brilliant, but I don't see the Leitrim matching appearing on it.

Ever the optimist. Lol. Save a glass for me!

Observation from Colm O Rourke in Sunday indo

"If Mayo are to have a chance then they need a better kicking game. Watching the league final I couldn’t figure out if the forwards didn’t run because they knew the ball was not going to be kicked in or whether the ball wasn’t kicked because there was no movement."

Looking at the league as a whole, I would have to believe it is the former.
After Sligo scored 2-17 against us, I have grown very pessimistic about our chances of beating Galway in three weeks.

@Joemamas true but I think we were holding back v kerry .

For sure we need to work on our kick passing though .

It could be the Rossies we face in 3 weeks but think Galway will have too much for them.

There's only ever a kick of a ball between ourselves and Galway we have a good chance. Especially if we get either Durcan, Tommy or DOC back .

Joemamas if you were from Galway and you watched them scrape over Sligo last year you would not be optimistic yet they got to an AI final and could / should have won. Having said that I do not expect to see our lads compete for Sam in July

Is that colm ó Rourke who couldn't make it as an intercounty manager and went back to the typewriter? (he probably makes a good point but his points are a little less relevant lately).

I’ve seen commentary from plenty of fans of other counties complain that they are conceding too much…do people not realise that the new rules are facilitating higher scoring games. The days of only conceding 1-10 or 1-12 are gone. It’s still our forward play of lack of imagination in attack that is have the most concern with.

New pod up on Patreon - Mike chatting with former Leitrim star Emlyn Mulligan ahead of Saturday's game.

@To win just once yes exactly..I can't see us competeting for Sam come July either but we should at least make the quarters a semi is what I'm hoping for ..any of the top 8 teams can beat each other on the day.

If Paddy Durcan or Tommy Conroy are fit to tog the next day they just have to start against Leitrim Saturday.Diarmuid is another who has to get a full 70 minutes in before Connacht Final on May 4th.

Sam og .I've no doubt we will be hearing after the Leitrim game that Paddy and TC are "very close" , as we've being hearing for months on end now

Colm, Colm, Colm. You have no credibility now. You spent years telling us how it should be done, and quite the smart arse about it at times, went to try and do it, and couldn’t. But now you want to come back and lecture us all again? I don’t think so

Great Pod WJ, after listening to that I suppose we have to be thankful we are at least in the conversation for Sam rather than in Leitrim's case struggling to field teams and dreaming only of Tailteann cup success on a good day.

I'm looking forward to a humdinger between Tyrone and Armagh. I'd rather not contemplate the possibility of a banana skin elsewhere.

Eastcorkexcile, you do realise O Rourke has won everything in the game, managed St Pats Navan to three All Ireland Hogan cup titles, and with Meath won the Tailteann cup.
Jim Gavin himself would have a job winning Sam with Meath..
You of course may not like what he says and do not have to read it, but to say Colm o Rourke has no credibility is fairly laughable.

@Tuamstar in fairness to @Eastcorkexile he has a point ..!

Colm O Rourke for years has lectured us on our faults he maybe right but he thought he knew it all went out with meath and fell flat on his face while doing so . So @Eastcorkexile is right he has no credibility now to go back to lecturing us .

The easy target that we are just cause he made a balls of things in Meath!

Living in Meath I agree oRourke lacks credibility.
But he is correct about the present structure of the championship.

Wouldn’t be a big fan of colm o rourke but as tuamstar said it’s highly unlikely that Jim gavin would done a lot with the current Meath team.in fact winning the talteann cup was an achievement but at least he had a go at it .O rourke won 2 all Irelands as a player so he probably has as much credibility as lee keegan has to comment on other counties

GAA+ would have been wiser not televising this one as its going to be an absolute bloodbath, it will be 30+ beating and thats not being arrogant thats the reality if it. Leitrim are a shambles presently, a mayo sfc club side would beat them. It will be followed a week of tedious debate from Breheny and the likes about how this proves football is dead, championship structures etc etc

I'd be inclined to drop many of our key men completely and get more gametime into the squad players. Would drop AOS, Ryan, Flynn, Ruane for starters, wouldn't mind getting a look at another goalie also. I'd like to see something like...

Phillips
Coyne
McBrien
Hession

Fenton Kelly
Eoin o'd
Eoghan mcL

Diarmuid
Carney

Neary
McHale
Dawson

Towey
Irwin
Boland

@Supermac

Agree with you on the team. Nothing to gain by sending Ryan, AOS and Co out on Saturday. I'd also be resting Mcbrien and Hession as well. Morahan in at corner back, Paddy at 6 and Eoin O'd at 3.

@Supermac, true no point in risking anyone really but there is a 2 week break to the Connacht Final barring some Leitrim miracle. Want to keep the squad on the boil to some degree, would throw in Durcan and Tommy C if they are fit. I would not be surprised if they started the same team as for Sligo match and then threw on 5 subs at half time.

@ supermac, I wouldn’t start hession either has played every match this year.
Who cares what o’rourke has to say.

Not sure about that team Supermac. Yes, I would be trying a few newbies, but not too many - remember London socking it to us in the FBD when we put out a team of youngsters. Thornton has to get more game time; accompanying Diarmuid at CF seems an ideal set up. Philips yes, ditto Neary and Kelly. Towey and Boland in FF line - no; they're too small, it's either or. You need a leader in that forward selection, so one of the regulars has to come in - maybe ROD for Darren, and maybe Coggins for Boland. Boland doesn't really need game time - he can come on and do a job at any stage.

If we can't put Leitrim away with a bit to spare, there's no point in us rocking up to an all Ireland final in July and expecting to win that....all due respect anall!

It's all about getting Tommy. Paddy and diarmuid out on that field for me. The result will look after itself. All due respect to Leitrim

@2Hops ,I have followed Mayo for over 60 years and anything is possible with us .
Win with a bit of method to our play is my desire.
A dress rehearsal for the final.
Put them away early and run the bench.

So Clare, any pundit that's unfair or comments on Mayos frailties lacks credibility? Especially if they cannot win Sam as a manager...

One frailty we definitely have is a leader of forwards at 11.
Kerry have Paudue Clifford, Dubs have kilkenny, Galway have johnny Maher.
We have no one of that calibre to lead or that will influence a game as much as these guys. Makes us a quarter final team at best imo.o
However I do like the way the AOS / Carney relationship is developing.
I would play as .m players from panel this weekend. Good experience any

O'Rourke was part of a triumvirate with Spillane and Brolly on the Sunday Game who got away with murder, all in the name of ratings, and making the outrageous palatable, week in week out. It's not his current criticism of Mayo, or any team that's at issue; his past condemns him, and his managerial career with Meath was no great shakes, even if Meath are a handful. People say that, for example, Eamon Fitzmaurice is boring, but he doesn't take the piss, he doesn't go for the cheap shot, and he usually backs up what he is saying with stats and good analysis. That's really all I ask for in analysis. I think the current breed adhere to these principles to a reasonable extent and we are all the better for it, even if the circus is a little bit more staid without the clowns.

@Tuamstar it's well known that he has been a smart arse about mayo as others have said on this thread.

He lacks credibility because he was saying for years what we were doing wrong and he knew it all amd how to fix it apparently but obviously he doesn't know how to fix everything..judging by his meath experience .

Anyway who cares what he has to say he's only looking to stay relevant .

Onto Letrim I do feel bad for them in the situation they are in and would probably rather not go out and play us on Saturday but they have some good underage players coming up .

The Sunday game was definitely more entertaining with the dream team of Michael Lester, O Rourke, Brolly and Spillane. Yes they had there own personal grating opinions on teams, Mayo especially, but for gods sake its better than the bore fest we are subjected to now.
Brolly eventually resorted to controversy for the sake of it but it was a very good for awhile.

Lacking credibility about having a valid opinion from a multi All Ireland winner....

@tuamstar. Don't worry you're head about it we've been listening to o Rourke for years smirking about all mayos failures and how Galway play the game so gracefully so forgive us if we're not as gracious towards the man as you are. Sure enough he has his medals but it doesn't mean we have to bow to him or listen to his put downs and he saw 1st hand it's easier on the typewriter than on the grass. As someone stated earlier just compare him to Eamonn Fitzmaurice who can get his point across without disrespecting anyone.