Proud Kierans wants squad to aim even higher
WEE County boss Wayne Kierans said he took satisfaction from his team’s improved performance against mighty Kerry - and told them it didn’t have to be their last game in a Louth jersey.
Reflecting on events in Portlaoise on Saturday, Kierans rued the mistakes that gave the Kingdom an early advantage, but couldn’t fault his players for effort and was delighted they’d showed what they are capable of, following the below-par display in the Leinster decider against Dublin.
‘They’re a very classy outfit and have serious pedigree in that team - we knew that obviously,’ he began.
‘We got it back to five points and had some really good passages of play and got some really good scores.
‘But ultimately, again, we had a bad start in the first half and some serious hand-passing errors. We conceded a goal and a couple of points straightaway,
‘It was the exact same against Dublin in the Leinster final, a mistake in midfield, and teams like this will punish you. They have serious pace going forward when they break.
‘That obviously was tough, but we stuck in there. We didn’t want to concede any more goals, and at least it was only one.’
Louth were handed a lifeline when Ciaran Keenan’s goal just before half-time got the deficit back to five, and a second green flag mid-way through the second half raised hopes once more, but Kierans conceded that Kerry were always in the driving seat.
‘It was a great goal, great re-
action from Ciaran Keenan who was brilliant all day, so we went in at half-time with our tails up and determined to try and start the second half well,’ he said.
‘But they pin you back. They’ve brilliant fielders in the middle of the field and it was very difficult. We tried to match them and we got another brilliant goal mid-way through the second half.
‘That’s typical of the goals we’ve scored through the campaign and it’s just trying to replicate that more often, obviously. Teams will snuff you out and they won’t let you build short, short, short, but it was a brilliant goal and it was one we can certainly look back and enjoy.
‘Obviously it wasn’t enough and it’s disappointing, but at the end of the day their manager is after saying that it was one of the biggest tests they’ve had all year, so we must have been doing something right.
‘We probably would have needed another quick score or another goal to really put pressure on, but I think they were always in control of the game, to be fair, being honest about it.
‘If we had have got another goal or another quick score, you never know what might have happened, but any little mistake, any little lapse in concentration and they will punish you and that’s what it’s all about when you’re playing the likes of Kerry.’
David Clifford was one of Kerry’s stand-out players, but Kierans felt his marker had dealt well with the big, physical presence of the double All-Ireland Minor winner.
‘Clifford’s going for his third All-Ireland, but I thought Dan [Corcoran] done reasonably okay on him. Dan’s a 17-yearold kid up against him and he done really well, but he’s an exceptional player and they have a number of exceptional players, not just Clifford.
‘We definitely kept at it, there’s absolutely no question about that. This team, in other games, we stuck at it when we were behind and overturned the deficit and won tight games.’
Asked whether his team had done themselves justice in Portlaoise, Kierans was unequivocal.
‘That’s probably the most pleasing part for me personally. Although we didn’t let anybody in the county down in the Leinster final, we thought we let ourselves down. We didn’t produce, but we were far better today.’
The Minor Championship becomes an Under-17 competition from 2018 as a new Under-20 grade also comes in and Kierans conceded that his own future is clouded in uncertainty.
‘At this minute in time I don’t know what’s going to happen, to be honest,’ he replied. ‘The idea was that we’d spend three years with the county team, but I’m sure we’ll talk to the county board now and see what’s going to happen.
‘But from the players’ point of view, I just said to them in the dressing room, there’s no way this should be their last game in a Louth shirt. They need to progress to the 20s and to the senior team and I genuinely believe that there’s a lot of lads that can go all the way to the senior team.’