McNulty at a loss as to where it all went wrong

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LAOIS endured a tough evening in Newbridge on Saturday as Kildare outclassed them across the pitch, handing them a 12-point defeat in Round 4 of the Allianz Football League Division 3.

After the game, Laois manager Justin McNulty acknowledged the disappointment and admitted he needed more time to fully process both the result and his team’s performance.

“I think I’ll be needing more time. It's a very disappointing result, a very disappointing performance. I think we didn't get off the starting blocks as a team. We were misfiring in most positions on the pitch. We have to quickly get back on the horse because we have an important match next week and we can't spend too much time in a post-mortem scenario beating ourselves up about what went wrong and why it went wrong. We've got to figure out how we get ourselves ready for a big game next week against Antrim and that's where our focus needs to shift on to now,” he said.

Despite the heavy loss, McNulty found some positives in Laois's second-half display, noting that his players refused to give up even as Kildare remained firmly in control. He commended their character in managing to limit the damage somewhat.

“It could have been an annihilation, but credit to the guys, they kept fighting. When things were going wrong in so many capacities and so many facets of the game, the fellas could have just thrown their heads up and said, no, that's not for me but they did restore a degree of respectability about the scoreline by keeping going and they deserve credit for that. That's what we've got to focus on, focus on that character the guys demonstrated. The boys are all hurting, they're hugely disappointed. It's never nice to get a thrashing, it's still a thrashing by your neighbours and your rivals, Kildare. We know and the team knows, they didn't do themselves justice tonight and now the job is rectifying that for next week,” McNulty said.

From the opening whistle, Kildare dictated proceedings, and McNulty acknowledged that Laois’ own shortcomings contributed to their opponents’ dominance.

“They are a quality team, well coached, well drilled, athletic, strong, fit footballers all over the pitch, so they had a complete performance this evening. Definitely, we allied that by lots of our play and we weren't clinical at all in terms of when the game was still early doors, we had chances to be close and we didn't take them. Kildare were vastly superior this evening, full credit to them and they deserved their victory,” he said.

Laois were dealt a blow before the game even started when James Kelly was forced to withdraw just minutes before throw-in. McNulty admitted that the late change unsettled his side.

“It was literally a few minutes before throw-in and that was a bit disorientating for the team. He's got a quad pull and could be a doubt now for a few games, so that's something we've got to look at. That was a bit disruptive, but these things happen in football, you've got to find a way to deal with it without it disrupting us too much,” McNulty added.

Reflecting on the overall performance, McNulty accepted that Laois came up short in several key areas, from kick-outs to conversion rates. While the defeat was comprehensive, he praised his players for continuing to battle until the end.

“They were effective at holding us off, to keep those break-ball areas free for them to own. We weren't as effective off our kick-outs as we need to be and we weren't as effective off their kick-outs. They won their own kick-outs and they won ours as well, so you don't win too many games in that scenario. They were very effective at creating scoring opportunities from their possessions, we weren't. They were very effective at scoring their scoring chances and we weren't. They won the kick-out battle, they won the scoring battle, they won the possession battle, and they won most battles over the park.

“So given that, for our fellas to have stayed in the game, they deserve credit for fighting right to the end and keeping the degree of respectability, even though the margin of defeat is not something any team can be proud of,” he said.

With Antrim set to visit Portlaoise next weekend, McNulty knows Laois can’t afford to dwell on this result.

“We have very little time to lick our wounds and feel sorry for ourselves. We need to get back on the horse, refocus, and build towards next weekend,” McNulty commented.

Despite the defeat, McNulty introduced some younger players late in the game and stressed the value of the experience for them. He believes they now have a better understanding of the level required to compete at inter-county standard.

“It's a great experience for the young fellas who know the standard that's required at this level and they know that to be an inter-county footballer, this is what's demanded of you and if you can't meet that level, you’ve no call being an inter-county footballer,” he ended.