Judge says Blues are bred to rule
COLM Judge wants to give Leinster a rattle after doing what the Newtown Blues do best on Sunday.
Louth title number 21 was never in doubt for an early stage against Dundalk Gaels and Judge already ahas his sights on a provincial challenge.
‘We’ll definitely give it a good go,’ he said. ‘We weren’t looking at it until now obviously and Leinster’s tough. But the last two years we were in it we performed well. We beat the Offaly champions and then Summerhill beat us here and we really should have turned them over.
‘In 2008 we were beating Kilmacud Crokes going into injury-time and they kicked a goal and point or two to snatch it on us.
‘But Louth clubs are doing okay in Leinster. You had O’Mahony’s last year, Collon got to the final of course and even the Pat’s had a few good wins and put it up to some big teams.’
Sunday’s win was fairly routine for a club that almost expects county titles to be won every year and Judge insisted the onus is the current team to keep the tradition going.
‘Success breeds success and there’s a tradition of winning in the Blues. It’s not there because of me or Cormac Reynolds, it’s because of the likes of my father, Dessie Callaghan, Richie Culhane, Gerry Kirwan. And even before that the lads in the sixties. All I listened to growing up was the great teams of the sixties, Jimmy Mulroy, Lord have mercy on him, Ja Clarke, Blackie Judge and even Paul Judge and Mickey Leech.
‘I know there was a bit of talk about in the build-up about soccer in Drogheda and Dundalk, but I think that’s why this group of players that came through was successful because when we were coming through it was Gaelic first and, no disrespect, soccer wasn’t tolerated. I think that’s what separated the Blues from other town teams. Going forward I’d like to see players making the choice at 16 or 17 and really commit to it one way or the other.’
Judge felt the Blues’ extra bit of experience probably told against a Gaels’ team experiencing their first final in 25 years.
‘That’s probably the fifth or sixth final some of us have played, the lads who are around the 30 mark and that does stand to you a bit. Maybe the final and the occasion just got to the Gaels a small bit.
‘They beat us in the quarter-final of the championship last season, so we were under no illusions and they could have turned us over on their day. But we played all the football that was played, so I’d say we were deserving enough.
‘It’s no secret that they’re a defensive team, but we knew if we let them run at us they would do damage because they’re a big physical team. So we decided to try and put the squeeze on them up top. A few of us said that if they sat back in the first-half we would have no problem doddling around and keeping it in our own half because it wasn’t really us that didn’t want to play football. That’s their prerogative, but it wouldn’t be for me anyway.’
With Ronan Phillips blooding a lot of young players this season, inexperience was the big imponderable for the Blues, but Judge felt that the blend of youth and knowhow worked well on the day.
‘A few of the young lads played very well. When it was put up to him Ross kicked a few great scores and I thought Emmet Carolan was outstanding.
‘But you had a few older heads doing their stuff too like Cormac Reynolds, Stephen Moonan and
John Kermode and then Hugh McGinn came in and he was very composed on the ball.
It was a good performance overall. Not great, it wasn’t a great game I wouldn’t say, but it was there to be won.’