Louth captain says “we expect more from ourselves”

Louth captain, Sam Mulroy, spoke with the Dundalk Democrat ahead of his side's All-Ireland Senior Football Championship, Group Three, Round Three clash against Clare this Sunday.

The Wee County will be hoping for a much-needed victory after two tough losses in their previous outings.

With Louth’s Leinster title secured and Allianz NFL Division Two status intact, many are asking if there’s additional pressure on the team to deliver against Clare.

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However, Mulroy believes the pressure is more about self-expectations rather than external demands. 

“Yeah, maybe expect it isn’t the right word. I think we expect a performance from ourselves, I don't think we expect a win there or expect to beat them,” Mulroy said.

“But we definitely expect more from ourselves, we probably haven't got to the heights in the last two games.” 

The Naomh Máirtín clubman was candid about the team’s disappointment in their recent performances: “But I suppose that's the standard we hold ourselves to. We're more disappointed in the last two performances as the players.”

Despite the setbacks, the skipper is focused on improving. “We knew we'd left points behind last weekend.

“The expectation for ourselves is that we go and perform a little bit better and that it's enough.

“But yeah, we've got the extra pressure on ourselves from within to put together a better performance than we have done over the last two weeks.”

Point to prove

After two consecutive defeats, Mulroy acknowledges the need to prove a point but stresses that the team's focus remains on self-improvement.

“Maybe a little bit. Probably just like I said earlier, just for ourselves. It's not the first time we've lost a match and it won't be the last,” Mulroy said.

“We're working as hard this week as we usually do and we will try and get more things right than last week.”

Reflecting on the Down defeat, he recalled: “As Ger said, the post stopped us from winning the game last week and a diving block stopped us from getting a draw.

“We're not a million miles away either. It’s a fickle game. One week you're on top of the world and the next you can play the same way or with the same ability and things just don’t go your way.”

Captain

As the captain of the Louth football team, Mulroy knows the responsibility is great. Yet, he remains calm and focused, knowing the importance of keeping the team’s mindset in the right place.

“It's a serious honour to be captain. I'm very proud to be in a seriously privileged position to be captain,” Mulroy said. “That responsibility is something that I've got used to all the last number of years.

“My role this week has been to try and keep everyone focused. Put our heads down, we're working hard on the stuff that we are working on and trying to keep everyone focused for Sunday.” 

As Louth looks ahead to the challenge of Clare, the team’s drive for improvement and determination to perform well will be crucial. A win or even a draw is vital for their hopes of advancing to the next round.