'We’re not just here to make up the numbers, we’re here to compete' - Ger Brennan

Louth manager Ger Brennan believes that the ongoing work of his players to get to the last eight of the All-Ireland series will inspire a whole new generation in the Wee County, with the former Dublin player admitting that his team is not just going to Croke Park to make up the numbers this Sunday. 

The Leinster side are into their first All-Ireland quarter-final in history this weekend following their 1-9 to 1-8 point win over Cork in Inniskeen – a day no doubt that will live long in the minds of many Louth supporters. 

But Brennan and his team are hoping to put that to one side as they prepare to square off against Jim McGuinness’s Donegal in the last eight of the championship. 

And while the current Ulster champions will go in as favourites, there is a reason for caution. Not only is this the Louth team that overcame Cork – the same team that beat Donegal a number of weeks ago and fired three goals past Shaun Patton in nets in the group stages – but this is the same Louth side that Brennan believes is the best the county has produced since their All-Ireland win in 1957. 

Brennan also admits that the key in making the team reach a certain height of success is by managing them mentally, especially with the difficulty of the short season. 

“I suppose at the start of my career as a player we used to get the crap kicked out of us at this stage of the championship by Tyrone or Kerry or Cork, but we managed to break through them eventually,” Brennan said.  

“So it was about the experience, and with that experience and the experience of the management team, there is a wealth of knowledge there to emotionally manage the group and ensure that their fresh both physically and mentally with the seven-day turnaround. 

“The way you go about that is by acknowledging the achievement of the group, they are, and it’s incredible to say, the most successful Louth team in 67 years, and that is a huge achievement for this group. We just have to harness that energy and put it into our preparation.” 

With the pain of the of the condense championship season, Brennan knows the toll the quick turnaround can have, not only on players but on the management team too, saying that the players no doubt need a few days to recover before they prepare for their Donegal match. 

“Even though I’m not playing anymore, speaking to my backroom team, lads are emotionally drained after the weekend with two games on the bounce. It takes time to get over that, then as a player, it takes a physical demand on the body to play week-on-week to eke out results, so the players are going to need a few days to come back down and refresh for the weekend,” the former Dublin player said. 

“We won’t know until Sunday if the momentum is sustainable, I hope so, and I’d be very confident that the feel-good factor and for the players to experience those accolades after the Cork game is enough, but you eventually have to acknowledge what we did, then park it, and then move onto the next game. Dwelling on what’s done doesn’t serve you in the long run.” 

But even though this weekend will be Louth’s third game on the bounce, while Donegal had an extra week to rest, Brennan is not complaining about the added matches or quick turnaround. 

“I have no issue with it; it's what you get for finishing second and that is how it goes,” he added 

“We are all obviously playing the same competition, and we just have to get on with it. 

“Since I have gotten involved with Louth I have used the example of Monaghan. They have half the population of Louth but they are a success. Ten years in Division One, getting to All-Ireland semi-finals and they were the only side to have won their All-Ireland quarter-final last year having gone through a preliminary. 

“So that’s something I will be mentioning to our players again; if Monaghan can do it, why can’t Louth?” 

With regards to Sunday’s match in Croke Park, Brennan notes that his side will need to rack up a larger scoreline if they are to keep up with Donegal’s firepower, noting that they are one of the top sides that average over 18 points a game.  

“We got 19 shots away against Cork, but we know you have to be getting up to 30 shots if you want to compete with the likes of Dublin and the Kerry. Donegal are the same, they’ve been averaging 18-19 points a game in the last four matches and they’ll be hoping to hit something similar, so if we can close them down, it’d be great and we hope to get out with a result, one point or more,” Brennan said. 

“Yes, it's going to be a big challenge against Donegal at the weekend. They have the extra week break, they have a good bit of momentum behind them, they have an experienced manager behind them too, so we know we're going to be up against it but the lads are going to go out fighting. 

“I’ve played against Jim McGuinness teams before and what I always found about McGuinness’s sides is that they’re extremely honest and hard working. Donegal have big and strong lads who are very talented and we know that they’ll be giving everything for Jim and their county, but the Louth players will be doing the same.” 

Since the start of the decade, there has been a rejuvenation in Louth football, first under Mickey Harte, and now under Brennan, with the Wee County making back-to-back Leinster finals which is astonishing since this year’s final was only their fifth in over 70 years. 

But the Louth manager notes that the recent success is down to squad’s talent with Brennan referring to them as ‘All-Star players’, and he hopes that will show this Sunday in Croke Park.  

“For Louth, we as a team are trying to promote GAA in the Wee County as much as possible, and getting results attracts more attention, but we also have to look at the individual talent in the team,” he said. 

“A lot of the players here wouldn’t have been getting as much exposure before, we all know Sam Mulroy, the team captain, super player, and all the talk has been around Sam, but now as the team evolves, everyone is seeing that we have other Sam Mulroys in terms of their skill and leadership. To me, most of these Louth players are in an All-Star category.” 

“We can see that everyone is interested in how Louth are doing, there is an understanding and appreciation that we’re not just here to make up the numbers, we’re here to compete and represent the county with pride.”