Boss McNulty eager to exploit potential of talented O’Moore men

LAOIS have been one of the surprise packages of this year’s league campaign. Since 2004, they’ve struggled to live up to the mantle heir apparent to the Leinster thrown but that’s one of the reasons manager Justin McNulty agreed to become their manager.

The Armagh man spied a squad brimming with potential and didn’t buy into the theory that the O’Moore men “underachieved” over the previous half-decade.

Mick O’Dwyer’s departure in 2006 was followed by four average campaigns, firstly under Liam Kearns and then Seán Dempsey, but fortunes have been dramatically revived under McNulty.

The 2002 All-Ireland winner, in his first year in charge, secured top-flight promotion for his adopted Laois, who will contest the Division 2 final against Donegal at Croke Park this Sunday.

“I guess you might say that they have a little bit of a chip on the shoulder,” he said.

“Under-performance, underachievers? Possibly, I’m not so sure.

“You have to give huge credit to the work that Seán Dempsey and Liam Kearns have both done in bringing the team to the level that they are at.

“Getting a team on the way up is better than getting a team on the way down, for sure.”

McNulty, a selector with Armagh last season, accepted the Laois County Board offer because he saw a team with areas to grow.

“A team who had huge potential, very simply. I saw talented players with massive ability, and with the right systems and structures, they might progress.

“We’re not there yet. Don’t get me wrong — I’m a managerial novice, I don’t have all the answers, I’m not the guru. I’m seeking to learn with every game I manage.

“And I hope that my players have the same mentality, where they want to improve their performance every time they go out.

“We’re in a league final on Sunday but that’s not the be-all and end-all. Come the May 22, this game doesn’t matter.

“It’s about Longford, who are certainly on the crest of a wave also.”

Prolific free-taker MJ Tierney is his biggest concern for Sunday’s showdown with a hamstring problem, but he remains hopeful that various injury niggles with clear up in time.