Mayo v Leitrim: Leading lady, ref watch, and what's next?

The Mayo Ladies were made to sweat by the Leitrim counterparts, but ultimately prevailed by 2-11 to 1-11 in a gripping climax in Swinford. Here's what you might have missed on a historic day as the Connacht Championship got underway.

READ MORE: Old habits die hard for Mayo Ladies in Leitrim tie

LEADING LADY

For Mayo it was Erin Murray. The Ballyhaunis woman who made her name as a midfield general, was tried out at centre-forward during the league and was stationed at corner-forward for most of this game. Removing her physicality and insatiable work-rate from a midfield shorn of Aoife Geraghty was a gamble from Liam McHale.

But it was one that paid off. At times, Murray was like the Vikki Wall of the west, taking on Leitrim women with utter fearlessness and influencing attacks every time she got the ball.

“If she keeps going like that she’ll get on the Mayo men’s team. That’s how good she was. She was phenomenal,” McHale told The Mayo News.

TALK OF THE TOWN

Since the dawn of Ladies Gaelic football as an organised, rules-based spectacle, the Connacht senior championship has been a two-horse race between Mayo and Galway.

Even after winning the All-Ireland Intermediate Championship, Leitrim, a Division 4 side, looked like cannon fodder for Connacht’s footballing aristocrats.

Though playing a Mayo team who, in all honesty and with no disrespect to any member of the panel, only have a handful of the county’s top 15 footballers at their disposal, Leitrim put up a great fight.

Roared on by a travelling support that made up almost 50 percent of the crowd, the women from Ireland’s least populous county never gave in and nearly pulled off an almighty coup.

The uprising came too late, but their efforts were acknowledged in a generous round of applause from their supporters at full-time.

It may be a stretch to call them a third force in Connacht football just yet, but court jesters or whipping girls they are certainly not.

READ MORE: Mayo girls remain unbeaten as they edge out Roscommon

DID THAT JUST HAPPEN?

Sunday's meeting of Mayo and Leitrim was an extremely rare event. The two sides have never met at senior level in modern times, but if Leitrim retain their senior status, the two will meet annually under the new three-time round-robin Connacht championship format.

REF WATCH

Shane  Curley from Galway had plenty to keep an eye on, such was the physicality on show on Sunday. Despite this, Curley never flashed a yellow card, though sin-bins were warranted on both sides. Sinéad Walsh was ticked on a few occasions, but otherwise this was a hands-off refereeing display which made for an entertaining, free-flowing and physical game. A tad too
physical at times, though.

WHAT’S NEXT?

Mayo face Division 2 league champions Galway in the next round of Connacht LGFA Senior Football Championship in Tuam Stadium on Sunday, May 11.