‘The scoreline probably flatters us’ – disgruntled McNulty

LAOIS senior football manager Justin McNulty pulled no punches following his side’s five-point defeat to Wicklow in the Tailteann Cup on Saturday evening, admitting that the performance in Aughrim was well short of what was expected.

Reflecting on a disappointing showing, McNulty said his team were second-best all over the pitch and could have lost by more.

“The scoreline probably flatters us. They had multiple goal chances that they didn't convert, and we probably didn't have any goal chances that I recall in the match. We were lacklustre across the park for much of the 75-plus minutes, and we got what we deserved today.

“We just didn't perform at the level we're capable of, and there's a huge sense of disappointment in the changing room and from the management team. We are all somewhat ashamed by the level of performance we brought here today. It's not good enough, it's not good enough for Laois, it's not good enough for us as a team, and it's not good enough for the players as individuals,” he said.

McNulty was forthright in his assessment of where Laois stand after the defeat, urging both players and management to reflect honestly on what the performance says about them as a team.

“We have to ask ourselves serious questions, and I don't know what the answers to those questions are, but we have to ask ourselves serious questions, saying what's going on here and is that who we are as a football team? Is that who we are as football players, and is that what's going to define us? Because that level of performance is certainly not something I want to be associated with, and I'm the manager, so ultimately the buck stops here,” McNulty said.

Laois had the benefit of the wind in the first half but only went into the break two points ahead, something McNulty felt was a missed opportunity.

“We weren't efficient in possession at all. We coughed up unforced turnovers after unforced turnovers, and some in tackles as well, but we just were wasteful in possession, and we didn't take advantage of the wind at all,” he stated.

With just six points registered in the second half, McNulty was blunt in his assessment of Laois’s attacking return.

“Especially with the new rules, that's not near good enough. Wicklow had an effective game plan. They showed up today, we didn't, and that's a big contributing factor to the reason why we didn't score as freely as we did in the second half. Obviously, we were missing our top scorer as well, which is a big blow for us, but that's no excuse for the level of performance that we had out there today,” he commented.

Despite missing key players like Mark Barry and Simon Fingleton, the Laois boss insisted that their absence couldn’t be used as a crutch.

“We can't for a second attribute that level of performance today to Mark Barry or Simon Fingleton not being on the pitch, even though those are two fantastic players and we'd love to have them. We can't for a second attribute our performance today to their absences because it wasn't the reason for the way we performed today,” he insisted.

With one game remaining against Offaly, who have won their opening two matches, McNulty knows there’s still a shot at redemption.

“We're still in the mix and we know it's going to be one hell of a battle against Offaly, who are so so efficient in possession. Ross talked about it inside that they live off errors from the opposition, and we need to be so much more efficient, and we need to bring much more of a battling performance than we delivered today.

“It's still all to play for, and we can lick our wounds to a certain degree for a few days. Then we need to get back on the horse and go at this and show the team we really are, the players we really are, and the men we really are because we didn't show today,” he said.

Looking ahead to that Offaly clash, McNulty hopes his panel will be boosted by returning players but remains adamant that injuries can’t be used to justify poor standards.

“Hopefully, we'll have more boys to pick from, but it's not about our injuries, it's about the level of performance we bring, and today's level of performance wasn't where it needs to be. Mark Barry will hopefully be in the mix for selection in two weeks,” he noted.

Portarlington star Paddy O’Sullivan’s future with the panel is uncertain, with a possible return to Australia on the cards. McNulty said a final decision had not yet been made.

“That's still to be decided. We would love to have Paddy O'Sullivan, but you know he's got decisions to make for himself and his family to do what's right for him,” he ended.