All Star on relief of Louth reaching Leinster final as Meath rivalry reignites
Craig Lennon says that Louth were determined not to take a 'backwards step' against Kildare after the huge strides of recent years
Languishing in Division Four as recently as 2021, Louth have just completed a third season in Division Two and, having only reached one Leinster final between 1960 and 2023, are now into their third successive provincial decider after seeing off the Lilywhites in Tullamore on Sunday.
Added to that, they reached the All-Ireland quarter-final stage for the first time last year, but the threat of the Tailteann Cup hung over them going into Sunday's game, as a Kildare win would have seen Brian Flanagan's side into the All-Ireland series at Louth's expense.
'There was a lot on the line,' admitted Lennon. 'You lose, you're in Tailteann Cup, which is a backwards step from where we were last year in an All-Ireland quarter-final for the first time.
'Yeah, there was a lot on the line; another chance at a Leinster Championship and another chance at an All-Ireland. Whether we beat them by 20 points or a point, there was going to be a lot of relief.'
Lennon was central to the victory having missed the bulk of the League with a quad injury and the All Star's quality shone through as he notched 0-4 from wing-back.
'In terms of timeline, I knew I'd be back for around this time, I just looked forward to it.
I had never done the quad before so I was sore in training but I thought I was fine, I thought it was just tight, went for it against Roscommon in the first two minutes.
'It happens in sport, maybe in hindsight I shouldn't have played, but that's football.'
Goalkeeper Niall McDonnell was also heroic, making outstanding saves to deny Ryan Sinkey and Darragh Kirwan.
'I got asked after one of the games last year, he's the best shot-stopper I've ever seen,' gushed Lennon. 'He is unbelievable. Darragh Kirwan, one of the best forwards in the country, and a point-blank save right towards the end of the game there. The value he brings is unbelievable, thank God we have him.'
There was confusion at the end of the game as Kildare sought a match-saving goal, with Lennon booting the ball over his own endline after the hooter had sounded - but referee Brendan Griffin allowed the 45, and a subsequent one, to be taken, correctly as it turned out.
'The hooter had went, the ball fell into my hands, and I was just going to kick it out anyway. The lads were shouting to kick it out. I kicked it over the end line, they get the 45 and drop it in, it actually hits off my foot and goes out for another 45. Then, thankfully it just went wide at the end, it was tight.'
The result means that Louth have reached three successive Leinster finals for the first time since 1912-14, another landmark achievement, but that would be dwarfed if they were to beat neighbours Meath to take a first title since 1957 on May 11.
'We've come a long way,' said Lennon. 'There was some sort of graphic put up on social media in terms of the four teams playing in semi-finals, that we had the least amount of Leinster final appearances. Just trying to change the script I suppose, we're heading in the right direction.'
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