Donal McKenny: 'We still obviously want to go out and beat Kerry to get that extra week off'

CHASING TOP OF TABLE: Donal McKenny says ambitious Louth are targeting a landmark win over Kerry to give themselves a vital week off in the All-Ireland race. Pic: Daire Brennan/Sportsfile

Donal McKenny says ambitious Louth are targeting a landmark win over Kerry to give themselves a vital week off in the All-Ireland race.

Crucially, the Louth defender maintains that the back-to-back Leinster finalists are better placed this year to push Kerry hard following a heavy defeat in 2023.

Ardee man McKenny was part of the Louth team that conceded 5-24 to Kerry when they met at the same Round 3 stage of last year's All-Ireland SFC.

They're under new management 12 months on with Ger Brennan presiding over May's narrow Leinster final defeat to Dublin and the subsequent defeat of Meath and draw with Monaghan.

"We've had so much learning over the past few years by playing against the Donegals, the Monaghans, the Kerrys, the Dublins," said McKenny. "If we don't learn from those games and those bad defeats then we're doing something wrong. I definitely think we're in a better position overall going into this and we're really looking forward to it."

Louth already knew they couldn't qualify from their group before facing Kerry last year but the context is considerably different this time.

Whoever wins in Portlaoise will top Group 4, meaning they will get the following weekend off while the teams that finish second and third in each group contest the All-Ireland preliminary quarter-finals.

Asked if Louth's mindset has changed because they're already sure of a preliminary quarter-final place at least, McKenny shook his head.

"No, that wouldn't affect it too much at all," he said. "We still obviously want to go out and beat Kerry to get that extra week off. It hasn't affected the mindset too much, to be honest.

"Last year we were going in to win the game as well but this year we're going in with a bit more structure, a bit more confidence and belief. We'll try to stay in the game and not let what happened last year affect us, like the early goals and stuff like that. I suppose we've a better grounding going into the game this year."

In last year's meeting, the first between Louth and Kerry in the Championship since 1953, the Kingdom reeled off 2-10 without response at one stage in the first-half. Kerry led 0-11 to 0-2 after 23 minutes when Dara Moynihan stripped McKenny of possession around the half-way line and started a move that led to David Clifford scoring Kerry's first goal.

"I remember they got the goal, in no small part my fault," said McKenny. "I think they just kicked on from there, just started swinging them over. We couldn't seem to score at all to be honest. We were getting up there and kept hitting wides and their big players just really stepped up to the plate then.

"That's the main learning for me anyway, just stay in the game, like we did against Dublin, going in a point up at half-time."

Louth are the established second best team in Leinster now and have consolidated their Division 2 status. McKenny said they don't necessarily need to prove a point about their credentials by beating Kerry.

"Not really, to be honest," he said. "We've had a lot of big wins in the past. We've been in awkward positions, against Westmeath, for example. Kildare were a very good side a few years ago and we beat them. Meath even this year. But really every game we go into it's pretty much the same. I don't think we're waiting for that next big win, I don't think we need that, to be honest."

On the prospect of potentially tracking David Clifford, or his All-Star sibling Paudie, for the afternoon, the renowned man-marker shrugged.

"Those challenges are how you improve but I'm not sure who I'll be on or whether someone else might pick them up," he said. "Whoever it is, you know they're probably going to be a step-up to another level."