"It's nice to finish on a win" - Louth captain Mulroy reflects on Kildare victory

Louth captain Sam Mulroy struck 0-8, including three two-pointers, as the Wee County closed out their Allianz National Football League campaign with victory over Kildare at Cedral St Conleth’s Park, Newbridge on Sunday.

The result made it four wins in a row for Gavin Devlin's side, who secured a strong finish to the campaign, with promotion narrowly missed despite a ten-point tally.

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Speaking afterwards, Mulroy said: “It's nice to finish on a win, on a high, on 10 points. It's fine margins, Jack Flynn's point is what's stopping you from getting promoted.

“It's a funny old game, but yeah, I think it's overall very, very positive. The last few weeks have been really good, especially considering that mental bodies were down. So yeah, happy and it's nice to wrap it up today with a win.”

Louth’s resurgence followed a difficult spell, most notably the heavy first-half showing against Meath in Croke Park, but the captain believes that setback helped spark the run that followed.

“Probably a bit of a hammering from your rivals to do that, yeah. Get us going. So yeah, I think there's an element of that and an element of confidence taken from that second-half performance at Croke Park.

“I thought we just grew into it the last number of weeks, and no matter who was on the pitch, I think everyone kind of stepped up and did the job at hand, I suppose, after that Meath game.

“You're looking the other way, and you're in bother. So, I think everyone put their shoulders to the wheel and knuckled down.

“Yeah, I think it's shown over the last few weeks the levels that we've risen to. So yeah, it's about keeping it going now, I suppose.”

Injuries

Louth have had to deal with a growing injury list, with more setbacks during the win over Kildare, but Mulroy pointed to the resilience within the squad.

“The bodies are dropping weakly. It's just so condensed and so hard to recover and get lads back if they do pick up something.

“So yeah, it's tough. We're down to our bare bones in an hour after having obviously been speaking to anyone yet about Eoghan (Callaghan), but I don't think it's looking good for him either.

“That's not what's possible with him and all the lads that are trying to get back now. But look, obviously, thoughts are with him and the other lads who are trying to get back. Hopefully they do come back in good time for Wexford in a couple of weeks.”

Despite losing players during games in recent weeks, Louth have continued to produce results.

“As I said, it's a credit to the lads that have stepped up the last number of weeks, and it's brilliant that you're winning with the lads coming in.

“But once they're training at a high level, they're getting pushed weakly. Yeah, the effort that they're going into off the pitch and then, yeah, to get thrown in, I suppose, probably last week was the big one.

“We were down a number of bodies, and to have a Division 1 team coming to Ardee, I thought, it brought us on massively. And the same again today.

“Kildare are a good side and, as I said, it's fine margins. They're after going down on fine margins again.

“I think the group's growing, and it's great that you have so many players that can play at that standard and keep performing, no matter who we're missing or whatever.

Squad depth

Mulroy said the improvement in squad depth has been key compared to previous seasons.

“That's credit to the work that the boys are putting in behind the scenes. They understand that they have to be ready when they're called upon.

“You don't know when it's going to come sometimes. And that's the hard part of it. But, yeah, they have to keep going and chipping away in the background.

“But, look, you're always needed. And, yeah, as I said, it's a great credit to them, and it's great that they've stepped up and helped us open the line here again today.”

The captain also made a vital defensive contribution in the second half, along with his scoring return.

“The boys were saying they thought it was Emmett (Carolan), actually. But, yeah, feeling good and enjoying it, I suppose, is a big thing. So, yeah, happy enough.”

Leinster

With the league finished, attention now switches to the Leinster Championship and the upcoming clash with Wexford after a period of training.

“It's about setting this down now and understanding that the game's already fast and then the pitches are going to get harder, and it's going to get faster. I suppose it's about now going up the fitness levels again and improving on them.

“Yeah, taking all the learnings and everything into the next few weeks because it's going to be tough. But, yeah, it's something the group will be looking forward to.”

As reigning Leinster champions, Louth will face increased expectations this year.

“Yeah, I think so. I think it's a case of it's competitive now. You've obviously got Kildare that we played today, we know how good they are.

“Meath, Dublin, so everyone's eyeing it up, and we have to do our best to put in some good performances and see where we find ourselves.”

Promotion missed

Promotion to Division 1 slipped away on fine margins, but Mulroy believes Division 2 can still serve as a strong platform for development.

“Maybe no harm, which might sound strange, but again, it's another year for those young lads to develop.

“I'm not saying Division 2 is forgiving, but Division 1 is very unforgiving. It's a case of maybe it's not the worst thing in the world, and it's a good target for us next year, so we can go and match our performances this year and not slip up.

“You can't just afford to have a slip-up if you want to get promoted. You have seven games that you need to win. Not a bad thing, but it's a good campaign, I think, overall.”

Young players continuing to step up has been another positive from the campaign.

“Yeah, you have to. You get thrown in at the drop of a hat. It's great. Where else would you want to be as a young fella coming into a team that's competing at a high level, playing against good teams. It's great for them.”