Brennan passed the test in first league campaign

The rookie manager wasn’t helped by a number of factors but still achieved what was expected of him

THERE will have been people – possibly even from within the corridors of Darver or the camp itself – whose preference it would have been for Ger Brennan to fail as manager of the Louth senior footballers.

Following in the footsteps of a team boss who, as some would claim, turned water into wine in the Wee county and changing the environment in terms of backroom personnel and general approach did not go down well in parts.

And when results started to go against the Dubliner, who lost four of his first five National League matches, albeit having been hugely competitive and succumbing by an average of two points per defeat, the knives were sharpened in certain quarters.

Therefore, it was encouraging to see Brennan lead Louth to survival by winning the round six and seven matches in impressive fashion. True, the team isn’t as efficient at first glance, a mixture of attacks breaking down at critical stages and cheap frees being given away in the scoring zone the greatest contributors in this regard.

But the figures reflect a coherent team that, arguably, was a tad unfortunate not to accumulate more than the six points it did. While the manner of the victory over Fermanagh will skew statistics, the reality is that Louth scored a considerably higher sum in 2024’s Division 2 campaign than the one overseen by Mickey Harte a year ago – 13-82 to 8-77, with 12-57 of that from play, which is better than last season’s 8-55.

Incidentally, for team that’s far less formulaic and arguably easier on the eye, the concession tallies tell a tale as well. Louth let in 4-89 this term, which is just two points more than the previous record, of 4-87. From play, the 2023 figure was 3-65, which tops this spring’s count of 4-53.

Of course, that highlights just how much of an issue Louth fouling within an convertible range of their own posts was, but it’s not as if that point wasn’t spoken about by Brennan and his players in their discussions with the press. And if it was on the agenda for external discourse, you can be sure that it was alluded to in training as well.

It decreased from its highest in round four – when Cavan got 24 frees in the narrow defeat at Páirc Mhuire – to 19 then nine and finally 15 last Saturday night. So it could be argued that while the way in which Louth gathered half-a-dozen points was considerably less impressive than 12 months ago, when the Reds went to Croke Park to face Dublin for a spot in Division 1, all metrics – aside from the one of most significance, it must be conceded, which is the fewer number of victories – would indicate an overall performance not too dissimilar.

HOME COMFORTS

Brennan won two of his three home matches. His predecessor, ultimately, had four outings in Ardee, which, it could be argued, puts him at a considerable advantage when the records are pitted against each other. And whereas Harte’s Louth tended to warm up and improve as the campaign progressed, this season’s side were arguably more consistent in terms of output from the get-go. When you’re losing matches by a narrow margin, though, it cannot always be denoted to bad luck. Going down slenderly once or twice can be misfortune but there has to be a more definite symptom when it’s a recurrent theme, and Brennan’s team must prove at some stage that they have the stomach for a battle. Perhaps the championship will give them the opportunity to show their learnings from the agonising circumstances which yielded the defeats by Armagh, Meath and Cavan? And it wasn’t a bad National League effort when you consider the impediments stationed between Brennan and a more plain-sailing start to inter-county management. The absence of Niall Sharkey, Liam Jackson and Bevan Duffy – who have well over 150 appearances between them at senior level – compounded the injury situation which he inherited. Dan Corcoran, Dáire McConnon and Craig Lennon all either missed vast chunks or the entirety of the programme due to “legacy issues” with muscles or bones.

STEADY PAIR OF HANDS

While the retirement of James Califf left the two-time All-Ireland SFC winner searching for a steady pair of hands between the posts. Ultimately, while Califf was a super sticky plaster fastened by a suction pull, he was only a temporary solution to hole that needed industry-leading welding and in Niall McDonnell, the St Fechin’s clubman who was previously overlooked, Brennan has successfully ushered in a replacement in whom he has confidence.

The likes of Dermot Campbell, Ciarán Keenan and Ryan Burns – along with Lennon, prior to his hamstring problem – have shown form they never previously have in a Louth jersey, and towards the end of the league, captain Sam Mulroy, Ciarán Downey, who is the team’s most talented player, and Conor Grimes started to influence matters to a larger extent.

Unfortunately, there remains a lack of control for portions of games and a sort of looseness to the play which could go against Louth in the heat of a championship battle with higher-ranked opposition. Then again, Louth never defeated a county of a greater National League standing in either a Leinster or All-Ireland fixture under Harte.

Considering the nature of the provincial championship draw, with Dublin and Meath on its other side, Louth should feel confident of getting back to another Leinster final and while winning it is different prospect entirely, given the Reds have reached just two in 63 years, that would be a major achievement in itself.

Remaining in the second tier is a considerable piece of work and he should be respected for overseeing it, in spite of what conflicted observers may think. The new man has done alright in a short space of time, picking up the slack from one of the greatest supremoes in GAA history. He deserves time and a chance to create his own legacy.

REMAINING IN THE SECOND TIER IS A CONSIDERABLE PIECE OF WORK AND HE SHOULD BE RESPECTED FOR OVERSEEING IT