The Downs are ‘enjoying the journey’, says confident Wall

“It’s a Leinster final on December 4, and it’s a unique position we probably thought we’d never be in at the start of the year, to be honest. But we’re enjoying the journey and I can’t wait for the final.”

So said the ever-calm but pragmatic Lar Wall when he spoke to the local media in the clubhouse last Friday night, The Downs senior football manager, a virtual unknown in these parts a year ago, having already assured himself of a special place in the history of the very progressive club.

Indeed, this ‘special place’ will become a ‘unique place’ should the Laois man guide the young men in black and amber to a sensational win against Kilmacud Crokes next Sunday in Croke Park (throw-in 1.30pm).

It has been a remarkable odyssey for the young team in 2022. Wall reflected on the year as follows: “I came in with fresh eyes and I suppose the aim was to win the county title. I had to try and get to know the players, and try and develop them.

“It’s dangerous to be thinking too long-term at the start of the year, but we just tried to build a bit of momentum.”

He looked back on the road to Flanagan Cup glory thus: “Lads were switching codes from hurling to football which didn’t help. Injuries were a challenge and we picked up a few pretty serious injuries.

“Thankfully, we stayed on our feet in the group stages and qualified pretty early. That gave us a bit of a chance to clear things up and face into the knockout stages.

“It was a tricky schedule, but it was the same for everyone at the same time. We wanted to qualify as top team to give us a bit of breathing space ahead of a semi-final.

“Luke (Loughlin) was in the form of his life before he picked up his injury. Charlie (Drumm), Dean Clarke and Conor Coughlan were also out, while Johnny Lynam carried an injury from the Tailteann Cup final which we had to get right. It really stood to us that we used a lot of players in the early rounds of the championship.

“Then we had guys to come back and it just created an extra bit of competition. The challenge was the long run-in to the semi-final against Tyrrellspass.

“After that, I was sitting up in Croke Park watching the Taliteann Cup semi-final and final, and kind of worrying how we’d cope in the final with the St Loman’s representation on the Westmeath team.

“One thing about us as a group is that we tend not to focus too much on the opposition, but to get the best out of ourselves. We knew that if we performed to the level we could, we’d be in with a big shout.

“We weren’t in a good position at half-time and people would have fancied St Loman’s at that stage. But it allowed us to go back to real hard work and honesty. The bit of hunger we had probably kicked in in the second half. The lads didn’t need any motivating.”

It was now time to focus on the Leinster campaign. Wall resumed: “We celebrated for a week after winning the county final. And we really celebrated, including myself! I think it was important to do that and to mark the achievement because 17 years is a long time.

“Thankfully, we had three weeks after that to prepare for the Ardee game, but we weren’t sure where we stood going into the first round in Leinster. We trained well, but it is very hard to measure opposition across the province.

“They were up and running and had a game won in the first round. We were very nervous and unsure what we were going to see. But we certainly got a super performance that day.

“I’d had a few run-ins with Ratoath in the past, but that doesn’t really transfer when you are with another club. A lot of it is about adapting to what is put in front of you. As I said, 95 per cent of our focus is on ourselves and to try and get as much as we can right.

“Obviously, we still factor in the opposition and their key players. The big thing was not to let the occasion in Croke Park take precedence over the game itself. We were disappointed to lose our three-point lead late in the first half.

“The blood injury to Charlie Drumm unsettled us a bit. Having said that, it sharpened us a bit at half-time. We were angry with ourselves for allowing it to happen.

“We were really gunning for the third quarter. It was very nervy again in the closing stages. They were clawing back point by point and had all the momentum. All of a sudden, real panic sets in. Hopefully, we’ll have learned from it next Sunday.

“There were a lot of plaudits about the game. The type of game we play, sometimes you concede a lot and can appear a bit naïve. But that’s the trade-off. We’ve shown a lot of resilience throughout the year, but we were adamant that we wanted to play a fast game at a high tempo,” he added.

Looking ahead to the decider against the unbackable Metropolitan outfit, Wall continued: “From the outset, Kilmacud Crokes would have been favourites for the All-Ireland. They were very unlucky against Kilcoo earlier this year. I was at it and they let it slip.

“There is no doubting their credentials. And they’ve got a few additions this year.” Unsurprisingly, his discreet reference to Galway’s Shane Walsh caused a ripple of laughter among those present!

“They’re a hard-working team and they’ll be hungry again. They probably got caught a little bit against Mullinalaghta (in 2018), no disrespect to them, and against Kilcoo. I could see that hunger in them in their performance last week (against Portarlington). They are very experienced. But if we can get a little bit more right, we won’t be too far away,” he opined.

“The last day in Croke Park didn’t faze our lads one little bit. It’s great for the club to be in a Leinster final 50 years after their first. I’m only really getting to know the history of the club and its tradition in the last few weeks – the different connections between families. I never got to play in Croke Park, and it’s magic for players to get to play there two games running.

“We’re hoping that all of Westmeath will get behind us, preferably not in the premium section having a few drinks but in the middle of the Hogan Stand roaring us on. Park the club rivalries for Sunday next and we’ll go back hammer and tongs at it next year.

“The men in 1972/73 were fantastic players, but they didn’t get the job done on the day (vs St Vincent’s). We’re hoping we can rectify that next Sunday,” he concluded.