Sam Mulroy seized the moment, but Craig Lennon created it.
Deep in injury-time of last Sunday’s preliminary quarter-final, Cork lost possession just outside the Louth 45-metre line. Lennon pounced on the loose ball and, despite having played more than 70 minutes of energy-sapping football on one of the warmest Sundays of the year, he took off with the energy of a pellet fired from a slingshot.
Just as he approached the Cork 20-metre line, Lennon slammed on the brakes to avoid Ian Maguire but when he turned to offload the ball the Louth wing back collided with the inrushing Matty Taylor. Lennon hit the ground. Free.
Cork felt the decision was on the soft side but none of it would have been possible without Lennon’s ambition and hard running in the first place. Mulroy converted the free to earn Louth a maiden All-Ireland quarter-final appearance.
Lennon has been Louth’s silent assassin this year. Despite being a forward for most of his career, he has transformed his game to become one of the most influential attacking wing backs in the country.
The St Mochta’s clubman has scored 4-6 during Louth’s championship campaign – bagging a brace of goals in the win over Meath, one in the Leinster final against Dublin and another in the round-robin draw with Monaghan.
The Sunday Game analysts last weekend even compared him to Lee Keegan, probably the greatest exponent of the modern half-back role.
“I didn’t see it, one or two people mentioned to me,” says Lennon. “Lee Keegan is one of the best ever. He was unbelievable, so it’s an honour to be mentioned in the same breath as him.
“But I try to avoid that stuff. The second I start thinking about comparisons and that kind of stuff is probably the second I take the eye off the ball.
“I’ve been blessed with great coaches all my life, going back to Darren McMahon with the club here. He had us from 14 or 15 and drilled into our heads about running hard off the shoulder and stuff like that. I definitely count my lucky stars with the coaches I’ve had.”
Lennon scored two points in last Sunday’s win – the first was a surging run through the heart of the Cork defence for Louth’s opening score and the second came just after half-time and was popped over after a clever dummy hop.
“I love summer football, love championship football,” he continues. “I’d have been a forward all my life, from underage, but I’d be confident in myself no matter where I play. Ger and the management team give you confidence.
“I’d be a strong advocate that you should be able to play any position. Just try to do your best job wherever you go. I’ve always been quick enough and then just with the constant training [it helps you improve]. We do so many attacking combinations and drills – it might seem ‘off the cuff’ in games but we practice that every week in training.”
“When you go up to Darver two or three times a week, the lads improve you with each session. I can appreciate I’m probably playing the best I have for Louth and hopefully it continues on.
“Confidence comes from a wee bit of success and thank God we’ve had a few big wins this year, so we can grow in confidence and grow in belief. The more confidence we have, the better we play, and hopefully that’s enough to get the job done.”
Getting the job done this Sunday won’t be an easy task though. Donegal are 1-5 favourites to overcome Louth at Croke Park on Sunday. It will be Louth’s third competitive game in as many weeks while Donegal should arrive to the capital fresh and rested.
But the Wee County won’t travel without hope. In many ways, Louth have nothing to lose and everything to gain this weekend.
“We just have to get on with it,” says manager Ger Brennan. “Since I have got involved with Louth I have used the example of Monaghan, they have half the population of Louth but they are a success.
“They were 10 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?”
Louth’s sole All Star remains Paddy Keenan, who was named at midfield on the 2010 football team of the year – but several of the current team are in the conversation for at least a nomination this season.
“I know myself, I definitely would have been looking up to some Louth players when I was younger – the likes of Deccie Byrne, a clubmate of mine, who would have played for Louth for years,” says Lennon.
“The likes of Bevan Duffy, Paddy Keenan – you would have looked up to those lads. Hopefully we’ll be fortunate enough that some of the younger lads will be looking up to us.”
Chances are, they already do.
