Start will be crucial for Louth

THE Louth minors are back on centre stage this weekend when they travel to Portlaoise for an All Ireland quarter-final clash with Kerry.

Wayne Kierans’ side have had several weeks to digest their Leinster final defeat to Dublin and they will have worked hard on fine-tuning their preparation for the Munster men.

Just like the Dubs in the previous encounter, Kerry will be overwhelming favourites to win but Louth don’t go into the contest without hope.

If we can start well and allow ourselves to settle into the contest then who knows what can happen.

The Leinster final was all about Dublin’s blistering start. Conceding those two goals in the opening minutes left a difficult task nigh on impossible and it was a case of damage limitation for the most of the second half.

As a consequence, Louth only showed brief glimpses of the type of football they are capable of playing and they will be delighted to get the opportunity to get back out on the park to display their talents.

A good start is essential on Saturday and management will have stressed the importance of not letting the occasion influence performance.

Our lads will have learned a huge amount from the Dublin game but they must use this experience to their advantage against Kerry.

All the pressure will be on the All-Ireland champions to steamroll the minnows and they will be expected to run up another big scoreline.

If we can frustrate them in the early stages and make it difficult for them to settle into their stride then the pressure will grow on them.

They are chasing their fourth All-Ireland title in a row and might just fall into the trap of taking us a little for granted.

This Louth side have shown that their forte is winning close tight battles. The games against Laois, Offaly and Wexford have proved that without any doubt.

The challenge is to stay in the game long enough to recreate that battle atmosphere in the final quarter. If we can do that then who knows what can happen. introduced in 1929.

We contested the Leinster finals of 1931 and 1932, beating Wexford in the former. We then went on to contest eight finals in a row between 1935 and 1942 winning five, including three in a row from 1940 to 1942.

Our dominance was only broken by the cancellation of the competition during the height of the Second World War.

During those heady days we faced this weekend’s opposition on several occasion including the All Ireland finals of 1931 and 1936. Following a Leinster final win over Wexford and an All Ireland semi-final defeat of Tyrone, Louth were due to play Kerry in Croke Park on September 6th but the game was postponed due to Kerry’s refusal to travel.

It eventually took place in Drogheda two weeks later, the first time in the GAA’s history that an All-Ireland final was played outside Dublin.

The match report detailed Louth starting brightly but ‘poor passing and a lack of accuracy in attack’ had them with just one point to show for their efforts at the break. Kerry went on to win 3-4 to 0-4. The Louth team was Peter McDonnell (Ardee), Jim Tiernan (Dowdallshill), Gerard ‘Chalky’ Hearty (Clan Na Gael), Jimmy Beirne (Ardee), Larry Dyas (Wolfe Tones), Chris Marley (Unknowns), Jack Kelly (O’Connells), Kevin McArdle (Cooley), G Caffrey (OConnells), Peter Anthony Colliers (OConnells), Arthur Dempsey (Ardee), John Harlin (captain, Ardee), Ambrose Woods (Cooley), Gerard Watters (Lodge Rovers), Gerard Dillon (Clan na Gael). Reserves: John Carrie (Ardee), Arthur Bradley (Ardee) and Tommy ‘Slán’ O Neill (Annagassan). Corner back Jim Tiernan was my grandfather.

Louth gained revenge in the 1936 decider beating Kerry on a scoreline of 5-1 to 1-8. Fr Mulligan’s book reports that Louth’s win was largely due to good tactical planning by the mentors Fr Larry Murray and Seamus Flood, of which the Louth Minor and Intermediate championship trophies are named after.

Kerry had the advantage of height and weight and Louth played the ball, for the most part, on the ground, as the scoreline would suggest. The Louth team benefited from several boarders from the Marist College in Dundalk who were allowed line out with their adopted county. The winning team was Aloysius Lynn (Marist, from Monaghan), Frank Rock (Marist, from Monaghan), Leo Burns (Young Irelands), Pat Tuite (Gaels), Vincent O Dowda (Young Irelands), Larry Waller (Dowdallshill), Michael Cunningham (Wolfe Tones), Eugene McGrath (Cooley), Donal Brady (Marist, from Cavan), James Reilly (Wolfe Tones), Kevin O Dowda (Marist), Lal McEntee (Marist, from Meath), Gerry Hall (Gaels), Jim McArdle (Gaels), Jim Cunningham (Young Irelands).

Future senior star and trainer of the 1957 team Jim Quigley came in as a second half replacement. The trophy was presented to captain Lal McEntee, who is a relation of current Meath manager and selector Andy and Gerry.