Inside Track: Nothing will come easy for Louth seniors next season

When the Louth senior footballers come home from their self-financed holiday in Dubai, they won’t be short of time to ponder on what’s ahead of them in the New Year.

It’s been known for a while who they’ll be jousting with in Division Two of the league and O’Byrne Cup, which is back on the January schedule.

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Now comes news of the championship draw. It was made last Thursday night, and although one of four teams given a direct placing in the quarter-finals, Gavin Devlin’s team won’t have it easy in their bid to put together back-to-back Delaney Cup wins.

There is, however, a lot of football to be played before it comes to the knock-out. It’s almost certain the O’Byrne Cup will be used to experiment, and newcomers given the chance to stake a permanent place on the panel.

But then we’re into the serious stuff, playing in a section of the league that is arguably stronger than anything Louth has been involved in since moving up from Division Three.

Fixtures have yet to be made, but what’s known is that Tyrone, Derry, Cork, Cavan, Offaly, Meath and Cavan will be in opposition, and regardless of where games are to be played, at home or away, points won’t be easily won.

No-one will be better versed on the opposition than Mickey Harte. Currently Offaly joint-manager, the Tyrone man has been on the line with three other teams in the division, Derry, Louth and his native county.

And when involved with those, he had Gavin Devlin on his shoulder. It will make for an interesting sideshow when Louth and Offaly come together.

Assessing championship prospects will be easier when all matches in the points competition are played. Right now, however, you’d have to think Louth will clear the first hurdle.

They’ve drawn Wexford, who are familiar with the league’s lower reaches, and have made no impression in the championship in recent times.

But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Better instead to just take a look at the draw.

Preliminary round: a) Carlow v Wicklow; B) Westmeath v Longford; c) Offaly v Laois.
Quarter-finals: 1) Kildare v winners of C; 2) Meath v winners of B; 3) Louth v Wexford; 4) Dublin v winners of A.

Semi-finals: 1 v 2; 3 v 4.

What it means is that if Louth beat Wexford and Dublin come through their quarter-finals, the 2023 and 2024 finalists will meet in the penultimate round.

This year’s runners-up, Meath, have a tricky passage, taking on either Offaly or Kildare, if they win their quarter-final.