Mulroy hails Louth survival but ‘Sam’ caveat remains

For Sam Mulroy and his Louth teammates, the relief was palpable as they idled on the Carlow pitch on Saturday.

Stayingupwas“massivelyimportant,” the Louth skipper (right) declared. “We had spoken about it the last few weeks, how important these few weeks were going to be, after losing one or two where we probably could have got over the line and taken the pressure off.

“Not even for the importance of the championship this year, but the importance of playing in Division 2 again next year. We knew what was on the line.”

Victory over Kildare, their third of a meandering league campaign, had not alone guaranteed survival, it should be sufficienttosafeguardtheirSamMaguire status. But that one caveat-laden word – “should” – is worth emphasising.

Survival

Last season, Meath finished sixth in Division 2, but survival did not translate into safety from the Tailteann Cup. Once Clare ambushed Cork to ensure a lower division team would contest the Munster final, Colm O’Rourke’s Royals were on the stickiest of wickets.

They were duly shocked by Offaly, confirming their exclusion from Sam.

A blessing in disguise? Perhaps, as Meath’s rebuilding programme culminated in Tailteann Cup glory, a rekindling of that long-forgotten sensation associated with winning a Croke Park final – and also a guaranteed place at the Sam Maguire table in 2024.

It is a weird paradox that certain proud counties (like Meath last year) spend months bending over backwards to avoid the Tailteann Cup. Then, if they end up there, it magically morphs into something worth winning.

For Louth, though, another year of exposure to the elite is, to use Mulroy’s mantra, massively important – and just as important for Ger Brennan’s managerial project, ensuring that Mickey Harte’s exit didn’t derail all momentum.

The safest way to ensure their place at the big boys’ table is to reach another Leinster final – an eminently achievable target, with Westmeath or Kildare the most likely contenders to stop them.

If that doesn’t happen, there is still a much better chance this year that sixth place in Division 2 will make the cut.

As matters stand, at least one team from Divisions 3 or 4 will reach a provincial final, thus qualifying for Sam: probably Clare, albeit Tipperary or Waterford will seek to prove otherwise.

That would leave just one tier 1 berth for a team promoted from Division 3 – whoever wins this Saturday’s final between Down and Westmeath.

Even if Westmeath lose, they can still qualify by beating Wicklow and Kildare, then winning a Leinster semi-final. In that case, the Division 3 winners (Down) would be rerouted to the Tailteann – unless they reach an Ulster final, with Armagh the most likely to stop them.

Here’s one more long-shot layer of complication. If a lower division team reaches the Leinster final and an injury-depleted Galway are ambushed in Connacht(byeitherLondonorthewinners of Leitrim/Sligo), then sixth place in Division 2 (Louth) would lose out.

For Louth, the key is to focus on what’s in front of them, starting with Carlow or Wexford on April 14. If they had been relegated, the naysayers would have pounced on Harte’s departure as the reason, so Brennan has earned some invaluable breathing space.

“We took massive learnings off the boys over the last few years, but the lads have come in and brought new ideas, a new philosophy,” Mulroy explained.

Brennan revealed: “When I came in initially and spoke to a few of the older fellas, I said the aim was to make me redundant and it shouldn’t matter who’s managing Louth. I could be here for two, three or four years, I don’t know … but they have to keep driving things on regardless of who’s in charge.”