Louth players "Showed great character" says captain Mulroy

Louth senior football captain Sam Mulroy delivered a stellar performance as his side secured a dramatic 2-17 to 0-22 victory over Down at Integral GAA Grounds, Drogheda on Sunday afternoon.  

Scoring ten points, including four frees, a two-pointer, and a ‘45, Mulroy was instrumental in guiding his team to an important win.

After the game, the captain reflected on the significance of the victory and the challenges his side faced. 

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He said: “We probably knew what was at stake today. I'm not saying we didn’t have heart the last couple of weeks, and we didn’t try hard. 

“But when there is extra incentive there, we knew what was at stake and we had a big job to do. I think everyone stood up at times. There are still lots of errors and lots of chaos, but I suppose that’s just the nature of the game.” 

The match was a high-intensity battle from the start as both sides traded scores in an end-to-end contest. The Wee County entered the game eager to make amends after last week’s frustrating loss to Cavan. 

Bouncing back 

Mulroy said: “We were very disappointed with last weekend. So definitely coming in today we tried to right some of the wrongs of last week. 

“Whether that was turnovers or looking after the ball or our shot selection. I know it wasn’t perfect today either, but we are starting to get it together a little bit more.” 

Digging deep 

Down raced into an early six-point lead and put Louth under pressure. However, Mulroy and his teammates remained composed and narrowed the gap just before half-time. 

“I don’t think any game is dead at the minute. You can see that from last weekend's games and even watching them on telly from Division 1 games,” Mulroy said.  

“I don't think any game is too far away from you or you are never too far away from anyone either – we saw that again obviously. 

“It’s a fine balance of chipping away at the scoreboard and trying to limit the damage. They were obviously playing with the breeze in the first half. 

“We dug deep 20 minutes in, and we got a few at a good time and it kept us within the distance at half-time that we knew that it wasn’t too much of a panic. We got some good scores and just chipped away.” 

Momentum 

Mulroy’s leadership and scoring ability were key in bringing the home side back into contention. Before the break, they managed to cut the deficit to just two points. 

“We chipped away, and we set up some better plays that we were probably just rushing the first twenty minutes in our attack,” he explained. 

“So, I thought we got to grips with it, we got to grips with the wind, and with what Down were presenting against us as well. 

“It took us a bit, but the boys showed great character in the middle to win a few kickouts and give us a bit of a platform to start building our attacks a little bit better.” 

Down’s threat 

Despite Louth’s second-half surge, Down continued to battle until the final whistle. Mulroy said: “They have some quality in their team. I think they have scored the most two-points across all leagues coming into this game.

“We knew the threat they carried, and they were never going to go away so it came down to the wire. It’s probably typical of Louth these last few years,” he joked, “but thankfully we came out on the right side of it today.” 

Brave defence and a look ahead 

Louth’s defence was put to the test in the closing stages, but they stood firm. Mulroy said: “There are some warriors in that dressing room so I would expect nothing less.” 

With the win, Louth now sits on four points with three games left in the campaign and alter their perspective toward potential promotion rather than relegation concerns. 

“I hope so. The three other games are massive tasks. We have three really good teams left to play,” he said.  

“Like all the teams in the Division, I think everyone is on a serious level playing field this year, especially with the new rules and stuff. So yeah, it is three big games and hopefully we pick up more points.” 

Despite injuries to key players, Louth’s squad depth was evident as they found a way to grind out the result. 

“That is massive. It’s something that we spoke about maybe in week one. About just the panel that is there at the minute,” Mulroy explained.  

“I don’t know how many lads we’ve lost over the last few weeks and two more again today. But there is some quality in that room at the minute and they have got to keep building.” 

The Wee County will be back in action next week against Monaghan, aiming to carry their momentum forward. Mulroy concluded: “Yeah, we will get the bodies right during the week and come back again.”