Leitrim unable to field team against Fermanagh

The Leitrim footballers will be unable to field a team for their Division 3 clash against Fermanagh in Pairc Sean Ui Eslin in Ballinamore tomorrow due to an injury crisis in the camp and commitments to the Under-20 team.

The U20s play Galway in the Connacht championship midweek and that leaves team management and the county with no other choice but to give a walkover.

With six key players committed to lining out with the U20 team, 12 more footballers hit with soft tissue injuries and a number of players either retired or emigrated to Australia, the squad are down substantial numbers and clearly depleted.

It will still come as a major shock to Leitrim football people that this decision has now been reached following a meeting between players, management and county officials this morning.

Two weeks ago, Leitrim had only 22 players togged out for action against Offaly but for tomorrow's game against Fermanagh their problems had deteriorated considerably.

Only 16 players would have been togging out against Fermanagh in Ballinamore tomorrow, a frightening statistic for the Leitrim team and their loyal supporters.

It has serious implications for any county when it is unable to field a team. The injury list includes the county's two first choice goalkeepers who were also going to be unavailable due to recent knocks incurred which resulted in concussion.

Steven Poacher is in his first season as Leitrim manager

Clearly the players, management and county board would have wished to fulfil this fixture but because of the injuries, player welfare has to be a priority.

Their situation hasn't been helped by having one match postponed earlier in the league which meant they had to play five games in a row. It highlights the impact of so many games in difficult weather and pitch conditions on counties with small or limited playing numbers.

This Allianz League campaign has been a difficult one for Leitrim with approximately 20 out of the 32-man panel experiencing inter-county football for the very first time.

It is a very sad day for Leitrim footballers when they may have to effectively give a walkover to Fermanagh due to a lack of players availability for a variety of reasons.

According to the Leitrim manager Steven Poacher, who has been involved in many county teams, this is the first such occurrence of an event of this magnitude that he is aware of. Leitrim are bottom of Division 3 having played five games already, losing them all.

Leitrim GAA released a statement stating their regret for the decision and pointing to the "Inordinate number of last year's panel had declared themselves unavailable for the 2025 season."

"We must stress that the Leitrim players were very keen to play this game if it was at all possible but due to overall player welfare considerations and a duty of care towards the group for the greater good, we have had to take this unprecedented and unfortunate decision," it read.

"In reality, we could find ourselves with only 12 players on the field tomorrow."

Watch Kerry v Armagh in the Allianz Football League on Saturday from 5pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player. Follow a live blog on rte.ie/sport and the RTÉ News app Listen to Saturday Sport on RTÉ Radio 1

Watch Allianz League Sunday from 9.30pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player. Follow a live blog on all matches on rte.ie/sport and the RTÉ News app. Listen to updates around the country on Sunday Sport on RTÉ Radio 1

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