It’s a cold time for the red heat of championship

What do the 'Riabhach days' mean to you?

In Irish folklore, the last few days of March and the first few days of April are referred to as the 'Riabhach days', a period in which three of the coldest days of the year arrive by some quirk or other.

Allegedly, the source of the term comes from an old cow who thought when April came she did not need to stay inside anymore – when she went outside on April 1st, the cold ‘Riabhach days’ arrived and the cow was dead shortly after!

Next Sunday, the Connacht Championship ambitions of three of the seven competing counties will be dead as well.

Mayo and Galway are hot favourites to emerge through their respective jaunts to New York and London, but the outcome in Carrick-on-Shannon is far less clearcut as Leitrim and Sligo go to battle from 3.30pm on Sunday.

First off, this match is an important one for both counties but in the wider scheme of things, it means little. Of course, the winner will talk a good game in the lead in to a likely meeting with Galway two weeks later but the likelihood is a six to eight point defeat for either against the Tribesmen will be considered a good showing.

Galway have had their injury troubles during the league and that might offer some hope but, remember, Sligo lost last year's Connacht final to the same opposition by 14 points.

So what represents success for Sligo and Leitrim in the coming months?

Leitrim have already played in Croke Park this year, and another appearance there in a Tailteann Cup semi-final would represent a fine season. Even without a good run in the championship, Andy Moran's side will consider 2024 a productive year with promotion from Division Four their primary target.

Sligo will hold loftier ambitions. While the county should aspire to be in the Sam Maguire competition every year – and this should be expected – winning the Tailteann Cup would provide a major fillip.

Is it realistic?

Maybe it's too much of a stretch, considering the hammering they received off Down, last year's beaten finalists, in the league last month. But if Sligo can match the performance levels shown in the wins over Westmeath and Antrim, they'll be capable of mixing it with most sides in the competition.

Sunday's encounter will be tasty and will carry more meaning in many ways for Leitrim.

They have fallen so narrowly short to Sligo in their last two matches – one game went all the way to penalties, the other was decided by a single point – so there’ll be huge motivation to get over the line this time around.

Last weekend’s defeat to Laois in Croke Park may have burst the bubble a little, given the margin of victory for the winners. It’ll be interesting to see if Andy Moran can rally the troops in such a short space of time.

Sligo have made progress under Tony McEntee, and this match is perfect for helping illustrate that by digging out a positive result. The league campaign was frustrating in many ways, because Sligo will feel as though they let an opportunity slip to earn promotion to Division Two. In hindsight, it wasn't a particularly tough Division Three and next year's line-up, with Kildare and Fermanagh coming down, and Laois and Leitrim coming up, has a trickier look to it.

The narrow loss to Clare at the end of January was the most damaging, in a game Sligo could and maybe should have won, or certainly got a point out of. But, all things considered, it was a satisfactory campaign.

Now, McEntee and Co. need to continue to build by having a long summer.

Personnel wise, Sligo have become quite reliant on the exploits of Sean Carrabine in the final third and Leitrim will be looking to tie the Castleconnor man up as best they can.

At the other end, with Keith Beirne not part of the current Leitrim set-up, Ryan O'Rourke is the go-to man for the Green and Gold and Sligo will likely dedicate someone to tracking his forays around Pairc Sean. O’Rourke and Darragh Rooney were both well marshalled in Croke Park last weekend and that went a long way to helping Laois to victory.

Leitrim probably hold more physicality than Sligo in the middle third, but the Yeats County have pace all over the park – a commodity that is so important in the modern game.

One point that was evident in the latter stages of the Division Four final last weekend was the energy levels of both sides. Laois looked to have more in the tank, naturally perhaps because they were in a good position, but Leitrim looked caught out at times by the wide expanses of Croke Park and coughed up quite a few goal chances.

With that in mind, you suspect the heavier surface at Pairc Sean MacDiarmada will play into the hosts’ hands and make things more difficult for a Sligo side that excelled on their last two visits to GAA headquarters, where their pace caused real trouble for Cavan in the 2022 Tailteann Cup semi-final and for Wicklow in the 2023 Division Four decider.

Leitrim have had a taxing schedule in recent weeks as they chased promotion and then made the trip to headquarters for the final and all the emotional energy that goes with that. The mental and physical toll, however, will be negated somewhat by what should be a vociferous home support this weekend.

Given the success of Sligo at under-20 level in recent years, many supporters have questioned the lack of opportunities for players from those panels but the performance of Canice Mulligan against Westmeath will certainly boost his championship prospects. It’ll be interesting to see whether any other graduates from the underage ranks get game time over the coming period.

This is a dangerous fixture for Sligo, but it’s a game they should win. Emerging from Pairc Sean with a place in the Connacht semi-final secured would represent another step in the right direction for the Yeats County – and provide them the platform to give supporters something to shout about later in the year.

Whether you’re in Carrick, New York or London this weekend – don’t forget to wrap up!