Rigney and Daly stress positives

Leinster SFC Quarter-Final

Yet despite that for managers Niall Rigney (Laois) and Anthony Daly (Dublin), it’s all about reinforcing the positive.

“We have a championship game won, against Carlow, happy to have that done and move on,” says Rigney.

“We knew we were going to have a right challenge on our hands and that’s how it turned out. A lot of people don’t give the likes of Carlow the credit they deserve, and the same people are probably not giving us any credit either.

“I know we’re only in the infancy stage, we’re not yet where the likes of Kilkenny, Tipperary, Cork, Galway and even Dublin are, their strength and conditioning is a level above us. We’re only in our first year of that, whereas Dublin have been doing it for a few years, and the top teams have a few years more again.

“But we’re on the road to where we want to be, doing what we have to do. I’d like to think we’re steadily improving; what I look for from the lads is to be seriously competitive.

“We’ve worked very hard for the last two years, and that has started to bear fruit. We have a young team, average age 23, the attitude is excellent, the ambition is good, and when you have all of that, there’s only one way for you to go, and that’s up.”

From Anthony Daly, similar sentiment. His team are expected to win on Sunday, and wear the mantle of favourites.

“We can’t look past Laois, that would be a dangerous game for us, as Tipperary found last week, and as Offaly found as well. But in fairness to all the lads, I think everyone realises the importance of this one, and everyone realises also the challenge Laois will bring.

“The Limerick game (last game in the league) was a must-win game for us and they responded well that day – that was a good sign of them, that they were able to put on a performance like that even when they were hot favourites. Now they’re going to have to do that again, though I don’t expect anything like the same scoreline (Dublin won that match 6-30 to 2-11). I’m under no illusions about Laois.

“We went to see them against Carlow, and Laois didn’t go well – they looked like fellas who felt the pressure of having to win, the likes of Willie Hyland and those never really got going, but you can be sure they’ll be going this Sunday, with that pressure off them.

“This is now their freebie, they can really have a cut at this. We just have to be ready for that, it’s all about our heads really this week. Whoever is fit, is fit, at this stage, there’s not much more you can do physically or hurling-wise.

“This is a great opportunity for the lads – Nowlan Park, a great hurling venue, chance to get into a Leinster semi-final and be the first team to have a crack off Kilkenny this year, going for five-in-a-row.

“I think we’re right, but we know we’re going to meet a good hurling team, young and fast, seriously fired up. I’m sure Laois will be saying to themselves, ‘look, it’s not Kilkenny, it’s not Galway, we are on a par with Offaly or Dublin any time’. We know that, and forewarned is forearmed, we know it’s going to be a battle.”