Redemption Day: Huge championship permutations as Louth host Cork

With the Leinster Final now done and dusted, attentions quickly turn to the revamped All Ireland Championship, with Louth having little time to ponder on their loss to Dublin as they ‘host’ Cork in Pairc Tailteann this Saturday afternoon (throw in 3PM).

The Wee County have been grouped alongside the Rebels, Mayo and reigning champions Kerry in Group 1. Each team in the group shall get one home game, play one away and another at a neutral venue.

This new format has confused many, but in short here is how it works.

16 teams have been divided into four groups of four. Each containing a provincial winner and runner up (not from the same province), plus two more sides made up of the best of the rest from Division 1 and 2 of the National League.

After three rounds of action, the team that finishes top of their group advances to the Quarter Finals, while those placed second and third will be paired off in a preliminary round to determine the final four spots.

Essentially what that means, is of the 16 teams that are competing in the race for the Sam Maguire Cup, only four sides will actually exit the competition at the round robin phase. This of course increases Louth’s chances of advancing significantly.

But with powerhouses such as Kerry and Mayo to deal with in the weeks ahead, there is clearly a lot of importance on this clash with Cork. A win and they almost have one foot in the next round. Lose and they will need to produce the shock of the championship against either Kerry or Mayo.

Louth and Cork name their teams ahead of crunch championship clash in Navan

The sides will be very familiar with each other having locked horns twice in the last 12 months. Once in the first round of the All-Ireland last year and again earlier this year when the Rebels travelled to Ardee.

The home side came under pressure early on, having had to endure a purple patch from Cork that could’ve saw them go out of sight. Louth recovered superbly to record a well-deserved three-point victory, as a late first half goal from Ryan Burns reignited their flame.

A barren run of form in front of the posts meant it was over the hour mark before they took the lead, but they never relinquished it. Some dogged defending at the death seeing them over the line narrowly, 1-10 to 0-10.

Sadly, despite being the designated home team on Saturday, Louth will not be lining out in DEFY Pairc Mhuire this time around. It was deemed unsuitable, with Louth instead electing to play in Navan.

Looking to their last championship outing, the Wee County made the trek south to Pairc Ui Chaoimh last June for what was an exhausting, and sometimes hard to watch battle.

Despite having the lion’s share of the possession, the Rebels struggled to shake off a Louth side that made them work for every score. There was always two lines of defenders awaiting any man in a home shirt, as the majority of the team stayed behind the ball.

However, two vital goals in the final 10 minutes from Brian Hurley and Colm O’Callaghan proved decisive for the home team, who ran out 2-12 to 2-8 winners.

While the recent records show very little between the two teams, Louth manager Mickey Harte knows how hard this opener is going to be. While it may be their most winnable game, the same mindset is sure to be in the thoughts of Cork.

Regardless, the Tyrone native sees this competition as a chance for Louth to get a taste for what life will be like if they get back to the top table in the years to come.

“I suppose every other team in the group will be saying we’re the winnable game” he stressed. 

“Cork will be saying we’re the winnable game and that’s understandable. We played them in League of course, but they were missing a few players that day and we got a result.

“Any game you go out to play from here on is not going to be easy, because you’re at the tough end of the season now.  But look it’s an experience. It’s kind of going to be a wee taster of what Division 1 will be like if you’re ever in it.

“So maybe for a team like Louth to get a taste for that without actually having to be in it right now mightn’t be a bad thing for their progression.”

Both teams come into the game following a setback. Louth were sadly put to the sword by a Dublin team at the top of the game recently. A strong first quarter quickly forgotten as the Boys in Blue retained their Leinster crown with a decisive 5-21 to 0-15 victory.

Meanwhile, the Rebels had an early exit in Munster, as they failed to defeat Clare in Cusack Park, the Banner County recording a 0-14 to 0-13 win with a last gasp score.

That defeat was back in early April. They’ve had close to seven weeks to regroup from that result, while Louth will have had a little under two weeks to prepare for it.

Both sets of managers are sure to have instilled confidence back in their teams, given there is little between the duo. With any hopes of advancement to the next round on the line, it won’t be hard to motivate either camp.

The Wee County have had an unbelievable support up to now. No matter where in the country they have been playing.

The Louth fans got them back into gear against Westmeath. They helped them pull one over Offaly too. A packed Navan could be the difference maker again on Saturday.