Kelly insists ‘cynical’ jibe is laughable
BEING branded ‘cynical’ by Tipperary boss Liam Kearns will have no bearing on Louth in the build-up to Saturday evening’s Division 3 final at Croke Park (5.00).
Colin Kelly dismissed the notion that Louth will be motivated by the comments made by the Kerryman in the wake of their promotion-clinching victory in Thurles last Sunday week.
The Reds had Patrick Reilly and Declan Byrne black-carded in the game, but Kelly pointed out that Tipp’s Michael Quinlivan received his marching orders for a similar offence.
‘Things like that are petty,’ quipped the Louth boss after Louth’s defeat to Sligo on Sunday. ‘It’s laughable really when Quinlivan was black-carded for pulling Paraic Smith down when it was [going to be] a definite goal. It’s part of Gaelic football.
‘Our only motivation is winning another national competition and to continue winning and progressing in the way we want to progress. Hopefully it will be an open, free-flowing game and a good spectacle.’
Louth could have been forgiven for hoping Armagh came through Sunday’s winner-takesall clash against Tipp in the hope that they would set the record straight against the Orchard County following a 13-point in Drogheda a fortnight, but Kelly insisted revenge doesn’t motivate his players either.
‘It’s a national final so it’s all the one who you play. For us it’s about the achievement moving up to the next level and pushing on. But we’ll sit down now and assess it and look at Tipperary. They caused us problems for long periods down in Thurles and we caused them problems.’
Kelly is hoping a big Louth crowd make their way to Headquarters on Saturday evening and he’d love to give them more reason to cheer.
‘It was a great setting in Semple Stadium when family and supporters were out on the pitch with the lads and that’s what it’s all about. The support we’ve had up to now has been tremendous and hopefully we’ll have a huge backing in Croke Park.’
Kelly stressed just how far the team have come in the past two seasons and insisted his players deserve all the support, success and plaudits that come their way.
‘There was a lot of apathy in relation to the Louth team two or three years ago and all of a sudden you have a group of young progressive lads who have come in and hopefully everybody else can get on board and match their ambition.
‘The achievement to go back to Division 2 is nothing short of astonishing and that’s come from hard work. When we sat down to piece this together three years ago there were lads who had been to Leinster finals at senior and under-21 who were being ignored and treated shabbily. Fellas like Jim McEneaney, Paraic Smith and James Califf had been pretty much cast aside, but they’ve come back and injected new life into this county. Wouldn’t it be great for them to push on and even push us into Division 1. But whatever happens it’s been a brilliant three years and an absolute pleasure to work with them.’
Kelly insisted he didn’t even think about Saturday’s final prior to the Sligo game but he isn’t worried about the short turnaround, although it does leave defender Kevin Carr in a race to prove his fitness.
‘Kevin has a concussion so there’s protocol we have to follow. He gets checked every couple of days by the doc and he has to do a few tests. It’ll be Wednesday before he can do anything physical and that’s non-contact. Then it’s Friday before he can engage in any contact and all of those things have to be passed. Concussion is scary enough in it’s own right, but it’s not something that’s going to keep him out for weeks.
‘As a group we’ll work hard Tuesday night. It’s a six-day turnaround, but we got rest into lads that needed it today. When you’re winning you’re carried on the crest of a wave. Myself and Colm [Nally} will sit down and look at what we need to work on in training. We’re moving into a different mode now, yes there’s a national final to be played, but the championship is also coming up in six or seven weeks and that’s what we have to looking at too.’