Louth boss Devlin urges Mayo to embrace hype and go rock Croke Park

Louth manager Gavin Devlin with Mayo manager Andy Moran after the game. Pic: ©INPHO/Tom O’Hanlon

Gavin Devlin would dearly love to see Mayo end their 75-year wait for an All-Ireland SFC title and has told them to soak up the hype ahead of the final.

The Louth manager is fully behind Andy Moran’s side as they look to put to bed one of the most enduring famines in Gaelic football.

“Mayo have been 13 times since the millennium, at this stage of the competition,” said Devlin. “They're a fantastic bunch as well. The noise and the fever that they bring as well. They're mammoth.

“Honestly, for me, I'd love to see them go over the line now. They've been there just enough times now. It's time to go and break that glass ceiling.”

Although he sensed some unease among players in the build-up to their first All-Ireland semi-final, Devlin believes it was something they had to enjoy.

“I mentioned all week to our boys, because I could feel that there was a tension about that. I can only speak with my experiences. Back in the day, it seemed like yesterday, it was the right way to go now in ‘03.

“We came into an All-Ireland semi-final against Kerry. We got beat the previous year by Sligo. It was Mickey (Harte)'s first year and there was hype left, right and centre. Kerry was fairly quiet. I think Mugsy (Owen Mulligan) was caught in a nightclub with Jordan (the glamour model) or something.

“We came in with a real buzz and a real energy to that game. There was that sense, ‘Are we overhyped or whatever?’ But no, there was a game to play. We got grounded and Mickey made sure of that.

“I felt as well today, you have to embrace these things. You can't hide away from it. It's our game. We love it. Our supporters love it. You're living with your family, your local shop. You've got to embrace that. I genuinely, from the bottom of my heart, don't believe one iota it had anything to do with it today.

“You have to embrace it and I would advise Mayo to do the same. When you rock into Croke Park, go rocking.” 

The scenes around Louth these past couple of weeks will stay with Devlin. “It’s about embracing it and letting people in, not to shield them away. I think that was so important for us. That out there today was bigger than even our team, what it means to the people of Louth and our children. I think if you were around Ardee or Dundalk or Drogheda in the last 10 days, you'd see that. We're constantly on a journey here.”