Louth reach back-to-back Leinster SFC finals with comfortable ...

Regardless of how the championship is structured or the calibre of the opposition to overcome, the magnitude of what is currently being achieved should not be lost in the midst of whatever materialises from this point onwards.

Ger Brennan has done a marvellous job since taking the reins and though many around the country still want to hail the work of Mickey Harte and Gavin Devlin in relation to the Reds’ rise from no-hopers in Division 4, this is very much the Dubliner’s team, performing as he wants them to.

There is an equal blend of pragmatism and adventure in the play and though Kildare were extremely wasteful, that tag could have been attributed to the opposition in the majority of the matches won by Louth this season.

The facts are that Louth are getting results while playing a more expansive type of game and it is suiting their more natural collection of footballers. Ciarán Keenan and Ciarán Downey are flourishing, Conor Grimes, Conall McKeever and Tommy Durnin are running around like gasúns, and with Sam Mulroy a reliable source of points, there is a solid core around which the side is built.

Factor in that neither Liam nor Tom Jackson featured in Sunday’s four-point win, and that Dermot Campbell – the side’s most consistent defender this term – was also out, due to injury, and the consensus should be that Louth are not only the province’s best of the rest after Dublin, but a side with the capacity to outperform last season’s group stage finish in the All-Ireland series.

“Context is hugely important for teams like Louth who aren’t there that often,” said Brennan.

"It is a massive achievement for the group. The work that’s gone on in clubs, development squads, previous managements and previous executives, current executives, in promoting Gaelic games...

"Then yourselves (Colm Corrigan/LMFM), Caoimhín (Reilly), giving coverage to the club game, Dan (Bannon) as well, there are a lot of passionate people in Louth, promoting it and competing against Drogheda United and Dundalk.”

INEVITABILITY

There was a degree of inevitability to the victory at Croke Park, really from when captain Mulroy converted two frees at the beginning of a six-point burst without reply early in the second quarter. Outstanding Grimes, Niall Sharkey, Mulroy and Paul Mathews followed up with scores during a spell where Niall McDonnell also stayed big to deny Daniel Flynn’s shot for a goal at the other end.

The gap was four at half-time – 0-10 to 0-6 – after Downey directed over the point of the game, applying his trademark solo dummy to create space for himself to finish.

Kildare were erratic in front of the posts and ended with 13 wides, three of which were from frees, and for the four points Kevin Feely kicked, he struck almost as many wide. Both Darragh Kirwan and Flynn were peripheral figures and Niall Kelly – so influential in the win over Wicklow – was taken off during the second half after being blotted out of proceedings by McKeever.

The Lilies held a vice-like grip of the midfield battle and their domination of this sector grew greater as the affair progressed, which should worry Brennan somewhat, but their translation of primary possession into shooting openings was in contrast to their shot-to-score ratio.

This allowed Louth to carefully pick off points and when Mulroy stretched his personal haul to 0-7 after 65 minutes, the Reds were six in front having been far more economical and clinical, albeit with far fewer ventures into offensive areas.

Wee must enjoy all this while it lasts.

LOUTH: Niall McDonnell; Donal McKenny, Dan Corcoran, Peter Lynch; Niall Sharkey 0-1, Conall McKeever, Anthony Williams; Tommy Durnin 0-2, Ciarán Downey 0-1; Conor Grimes 0-2, Ciarán Keenan, Craig Lennon 0-2; Paul Mathews 0-1, Sam Mulroy 0-7 (4f, 1 45), Ryan Burns 0-1. Subs: Leonard Grey for Sharkey (51), Conor Early for Burns (55), Bevan Duffy for Corcoran (57), Ciarán Byrne for Mathews (68), Ciarán Murphy for Downey (70).

KILDARE: Mark Donnellan; Ryan Burke, Shea Ryan, Eoin Doyle; Paddy McDermott, Mick O’Grady, Jack Sargent; Aaron Masterson, Kevin O’Callaghan; Shane Farrell 0-3 (3f), Niall Kelly, Alex Beirne; Kevin Feely 0-4 (2f), Darragh Kirwan 0-2, Daniel Flynn 0-1. Subs: Barry Kelly for Beirne (41), Paddy Woodgate 0-2 (2f) for Kelly (50), Tony Archbold 0-1 for Burke (55), Luke Killian for O’Callaghan (59), Shane O’Sullivan for Masterson (68).

REFEREE: Conor Lane (Cork).