Peter Dooley keen to push on with ambitious Louth

​By Paul Keane

Peter Dooley, for full disclosure, is a Monaghan native but the Louth assistant manager is embedded long enough in the Wee County to field a question about how things have improved there over time.

A school principal at Ballapousta National School, not too far from Ardee, where he has taught for 20 years, he previously served the county team as a coach when Mickey Harte was in charge.

So how has Louth's rise in recent seasons gone down around the county, from a Division 4 team in 2020 to a side closing in on an All-Ireland final place this weekend?

"To see what the team has given the supporters around the county...there's probably a bit of disbelief there at the minute in terms of being in the last four," said Dooley.

"Getting to the Leinster final, winning the Leinster title, that was probably the Holy Grail for the players at one time.

"You don't maybe understand the potential that you have in the room as well, and see that you can be competitive and really compete against the top teams.

"I think the experience that they've got over the last number of years, the games that they've won at crucial times, I think that belief now is beginning to be there."

It could get a lot better too. It's a tall order, admittedly, but with Louth set to move into their stadium in Dundalk in 2027, they could yet do so as All-Ireland runners-up, or even champions.

Dooley isn't about to bite on that one, not with Mayo on the horizon tomorrow evening, but he is confident enough to say that strong progress is being made all the time in Louth.

"The most important thing is that, just because we seem to be in a good place now, we don't forget about all the work that needs to keep going in," he said. "You have to double down on the academies, the development squads, the coaching that's going on in schools.

"Ardee played in a Leinster 'A' schools semi-final this year, the first time a Louth school has done that at second level, which is incredible. So we really have to double down and keep going with all that work."

The short to medium-term should take care of itself with Gavin Devlin overseeing a talented young senior county squad.

James Maguire, Tadhg McDonnell and Dara McDonnell, three key players this year, are all just out of the underage ranks and beginning their senior careers.

"Even in the current U-20s, Padraic Tinnelly would have played in the early rounds of the National League this year," said Dooley. "Cormac McKeown is there on the panel, Conor MacCriosta, again in the current U-20s. So it really bodes well for the future of Louth football when the work that's being done at underage pays off. I know counties want to win U-20s and to win minor competitions, but I think the proof of success really is if those players can make the step up to senior level and we're lucky and fortunate enough that we have good quality players coming through."

Dara McDonnell's form has been so strong, particularly against Armagh and Monaghan in recent games, that he's in the conversation at the moment for Footballer of the Year.

"He's really knuckled down over the winter and tried to bring every aspect of his game to a new level," said Dooley of the middle third general. "But this Saturday is a new day. It's a new game and you have to be conscious of the fact that while there's talk of Dara being a potential Footballer of the Year, you're only one game away from that being taken away. One performance that doesn't match the standards of the previous two.

"Dara, he'll keep his head down, he'll work hard and he'll go out and he'll do hopefully what he does best the next day."

Sam Mulroy, Craig Lennon, Ciarán Downey, Ryan Burns and Donal McKenny are all flying too. It's a powerful squad with a strong bench and a group that has bounced back strongly from the disappointment of defeat to Dublin in the Leinster SFC.

"We had a good four weeks after the Dublin game, it definitely brought us back down to earth with a bang," said Dooley. "It also allowed us to really attack the All-Ireland series. The players really knuckled down and, in fairness, they've responded to that Dublin defeat in spades since then."

All-Ireland series wins over Dublin, Armagh and Monaghan have left Louth on the cusp of a first All-Ireland final berth since 1957. Only Mayo stand in their way.

"They're probably something similar to ourselves," said Dooley of the westerners. "Obviously they've been playing in Division 1, at a higher level, in the League. In the Connacht championship, they probably had a bad day against Roscommon, a lot of soul searching. Something similar to ourselves, after we left Portlaoise.

"In the All-Ireland series, incrementally they have been getting stronger. And similarly to ourselves, they have the experience in terms of Conor Loftus, Jack Carney, Enda Hession and they've also introduced the young like Darragh Beirne and Kobe McDonald. Something similar to ourselves with the U-20s that we've alluded to. So I see a lot of similarities and I think it all leads to a fascinating game on Saturday."