Justin McNulty: 'Thrilled for the fellas' after Laois' victory over Kildare

The Laois senior footballers have advanced to their second consecutive Tailteann Cup semi-final after defeating Kildare by five points in Tullamore on Sunday afternoon.

Speaking to the media after the game, Laois manager Justin McNulty expressed immense pride in his players for their performance, which secured their place in Croke Park.

“Thrilled, thrilled for the fellas. There was an extraordinary work rate demonstrated throughout the match by every player. The effort was phenomenal. Extraordinary and I’m thrilled that they showed the character that they're made of and thrilled to have gotten over the line," McNulty said.

“Obviously, there's work to be done. We have to try and repeat that again for next week, but keep the battle rhythm growing and developing. We know we're going to be up against it in Croke Park and we've got to shift our sights very quickly onto that. But we have to be happy with the performance today. The lads really, really stood up and were counted,” he added.

Laois were bolstered by the return of Ben Dempsey and James Kelly, with the latter being fouled for the Laois penalty. This also meant that Laois’ full-back line was restored to full strength.

“We've said going into this Tailteann Cup that we're going to go to the squad and the squad, when called upon, every player has done a job and fulfilled a big, big role for us. So I'm not going to pick out individual players today because it was a squad effort and fellas stood up across the board,” McNulty emphasised.

Even though his side overcame Kildare, McNulty remained grounded, recognizing areas for improvement ahead of their semi-final clash with Antrim.

“I think there are areas for improvement. Some of our possession retention wasn't where it needed to be. Kildare created chances and if they had taken those opportunities at opportune times, it could have been a very different outcome. We took our chances and that was the big difference in the game. So we're not going to be carried away.

“We're going to stay humble and hard-working and that's where we need to be because we have a tough, tough challenge in Croke Park next week. The repeat fixture last year, Laois were torn to pieces. So we know we've got big, big improvements to do and we've got to go there ready to perform,” he noted.

Despite contending with a strong breeze in the first half, Laois went into the break level. McNulty felt his side was fortunate to reach halftime in that position but knew they could capitalize in the second half.

“There was quite a significant breeze. It was probably that Kildare didn't take their chances. They had a few goal chances, well at least one or two goal chances in the first half and probably a few of their point-scoring efforts weren't where they possibly might have been.

“They let us off the hook to a certain degree and we felt lucky and fortunate to be going in at half-time but we felt good because we knew then the wind was a big factor and we could probably defend and hit them on the break, which we did quite effectively at times,” McNulty explained.

Laois goalkeeper Killian Roche delivered an exemplary performance, making three crucial saves and scoring four points, including a free from Kildare’s 65-yard line.

“He's been consistently one of our top scorers this season, so he deserves credit for that. It was a big score at that time but we know he's got improvement to do as well. Each and every one of us has to improve and step up for a bigger challenge next week,” McNulty said.

One major concern for Laois is the injury that forced Niall Dunne off the field, but McNulty is hopeful he’ll be ready for next week.

“I think it's hopefully just a knock. Hopefully he'll be good to go,” McNulty said.

The second-half performance from McNulty’s side was remarkable as they kept Kildare at bay and struck effectively on the counter.

“That's what we asked and that's what we said to the fellas. Our effort needs to be nothing extraordinary in terms of performance, but extraordinary effort and the guys did that. The guys demonstrated that throughout the game, not just the second half. So that's why we put ourselves in a position to win. Again, we're not getting carried away. We're staying humble, hungry, and hard-working but we took our scores at times when Kildare didn't, that's what the big difference was,” McNulty remarked.

Laois ended a 19-year wait for a victory over Kildare, and McNulty acknowledged the significance of this win for both the team and their supporters.

“This is a derby game, and your biggest derby is Kildare and the lads were champing at the bit to have a go at it and they felt they were being underestimated on various fronts. So they used all that to put fuel on their fire and they went out and put in a performance they can be proud of, which they deserve credit for doing,” McNulty concluded.