THE WEE BOUNTY
Dubs’ scalp a major prize but it’s a long shot admits ex-player Keenan
Dublin Louth Tonight, O’moore Park, 7pm
v WHEN Paddy Keenan first played against Dublin in 2003, he and Louth could entertain notions of causing an upset.
Granted, they lost by 13 points that day, but Dublin – who had only won their first Leinster title in seven seasons the year before – were beaten by Laois in the next round. Westmeath dumped them out 12 months later.
By the time Keenan last played against Dublin in 2012, they were reigning All-ireland champions and made light work of a Louth side that were de facto Leinster champions two years earlier. They haven’t been troubled in the province since and have added five more All-irelands.
They won’t be troubled by Louth in Portlaoise this evening either, Keenan admits.
He said: “I suppose if you’re being very honest and very blunt, it’s very difficult to see a team like Louth being able to compete with a team like Dublin, especially in this day and age.
“Ten or 15 years ago you might have felt that if you got the rub of the green and played well and Dublin were off form you might be able to sneak a win.
“But those days just seem to be further and further away and it’s hard to see it changing any time soon to be honest. Even smaller counties in other provinces as well, the days of looking at winning a provincial title, particularly in Leinster, it’s stretching it to say that that’s realistically one of your aims at the start of the year.”
And Keenan, Louth’s only All-star, can’t see it changing any time soon.
He admitted: “Certainly not in the short or medium-term. What’s different now with when I started is Dublin are so far ahead.
“They’ve always been very strong but they’re on a different level to everyone else in Leinster at the minute. What I see as one of the biggest problems is the financial aspect of it.
“Unfortunately we’re getting blown out of the water every single year by the likes of Dublin, even the likes of Kildare and Meath and the sponsorship they can pull in, the fundraising they can draw from, we just simply don’t have that.
“We don’t have the volume of full-time or even part-time coaches in schools or clubs that Dublin would have. We probably have less coaches than some Dublin clubs have in Louth so how do you compete with that long-term?”
Keenan cites the pull of Dundalk, Drogheda United and Leinster rugby as something the GAA struggles to compete with in and the dilapidated Gaelic Grounds in Drogheda, which is woefully incapable of hosting this game and certainly isn’t the type of arena that any youngster aspires to play in.
He said: “It’s a shambles. I’d prefer to play in some club pitches around the county than I would the county grounds, which says it all. But there are signs things are moving in Dundalk.”
The fact the game isn’t in Croke Park levels the playing field somewhat and Keenan doesn’t expect that Wayne Kierans will set his side up to contain Dublin.
He said: “I don’t think they’re going to sit back and be defensive and try and keep the score down. I think Wayne’s attitude seems to be that he trusts the players, he wants to play football.
“I think they will have a right cut at it and all going well they’ll put up a good performance, something that they can build on for the qualifiers.”