Former Westmeath boss tells Ger Brennan exactly what to do with Louth players
Former All-star, Dessie Dolan, has highlighted that Louth boss Ger Brennan’s most difficult job is to get his players ready to go again for the All-Ireland series, after his team’s victory over Meath in the Leinster Championship final.
Louth claimed their first Leinster title since 1957 on Sunday, and scenes of jubilation were present all over the Wee County, following their long wait for the trophy.
Brennan and his men now have two weeks to prepare for the All-Ireland campaign, a job the former Westmeath manager believes will be “tricky” to do, after such a high for the team.
Dolan said on the RTE GAA podcast: “I remember we won Leinster in 2004 and we were playing Derry. We should have beaten Derry, but to be honest, I think we ran our course. We were happy with our lot at that stage.
“The hardest thing for Ger Brennan to do, and he will probably try to do it next weekend, is get the players away somewhere.
“Get them to a hotel down the country where there’s no one around and try to get them to regroup and get ready for the All-Ireland series.”
The former All-Star saw the positives of the quick turnaround, noting Louth’s confidence is “sky high now”. He sees a great opportunity for the red and whites to go far in the competition, if they can refocus.
Dolan said: “Three teams get out of the group and Louth are absolutely going to get out of the group, but I suppose it’s where their ambitions lie now.
“…they have a style of play that works for them and they go zonal around the arc, so they’re hard to break and then they counterattack.
“They’re very honest, very hardworking, they have a lot of experience in the team that will stick at it.”
Brennan’s side will be in Group 3 of the All-Ireland SFC, along with Clare, Monaghan and Down. Their first fixture is against Monaghan on May 24/25.
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