Joe Carroll: Louth deserved more from a heroic Navan performance

The news wasn’t good as we walked down Flower Hill, having left the chariot at the Round O: Louth are to tog out in those already heavily-criticised black jerseys, but, worse, Conor Grimes won’t be starting.

As we headed back up this once-main Navan thoroughfare a couple of hours later, we were again in bad form. Louth had given all at their disposal in the All-Ireland group tie with Cork, but came up just two points short, 1-19 to 1-17.

What had us long-faced this time wasn’t so much the result, but the belief that had Mickey Harte’s team not made so many mistakes, had better taken their chances, and had referee, Monaghan’s Martin McNally, given the side from his neighbouring county a fairer shake of the stick, the result could have been different. No, not ‘could have been’, would have been.

There was also the Conor Early shot at goals at a crucial stage, the umpire waving it wide. The official’s opinion was one with which none among the thousands on the terrace agreed.

Louth performed heroically in a match played in sweltering heat at Pairc Taliteann, but were, in ways, authors of their own downfall. They conceded what this writer identified as five mistakes, most of them giveaways, leading to Cork grabbing 1-4, the most costly of them resulting in a goal.

But was goalkeeper, James Califf, deserving of having a free awarded against him after being caught in possession? Louth supporters said no, but the one whose opinion counted most, the arbitrator, thought otherwise. The free led to the Cork goal.

And McNally didn’t think Sam Mulroy merited a free after having been grabbed around the neck out near the corner and brought to the ground late in the game. Seemingly, neither did his sideline assistant, who was only yards away.

Mulroy retained possession, but then put in a poor pass. Cork swept down the field to grab one of the two points that divided the sides at the finish.

Many other of the referee’s decision raised howls from the terrace, thickly populated by Louth people. And they were aggrieved over the length of time Micheal Martin took with his kick-outs. But while McNally didn’t fine the Cork goalie on the spot, he added six minutes to the regulation 70, and that was the penalty.

Ironically, it was during this time that Cork finally put the match beyond their gallant opponents. The Rebels had led by four points at the interval and by six at one stage in the second half, but were pegged back by the team in black, Liam Jackson’s screamer of a goal coming from a Martin mistake.

Louth did more than peg the leader’s back – they went in front by a point. And given all the encouragement they wanted from the terraces and stand, they tried all they knew to stretch the lead.

With midfield showing a huge improvement, chances aplenty were created, the best of them falling to Anthony Williams and Conor Early. None was taken, however, and late scores had Cork draw level and then go back in front. Among Early’s misses was one from the shot which only an umpire thought was wide.

Sam Mulroy? Aside from a few glitches, this was another master class from the captain, whose kicking from dead balls was near faultless, complementing his four points from play for a total of eight.

One of his pointed frees was from all of 60 yards, the ball sailing high over the bar. It was a reminder of what that great Louth place-kicker from the 1950s and ‘60s, Kevin Beahan, was great at, but he might not have come up with one from as far out as Mulroy did on Saturday.

Less than a minute later the ball was in the back of the Cork net, and if Louth supporters had been loud before that, the volume was now at its highest. This was all part of the great Louth fightback which went so close to yielding a win.

If the Naomh Mairtin clubman had Conor Grimes alongside him for the full 70 minutes-plus instead of only in the final quarter, the outcome could well have been different. Grimes couldn’t start because of an injury, and was badly missed. In his absence, Conall McKeever provided most assistance to talisman Mulroy, working like a beaver throughout.

Louth’s kick-outs, so problematic in the Leinster final, were spot on this time; but everything was made easy by Cork’s unwillingness to contest them. In contrast, Martin went long with most of his, picking the same spot, especially in the second half.

This worked for Cork, though in winning most of the high balls, the Rebels didn’t always stick to the rules, nor did any of the officials notice they were breaking them.

Louth’s effort deserved more, a draw perhaps. It was a step-up from the Leinster final, admittedly against weaker opposition.

But to have done so well just a fortnight after a 21-point rout was a tribute to all that was carried out on Darver’s fields and in its committee rooms.

The wagon rolls on to Castlebar this weekend for a round two meeting with Mayo. This is an even bigger ask than last Saturday’s and few from these parts are expecting a winning result.

If the performance is as good, it will be further proof of the team being comfortable in the country’s second tier.