Mickey Harte excited ahead of the huge Louth vs Kerry game

It has been another fantastic year for the Louth Footballers. 2023 has given them the chance to take on the likes of Derry, Dublin, Mayo and of course Kerry who they will play in the final round in Group 1 of the All-Ireland Series.

In general, they have not looked overly out of place amongst the elite of the sport. They pushed back-to-back Ulster champions Derry all the way in Ardee and put in a gallant performance too when taking on Dublin in the National League.

Come championship they really deserved something out of their clash with Cork in Navan, while a week later they kept in sight of Mayo for pretty much the entire contest.

The only real blemish this year was their drubbing by the Dubs in the Leinster final.

However, manager Mickey Harte was full of praise for his troops in the lead up to their final round robin fixture with the kingdom on Sunday.

After such a tough provincial loss, it would be easy to just go back into their shells. Instead, he feels they’ve shown their battling qualities, despite more losses.

“We had a huge hit in the Leinster Final and I think the performances since then give even more credit to the players because of how demoralising the Dublin defeat could’ve been, leaving you thinking we can’t be at this level” stressed Harte.

“But they didn’t do that, and I think that will stand to them. That is what we said in the build-up, that we must make the most of the experience of playing teams of this level, because that will tell you a lot about the standard that is required.”

It had been two gruelling encounters so far for the Wee County. Hard fought games with Mayo and Cork, all in the space of a little over a week, being played as the country enjoyed a heatwave.

The hot weather is great for supporters, who can soak up the sunshine or find respite in the shade of the stand. But out on the field there is no hiding spot from the sun. The 20-25 degrees of heat making their already lung bursting work rate harder to implement.

The Wee County seemed to deal with the summery conditions well, their style of football not changing or looking any less productive. But Harte is still delighted his troops got a two week break to recharge ahead of their date with Kerry.

“I think it will help as a week is a very quick turnaround, especially after exhausting games in the sort of weather as we’ve had in the last week.

“It really takes its toll on the players. The fortnight break should help, and the players deserve some time to catch their breath again.”

Championship meetings between the Munster men and Louth have been few and far between in recent years, having met on many occasions in the glory days of Louth Football. Some of which are recalled by columnist Joe Carroll in this week’s paper.

While a date with the All-Ireland champions is one that looks on paper to be a huge mountain to climb, supporters can take confidence from Kerry’s two games so far in Group 1, where they showed some cracks against both Cork and Mayo. Teams Louth have put it up to this year.

Whether or not it was their freshness or in fact a hunger to bounce back with a bang, Mayo outclassed Kerry all over the field in their opening round fixture in Killarney.

They were first to every ball and fought much harder for everything.

An early Eoghan McLaughlin goal decisive as they recorded a memorable 1-19 to 0-17 victory.

It was Kerry’s first championship loss on home soil for some time, having built up a 39-game unbeaten streak.

Cork are a team probably closer in quality to Louth than Mayo, so their duel with the Kingdom is a better barometer for measuring the Wee County’s chances on Sunday.

Jack O’Connor’s team were in front from start to finish against the Rebels, yet just like Louth’s clash with Mayo the same weekend Kerry could not get fully away from their fierce rivals, who just kept chipping away at them.

In the end it was mistake from Cork that proved costly.

Sean Powter fouled Paul Geaney as he headed towards goal, leading to a black card for the sweeper and a vital penalty.

Slotted home by David Clifford, it helped them to a narrow win in Pairc Ui Chaoimh, 1-14 to 0-15.

It is no surprise that he will be their main weapon again when they meet Louth in Portlaoise this Sunday (Throw in 2PM). He has hit 1-13 in these two group games alone, nine of which was got from open play.

There is also the likes of Geaney, Paudi Clifford and Sean O’Shea to deal with too, meaning it will be another huge test for the Louth defence.

But it was defenders that got many of the plaudits after the Mayo loss, with Bevan Duffy named man of the match, so they have already showcased their ability to make life hard for top class forwards. The question is will it be another effort of that nature or will Kerry tear them asunder like the Dubs.

It is important to note that Louth are not out of the championship yet, despite having yet to pick up a positive result. A win would see them join Kerry on two points. The rules dictate that progression is first based on the head-to-head, so if Cork were to also beat Mayo then Louth would advance.

Should Cork lose and Louth win, things get a little messier, with scoring difference deciding which two of the three teams advance to the knockout stages.

Mickey Harte is looking forward to the clash with the current holders of the Sam Maguire Cup, noting how any matchup with the Kingdom tends to be a special occasion, given their status in the sport.

“It is a great way to finish the group, playing the All-Ireland champions. For any county playing Kerry there is something about it, that sense of awe and wonder. Even when Kerry isn’t winning All Ireland’s, the name Kerry is a good one to be standing toe to toe with.

“The hope is we will learn from that Mayo game and go out there with the extra confidence to say we can compete at this level, which is the big target. To be able to compete not just once, but regularly in a season.”