EMLYN MULLIGAN offered to play for Leitrim again so they could field a team against Fermanagh, SunSport can reveal.
Steven Poacher’s men conceded Sunday’s scheduled NFL Division 3 tie with the Ernesiders as they only had 12 fit players available for the clash.
And legend Mulligan, 36, volunteered to temporarily step out of inter-county retirement to help solve the crisis.
The Kinlough native hung up his Leitrim boots in March 2023, and made over 100 senior appearances for the county.
Dismayed by the predicament, 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.
Leitrim have already been relegated back to Division 4 with five straight defeats.
Speaking to Newstalk’s Off the Ball last night, Poacher is hopeful they can fulfill Sunday’s final round fixture against Sligo at Markievicz Park and insists they had no choice but to pull the plug on the Fermanagh game.
He felt that calling up club players was not an option as many of them have not started training yet, and slammed below-par standards in the county that he is trying to change.
He said: “This situation that arose last week is a very, very, very disappointing set of circumstances. I hope it never happens again. It’s the first time it’s ever happened to me, personally.
“In my first year as manager with the group, it’s not ideal, and of course it’s not. The players, the county board, everyone, supporters, the whole lot – of course it’s not okay.
“But people on the outside have got to understand the situation that we were faced with last Friday.
“There’s probably people on the outside saying, ‘why have you not selected a large panel, a bigger panel?
“But for counties like Leitrim, for years and years, substandard behaviours have been accepted.
“We need to change the culture and standards. The players want to change the culture and standards. It was disappointing for everyone, of course it was.
“But the reason we carry a smaller panel is because some players can’t live to those standards and cultures that we’re trying to achieve in Leitrim.”
