Louth show true grit to banish Offaly and reach Leinster final

Louth 0-27
Offaly 2-15

On the ropes, in a daze, holding on, sticking to the process reverting back to type again and again.

Sunday’s semi final win over Offaly was another day for this team to shine and endear themselves to the imagination of not only the new generation of Louth supporters but old ones too.

The honesty backed up with a shrewd belly of rehearsed play smashed the glass ceiling to reach the counties second provincial final in thirteen years.

Although emotions and tensions were higher than they ever should have been, Louth were steady throughout and that line of consistency has seen them rise through the ranks of Leinster.

The result is a Leinster top table appearance in a fortnight's time.

Harte has brought a median level of high performance to Louth ever since he came in and with their opponents erratically threatening but never sustaining their onslaught on Sunday, Louth advanced.

Tommy Durnin and Conor Early ruled the skies, while man of the match Ciarán Downey jabbed Offaly all afternoon with his efficient point taking.

Six points and midfield pressure was the winning combination but credit to the midlanders they ground out extra time where Louth’s superior conditioning levels told.

Louth captain Sam Mulroy ironically stole the round by putting together a match winning string of five extra time points that would duly see his side over the line but dig a little deeper and all was not well with the marksman during normal time. Mulroy bullied the jaded Offaly backline to a pulp in the finish.

Perhaps taking out his frustrations on a game where everything seemed to go wrong for the player desperately searching for form.

The Monasterboice man had a goal cleared off the line but to the naked eye looked over the line. That would have killed the game there and then, but in between Louth’s fuzzy brain connecting the miss to actually thinking the game was won, Anton Sullivan levelled.

Offaly’s Cian Farrell had a chance to win it in normal time but he didn’t wrap his foot around the ball enough to inflict some further pain to the downtrodden Louth supporter base.

This is where the new generation of Louth supporters come in. They now know what it’s like to reach a Leinster final. It is not a longing or lifelong crusade but the norm and something they are getting very used to.

A final in two weeks time against a team in their 13th consecutive showpiece is a tale for another day but for now movement will push on. The starting line up for Louth is where some of the learning will take place. Dylan McKeown from the Gaels came in for his first ever inter county appearance.

Drafted into the O’Byrne Cup final squad at late notice and the panel of late, Mickey Harte obviously sees something in McKeown and the DCU man repaid that faith in his opening bow with two classy first half points.

The other Dylan on show was Hyland and he was equal in the first half if not better. The Raheen man kept Offaly in touch but Louth’s energy saw them find the target with less endeavour.

Downey landed five points in the opening half, each one as sweet as the next. Short bursts, snappy changes of direction and decisive strikes into the hill, each and every one of them. Downey’s hot streak was one thing but Louth’s ability to find the form striker wasn’t just by chance as seen in the finish with Mulroy.

The old ways started to rear their ugly head when against the run of play Peter Cunningham wiped out that lead with a goal he generated from Ian Duffy’s kick out.

Level at half time, Louth brought on Liam Jackson and Craig Lennon and they brought the required impact once again. James Califf advanced from his goalmouth and Gavin Devlin urged his side to press and squeeze the life out of their opponents.And that they did.

With Offaly disoriented, Louth struck half a dozen in a row. Niall Sharkey, Conor Early and Durnin with his second, pushed the reds four ahead and more importantly match winning position.

Daire McConnon raced through and saw his shot rebound back into Mulroy’s hands and such was the day he was having he went with his left and looked to have crossed the line.

The goal goes in, the semi-final peters out with a snooze button. It didn’t and Offaly took their second chance. Ever present Anton Sullivan duly brought the game to extra time.

Farrell and Jack Bryant were just not good enough on the day to snatch an undeserved victory but seldom do sentiments apply when it comes to Louth.

The efforts helplessly went wide and Martin Murphy will rue those opportunities for a long time as Joe McQuillan blew the full time whistle. There was a sense around Croke Park that extra time would suit Louth and it really did. Logic and Mulroy’s point taking prevailed. The better side won.

Recycling replaced players back into the fold, Craig Lennon eased the tension with break away points after Decie Hogan cut the healthy gap with a well taken goal.

Off the ropes relieved Louth stood in the centre of the GAA world victorious, exhausted with their arms raised and ready for Dublin.

LOUTH: James Califf; Donal McKenny, Dan Corcoran, Ciarán Murphy; Leonard Grey, Niall Sharkey 0-2, Conall McKeever; Tommy Durnin 0-2, Conor Early 0-2; Paul Mathews, Ciarán Downey 0-7, Conor Grimes 0-2; Ciarán Keenan, Sam Mulroy 0-6 (2f), Dylan McKeown 0-2. SUBS: Daire McConnon for Keenan (32), Liam Jackson 0-1 for Matthews (HT), Craig Lennon (0-3) for McKeown (HT), Peter Lynch for Murphy (46), Anthony Williams for McKeever (64), Ryan Burns for Jackson (FT), Conall McCaul for McConnon (FT), McKeever for Corcoran (83), Jackson for McKenny (85), Murphy for Grey (87).

OFFALY: Ian Duffy; Declan Hogan 1-0, David Dempsey, Lee Pearson; Cian Donohoe, Peter Cunningham 1-1, Ciarán Donnelly; Jack McEvoy, Conor McNamee; Dylan Hyland 0-5 (1f), Rúairí McNamee 0-3 (1f), Jamie Evans; Cian Farrell 0-2 (1f), Nigel Dunne 0-2 (1f), Anton Sullivan 0-1. SUBS: Joe Maher for Evans (49), Aaron Leavy for C McNamee (56), Bill Carroll 0-1 for Dunne (56), Jack O’Brien for Pearson (61), Jack Bryant for McEvoy (64), Luke Egan for Sullivan (FT), Nigel Bracken for Donohoe (FT), McEvoy for R McNamee (FT), Shane O’Toole Greene for Donnelly (79), Sullivan for Hyland (80), Aaron Brazil for Cunningham (83).

Referee: Joe McQuillan (Cavan).