Maurice Brosnan on Louth v Monaghan: This is no bonus territory for Devlin's finely tuned machine
Sam Mulroy of Louth clears the ball from the goal-line during the GAA Football All-Ireland Senior Championship Round 2A match between Louth and Armagh at Páirc Grattan in Inniskeen, Monaghan. Photo by Ben McShane/Sportsfile
Gavin Devlin has built a group that knows precisely what they are about. Louth are excellent at a select few elements of the game, so utilise them repeatedly. It has led to two famous wins over Dublin and Armagh.
In Niall McDonnell, they have a goalkeeper who is in All-Star contention. Their tactic of using a bunch-and-break on kickouts has yielded rewards in Croke Park already this year. Louth have an excellent defence, conceding three goals in four games.
They load numbers close to the opposition’s goal in a bid to create space for some sensational attackers like Craig Lennon, Sam Mulroy and Ciaran Downey. The likes of Ciaran Byrne and Tadhg McDonnell offer a serious punch from the bench.
The sides played each other last year, however Louth were coming off a Leinster title and ended up losing out by six points. They won’t feel like Sunday is bonus territory.
Louth have not made an All-Ireland semi-final since 1957. This is the third consecutive year they have met Monaghan in championship. They lost one and drew the other.
Devlin’s first game as manager was against Monaghan in Castleblaney last Christmas. If you told both teams back then that they would end up facing each other in an All-Ireland quarter-final, they would have been delighted. Sunday is an enormous opportunity. That brings its own pressure.
After collecting an All-Star last year, Sam Mulroy has come back in even better form. His contribution all over the field, winning kickouts and forcing turnovers, has been outstanding.
Mulroy hit 1-4 against Armagh, the goal was obviously a short shot that Ethan Rafferty failed to deal with. Sean Hurson likes to allow plenty of physicality but both teams will still need to be wary of fouling outside the arc given the placed ball ability in either dressing room.
According to Louth megafan Caoimhín Reilly, the captain is set to make his 100th appearance for Louth this weekend. He could also pass the 200-point mark in championship. He is on 13-158 (197) currently.
They are on a roll. The league was a disaster. A small pool of talented players suffered major losses. Gabriel Bannigan admitted at one point that they could have been relegated from the second tier too.
“If we were in Division 2, with all the issues we've had this year, we could be heading for relegation to Division 3,” he said after the Galway defeat.
Since then, they have built steadily. The manner of the comeback against Derry seemed to spark something in them. Even though they suffered defeats to Armagh and Monaghan, there was plenty in both displays to give them cause for optimism.
One of the main ones is the form of their go-forward strikers. Stephen O’Hanlon has been sensational, both as a man-marker and a point guard. After a long club campaign with Scotstown, Conor McCarthy and Jack McCarron are fit and firing.
Their tendency to have an almighty lapse at some point in a game is a hazardous one. Their starts against Derry, Armagh and Mayo were terrible. Despite facing an injury-ravaged Westmeath, the game was still level at half-time.
They were three points up when Shane Allen won a kickout and just launched it. Rory Beggan had to come and challenge Senan Baker, Brandon Kelly won the break for a simple finish.
Now, there is always going to be an element of chaos in the new game. It is inescapable. For now, Monaghan must make sure they start fast. What comes after that will be gloriously unpredictable.
: Arguably, the biggest injury concern of the entire weekend is the health of Rory Beggan. The goalkeeper is a sensation.
Kian Mulligan was brought on for the final five minutes last weekend. It was clear Beggan was struggling throughout the second half. A lot of his kickouts were one step and short. He kicked two two-pointers but they were both early on.
Do not forget, it was the number one who kicked the winner against Derry. Jack McCarron’s sideline was incredible. It was the equaliser. Beggan is one of five Monaghan players with over 100 championship points.
How glad they are to have him. How badly they need him. The Scotstown man did go for NFL trials previously, something Monaghan town paid tribute to before the Ulster final.
“Those Americans haven’t got a clue,” declared an enormous sign. “No harm to them.”
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