Louth hurlers “full of confidence” after win says captain Clancy

Louth set the tone for their National Hurling League campaign with a well-earned win away to Armagh at the BOX-IT Athletic Grounds this afternoon. Captain Conor Clancy didn't to downplay the importance of the result afterwards.

Speaking at full time, the goalkeeper said: “Absolutely huge. Even in terms of setting us up for the league, and in terms of what this group needed.

READ NEXT: Louth open National Hurling League campaign with win away to Armagh

“We really needed a positive result here because ourselves and Armagh, we've had a fierce rivalry the last three years and they've always got the better hand of us.

“So, to set us up now, finally get over the line with them in a real tight game where we were in a position again. We thought we'd given it away, but we were able to rally and go again and win by five or six in the end, I think it was.”

When Armagh struck late, the game threatened to swing, but the Wee County never abandoned their shape or their plan.

“That was it, and to be honest, the goal wouldn't be my biggest gripe; it would be the fact that we let them shoot nearly four points in a row, silly fouls out around the middle, and we went out of the game a bit,

“But when that goal went in, I stood up, didn't lose the plan, I just let a roar of Conor Murphy out the field that this is the exact position we want to be in.

“We knew if this game was close with two or three minutes to go, we were ready for it. So, whether we were miles ahead, miles behind, a close game suited us there perfectly for the finish, and we turned on another gear.”

At half-time, Louth held a five-point lead but knew the second half would demand focus and discipline.

“Stay doing the right things, we had our plan, stick to it, we know what the process is, get hands on the ball, everyone looking for the ball, everyone doing their role, and bravery.

“That was our big thing, that was our big word there at halftime, be brave, if we're going to make a mistake, we do it by doing the right thing. We don't make it because we hesitated or we held back, and we just stood up to the challenge.”

One of the brightest notes of the afternoon came from debutant Ciarán McKelvey, who scored 1-7.

“Ciarán is excellent, he came in there, I think he shot 1-7 on his debut, so he was great, his ball striking is lovely.

“His work that he does around the forward, so it's great to have another layer there of Ciarán, you know he can win a dirty ball, and he's very accurate and composed, he was brilliant.”

At the other end, Louth looked settled, helped by the return of Peter Fortune.

“Peter was huge there in the middle, and he's so composed on the ball, he's so strong in the tackle, and he's a great organiser, talker, so he keeps us all in check, and he's brilliant, but we're in a really good position now, especially all over the field.

“We've Darren Geoghegan, Conor Murphy, we've Aaron McGuinness, and we've Stephen Kettle, all these boys were mid-twenties, young-twenties when we started.

“They're becoming real men now, they're becoming real leaders on the hurling field, and you can see it all over, we're starting to take control.”

One player in particular, who stood out for his calmness and clean execution under pressure against Armagh, was defender Aaron McGuinness.

“He's one of the best touches I've ever seen in a game, he's just effortless on the ball, it all sticks to him, and he's always able to get out of trouble.

“I thought he was exceptional today, full-back and the ball he dispossessed and the dangerous balls coming in across the middle, and it just stuck to him, and he broke the line every time, he did a super game.”

Another stern test is already on the horizon for Louth when they take on Tyrone next week.

“It's going to be a huge battle, but we have them at home, so that's one benefit that was going to work to our advantage, and all we can do is get a good rattle at them.

“I think it's been, if I was to guess, probably five or six years now since Louth has hurled Tyrone, so it's good to get another go at them and see where we're at.

“We're full of confidence now, we won't have any fears going into any game at this stage. What more can we do? We're exactly where we want to be, so it's time to have a go at it.”