Home games will prove vital if Louth are to avoid National League relegation

After back-to-back promotions in the past two years, anticipation is at fever pitch over what the 2023 league campaign will bring. However, it must be stressed that this will be Mickey Harte’s toughest assignment to date.

Alongside the Wee County in Division Two will be two of last year’s All Ireland Semi-finalists in Derry and Dublin, plus rematches with last year’s championship conquerors Kildare and Cork. Throw in a battle with near neighbours Meath and you can see why the county’s opener will be a huge game.

Clare

Round 1 sees Louth make the trip cross-country to face Clare in Ennis this Sunday in Cusack Park (Throw in 2PM), both sides knowing a win will be vital if they are to survive in Division Two. That being the first objective in the league, before ever thinking about anything larger ambitions.

The Banner County have been in the division longer than pretty much anyone, having contested this tier of the league every year since 2017. Last season they had a solid showing, defeating Offaly and Down plus drawing with Cork and Roscommon to finish midtable.

Come the championship they fought back from the disappointment of an early Munster exit at the hands of Limerick (via penalties) before bouncing back in the Qualifiers where they accounted for Meath and Roscommon. It took a high scoring Derry to end their year.

Derry and Limerick

Next up, the men in red are back on home soil for two huge games in Ardee against Derry (February 5th) and Limerick (February 19th).

Derry had a breakthrough season in 2022. They only narrowly lost out on promotion after losing just one of their seven games but come championship they produced the goods. Despite a horrible draw, they still put Tyrone, Monaghan, and Donegal to the sword to win a first Ulster title since 1998.

The only blot on their copybook in the league and the championship was Galway, who denied them both promotion and a place in the All-Ireland Final.

Meanwhile Louth fans need little introduction to the Treaty Men. The Wee County beat them on their home soil before again lowering their colours in the Division Three final. Come championship Limerick were beaten in the Munster Final by Kerry and in the Qualifiers by Cork.

Meath

Moving over to Round 4 and the Wee County are back on the road to face rivals Meath in Navan on February 26th. The Royals had just two wins in the league last year and needed to beat Cork and Clare in two of the final three rounds to narrowly stay in the division.

Come championship it didn’t get much better. They did record a win over Wicklow, but this was followed by a drubbing at the hands of Dublin before their year was ended by Clare in Ennis. With Meath now under the watch of Colm O’Rourke, this is sure to be a vital tie for both teams.

Kildare and Cork

Things don’t get any easier from here for Harte’s troops. However they do have another two games at home to pick up valuable points when Kildare (March 5th) and Cork (March 19th) are the visitors to Pairc Mhuire.

Kildare’s fortunes have already been told on this site in recent previews of the O’Byrne Cup, but for those that missed it the Lilywhites were contesting Division One last year. It was a narrow relegation, as they did draw with Kerry alongside beating Dublin and Monaghan.

We already know they accounted for Louth and quite comfortably too, 2-22 to 0-12, but their Leinster journey was ended after a facile victory for the Dubs. Come the All-Ireland series, it was Mayo that ended their involvement.

Looking to the Rebels, they were another side that flirted with relegation before steadying the ship with five points that saw them finish sixth. After a drubbing at the hands of Kerry, they bounced back with a 2-12 to 2-8 win over Louth. A limerick win followed, before becoming the victims of Dublin.

Dublin

Louth will hope to be safe at this stage or maybe even contesting promotion, should they get on a memorable run. But if they need a result on the final day, they will need a big performance when they return to Croke Park to face the Boys in Blue on March 26th.

The league in 2022 was one their supporters will hope to forget, as it saw Dublin relegated from the top tier. To top it off, they finished rock bottom.

Dessie Farrell’s side lost their first four games before finally getting on the board against Tyrone and Donegal. However, in a winner stays up clash with Monaghan, the Farney Men recorded a vital win to survive.

This had little effect on Dublin come Leinster, as they coasted past Wexford, Meath and Kildare to continue their provincial dominance. Another simple victory followed over Cork, before being narrowly beaten by Kerry in the All-Ireland Semi-Final.

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Conclusion

To put it mildly, just staying up would be an achievement for Louth, as there is no hiding places or easy games in this division.
They need to target results in their home games, specifically those against Cork and Limerick, while a win away to Clare on the opening day would set themselves up nicely.

Beating either All-Ireland Semi-finalist is a huge ask and Meath will hope to be promotion contenders if back to their best.

If Louth are ever to make the jump to the next level, they need to continue playing the top teams. Can Harte continue to wave the magic wand in the league? Only time will tell.