"We've nothing to fear", says selector
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Tuesday March 02 2010
IF TEAMS 'on paper' were to win matches, and eventually championships, then Carlow will be in the mix for the Leinster under 21 football title this year.
Then 'paper' teams are a poor substitute for the real McCoy and in Carlow's case they imploded against Dublin in their first Friends of Carlow tournament match and have still to regain that 'paper' promise.
While it is a grade which has caused more problems than worth, 21s are, or should be, an indicator of future promise, yet Carlow are again on the margins, ironically in a classification in which they have an abundance of players who are from reasonably creditable senior club backgrounds.
To boast players like Brendan Murphy, Shane Redmond and Daniel St. Leger might have other counties drooling, yet Carlow have not displayed that level of performance through the team but rather have depended on the few to set the standard and direct operations.
Doubtless anyone will deprive the Dubs of the eastern title but in Carlow's case it is not merely silver at stake but how the 21s will graduate to the upper level and replace the few who are at the other age border.
Selector Noel Molloy will not go further than calling it a 50/50 game. "We're well-prepared and we've a few lads coming back from injuries - we'd a great training session this (Sunday) morning. They are positive, hungry and encouraging one another - Offaly will be hard beaten in Tullamore but we're as good as any team in the champoionship at the moment. And the morale shown by the seniors (in Tinryland on Sunday) will rub off on them. I think we're in with a great shout down there, a great shout"
Noel felt that the 21s who saw Carlow recover against Wexford in Tinryland would have taken great heart from that performance. "From seven points down a lot of other teams would have thrown in the towel. Morale has been good all week and hopefully it will be maintained."
Carlow know little about the midlanders save for the exploits of lads like Guilfoyle, Dunne, O'Connor, "but we've as good footballers as they - we've nothing to fear."
The Rathvilly member, recalling the Dub wipe-out under lights, and on 'foreign' surface under the airport take-off routé, recalled the absence of St. Leger and Redmond that bitter evening, "but we've Barry John (Molloy) Denis Murphy, Eoghan Ruth Gary Nolan and McElligott, who all have played senior football with their clubs. We've nothing to fear except ourselves. If we perform we'll beat Offaly."
