Clerkin: ‘If you’re good at baking buns, don’t try and bake a cake’

Louth minor manager in sole charge for the first time this season

JOHNNY Clerkin has some advice for those still figuring out their limitations.

“If you’re good at baking buns, don’t try and bake a cake,” the Cooley-native says in regard to his new post in sole charge of the Louth minors.

Joined with David Reid in the role last season, when the Wee county lost to Offaly in the Leinster quarter-final, the O Raghallaighs clubman has taken full custody of the bainisteoir bib for the coming term, which begins in a competitive sense tonight (Wednesday) when the Reds welcome Westmeath to Hunterstown.

Clerkin, a former Louth defender, has retained fellow ex-county players Seán McCann (Dundalk Gaels) and James Califf (Dreadnots) on his coaching ticket, while adding Roche Emmets’ Ciarán Sloan, who has previously served as the seniors’ S&C lead.

“When it comes to in-depth tactical stuff, it’s like algebra to me and so I’m happy enough to leave it to the geniuses – Seán, Ciarán and James,” added Clerkin.

“James stepped away from the interstage and he’s a real tactician – we call him ‘The Limelight’. He’s really clever in terms of coming up with moves and ideas.

“Ciarán Sloan is dynamite. He doesn’t take any nonsense and what he does and how he says it, it’s maybe not everybody’s cup of tea, but I like it at times because I think it’s important to feel uncomfortable on occasions. On a football field, sometimes it’s not always nice and he can put the players in that situation where they’re testing themselves.

“Seán McCann – he’s the storyteller in the gang. But he’s very good with the young fellas and in tune with the game. A real character but knows what makes a football team tick.

“Then we have Mickey McVeigh as well, a real gentleman who is very into it with the goalkeepers and a great man for a story as well.

“I do like that bit of character in the group where we can have a laugh and we have a few players who can join in and add a bit of enjoyment to the whole process.”

EXPECTATION

Perhaps the environment was too serious last season as Louth, Gerry Reilly Cup winners in 2022, came into the Leinster minor championship under the weight of expectation. While the seven-match campaign ended with a Shield success, it was a long way off what was anticipated at the outset.

The pressure is less intense approaching the upcoming renewal and having the opener at home – compared with last year’s first round trip to Dublin – is a positive for the manager, ahead of clashes with Meath and Kildare

“The feeling this week is different from this time last year when we were going to play Dublin under lights at Parnell Park. It was a real sense of occasion and a lot of expectation on it.

“The boys at training were looking forward to it and talking about playing against Dublin, whereas we were trying to calm the thing down. So there is a difference in this year and last year in that sense.

“I remember the draw last year and thinking that I’d have preferred it the other way around with Meath and Westmeath at home and then Dublin away. The first game is always where you learn where you’re at. You’re never quite sure. You’ve played challenge matches, trained and are trying to work out who’s going well and see what the other team is at.

“This year the first game is very important, while the last game, away to Kildare, we’ll know by then whether we’re in or we’re out.

“As for what we expect this week, Westmeath will always come with big, rangy, strong men. They will come to play hard football and we wouldn’t expect anything less.

“But we’ve been going rightly. We’ve played six or seven challenge matches and did quite well against Down, where we drew, Cavan were too strong for us on the day and we had a good match against Monaghan. We were beaten but we were competitive and having watched the game back, it’s probably where we’re at. Monaghan were in an All-Ireland minor final last year and the level we’re striving to get to is where Monaghan are at currently.”

FRESH FACES

It is, by age, a young Louth squad with almost half of those involved eligible for the grade again in 12 months’ time. Though Clerkin claims that has been an organic development as opposed to the selectors necessarily deeming it to be necessary.

“We’ve 12, maybe 13, who are involved who will also be available next year,” he said.

“It wouldn’t be for any one reason. We held open trials, spoke to the U16 managers from last year, went to plenty of games and chatted to the current U16 management. We got a list of players and it’s gone from there, but it’s mainly been picked on lads based off their club performances.

“Anybody who is here at the minute is well-deserving of being here based on how they’re performing.

“We didn’t know the lads before coming in. Last year’s team, we progressed up through the age groups with them so this year it was very much about scrambling, getting to know names, the vibes off lads and personalities. That can take time and, obviously, they wouldn’t have known a whole pile about us. And then there’s also the scenario where you’re mixing in young lads with the group and new lads as well.

“I would say there is a different dynamic but it’s been enjoyable in terms of getting to know new details and information and developing our own man-management techniques.”

WE’VE 12, MAYBE 13, WHO ARE INVOLVED WHO WILL ALSO BE AVAILABLE NEXT YEAR