Clancy: Micko has instilled confidence

THE X factor that Mick O’Dwyer has instilled into Laois football is confidence, according to their midfield maestro Pauric Clancy, who picked up the Vodafone player of the month award for March in Dublin yesterday.

Clancy along with Tipperary’s talented forward Eoin Kelly, received the awards from Sean Kelly in his first official function as GAA President.

“I think what Micko has instilled in the team is confidence,” Clancy says. “We know we are well able to do it, but confidence is the thing we needed to acquire. I don’t know why there was no confidence there before, because the same players have been here for the past four years. But it has taken Micko to bring out the football in us. I can’t explain it, but we wouldn’t be in a league semi-final only for him.”

Clancy, whose towering presence in the middle has been one of the blocks which O’Dwyer’s good work has been built on, describes Sunday’s league semi-final against Armagh as their sternest examination yet.

“This is the big test so far for us, this is the biggest match we have played yet this year. They are All-Ireland champions at the end of the day. And they are playing very well. They had a narrow defeat against Kerry in their last game, but we watched the video last week and they blitzed them off the field. Armagh were winning all the way through, Kerry got a goal in the last minute, they were lucky.”

Clancy made his first senior start in the Division two semi-final last year against Joe Kernan’s side, a game which Laois won. However, he knows Sunday will be a different ball-game.

“We played well against them last year and the same lads are there again this year. We were one of only two sides to beat Armagh last year. They have a good midfield, they won an All-Ireland with them. They are two very good footballers, Paul McGrane is an all-star and a deserved one. But, myself and Noel aren’t going to be frightened by them. We handled them last year. Hopefully, we will handle them this year.”

Clancy, a member of the ‘98 minor team who lost the All-Ireland final to Tyrone, feels that there is a more disciplined approach amongst the Midlanders this year, something which Laois teams have never been renowned for having.

“Discipline and confidence is what Micko is after instilling into this team. And the training sessions as well are very good. Each night, we meet up, we don’t what we are going to be doing. You could be doing running, you could be doing football. And he is a character as well. You have the craic in training. You are actually looking forward to going to training, whereas you mightn’t have beforehand. Most of us haven’t had a drink since New Year’s, and we are enjoying the craic at training. It is a whole different atmosphere that what was there before.

“But I hope the supporters won’t be too down if we don’t win on Sunday because the main aim remains Wexford. If we win, and to be honest I think we will, we will have extra confidence for the championship, there is no confidence-booster like beating the All-Ireland champions.”