Leitrim joint-manager George Dugdale has ruled out the possibility of the four players dropped because of ‘breaches of discipline’ returning to the squad.
Leitrim’s preparations for the Connacht SFC semi-final against London on Sunday, June 23 have been thrown into disarray by the axing of Wayne McKeon, Tomas Beirne, Shane Moran and Conor Beirne from the squad.
The quartet was issued with their marching orders by Dugdale and Barney Breen as a result of “breaches of discipline that have fallen below the strict code of standards as agreed by team management and players”.
Online petitions to have the four players reinstated have gathered some momentum but, as far as the management is concerned, the matter is now closed and they are fully focused on the clash with the Exiles.
“There were parameters in places as agreed by the management and players and the consequences were very clear,” explained Dugdale to the Leitrim Observer.
"Unfortunately, the boys by their actions consequently excluded themselves from the panel. There are no winners in this and there is nothing personal against the boys excluded.
“However, with the full support of the County Board, the management and players have now moved on and they are totally focussed on the task of winning our semi-final against London.”
It is understood that the four players were dropped for socialising following a club game between Ballinamore Sean O’Heslin’s and Eslin in the Leitrim IFC while Conor Beirne is also believed to have been disciplined due to missing training.
The management’s decision was endorsed by captain Emlyn Mulligan last week who said: "It has to be a line drawn for the future of Leitrim football. Leitrim will never progress if these boys aren’t punished for their mistakes - that’s looking at the long-term effect.
“In the short term, it will obviously affect the team going into the London game but we’ll just have to put that in the back of our minds, gather into a tight group and put the heads down.”
