LEITRIM manager Steven Poacher has defended conceding a walkover in their last Division 3 league game – insisting “some players don’t live up to the standards”.
Steven Poacher’s men conceded Sunday’s scheduled NFL Division 3 tie with Fermanagh as they only had 12 fit players available.
They are already relegated to Division 4 just a year after gaining promotion, having lost all of their five games so far.
Steven Poacher is in his first season in charge having succeeded Mickey Graham who was in situ for just two months.
And speaking on Off The Ball, Poacher defended his use of a small panel, arguing that he was trying to change the culture.
The Down native said: “For years and years for counties like Leitrim, sub-standard behaviours have been accepted.
“This is with all due respect to other management teams but maybe, because you stood up on the bank and watched the club game with a former manager and was pally-pally, that was good enough for things to slip or for things to get away with x, y, and z.
“I am only using that tongue-in-cheek. That is not what happened but what I am saying is we have to change the culture and standards.
“The players want to change the culture and standards.
“Was weekend disappointing for everybody? Of course it was but the reason we carry a smaller panel is because some players can’t live to those standards and culture we are trying to achieve in Leitrim.
“If you keep doing to same things, you keep getting the same results so something has to change sooner or later.
“We are trying to get a group of young men who understand what it takes to live the life of a county footballer, who understands the commitment and dedication that it takes.
“Because we have such a young group, that has repercussions so what the repercussions are is we are picking up a lot more injuries.
“Bear in mind, we came in at the start of November. We had our first meeting in the middle of November.
“We couldn’t train until December. We had injuries then, players coming back from long-term injuries.
“We actually never got a full panel of players together until around Christmas time and that is the truth.
“Even with that group, we still lost one or two from that group because we weren’t happy with the way they were living their lives.
“We weren’t happy with the standards and culture they were bringing to a young group.”
On Wednesday, the Irish Sun exclusively revealed that Leitrim legend Emlyn Mulligan had offered to come out of retirement to avoid a walkover.
The Kinlough native hung up his Leitrim boots in March 2023, and made over 100 senior appearances for the county.
Several other former Leitrim stars were willing to offer their services and tog out as substitutes to avoid a walkover, but the county opted to concede the game.
Poacher’s squad is in the midst of an injury crisis, and six members of his panel opted out due to tonight’s Dalata Connacht under-20 championship clash with Galway.
