EMLYN MULLIGAN has stepped off the Leitrim panel.

Last night GAA chiefs in the county confirmed to SunSport that their talisman has chosen to depart the squad for the rest of the year.

1 Emlyn Mulligan has left the Leitrim football panel

The Melvin Gaels clubman, 31, came off the bench 44 minutes into their 3-17 to 0-12 Connacht SFC quarter-final defeat to Roscommon at Dr.Hyde Park on Sunday.

But he will play no further part in their 2019 championship as they enter the pot for round 1 of the qualifiers.

Terry Hyland’s men were the story of the league this year after they sealed promotion from Division 4 for the first time since the current structure was established in 2007.

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They produced a spirited display in the league final against Derry at Croke Park, but lost 0-20 to 0-16. It was Mulligan’s first time to play at GAA HQ for his county.

Mulligan made headlines after his SFC debut for the O’Rourke county against New York in 2008 when he kicked 0-10.

The Garda's football career has not been short of injury agony either, and he suffered torn cruciate knee ligaments for the third time in May 2017.