Mullinalaghta manager Mickey Graham believes the element of surprise is gone ahead of Sunday's Leinster club SFC quarter-final clash against Westmeath champions St Loman's.

The sides met at the same stage of the provincial campaign last year and on that occasion, the Longford side who had just won their first county title in over 50 years, caused a surprise by defeating the Mullingar based outfit at home.

Mullinalaghta once again have home advantage for Sunday's clash, but Graham is adamant that their opponents will come more prepared than they did last year.

"While we came in under the radar and maybe caught St Loman's by surprise that element is gone now," Graham told the Longford Leader. "They will now know exactly what to expect on Sunday and will be gunning for us in seeking revenge so we are facing a tough game.

"You have to be on the ball when you go into the provincial championship. Did we learn from last year? Without a doubt. Did it improve us? Without a doubt. We learned from playing at a higher standard in Leinster last year. They realised the level they had to get to, to compete with those teams.

"Did it stand to us this year? It probably did. Have we played as well as we can this year? Eh, probably in patches.

"I would say St Loman's have improved since last year. They have wiped the floor with everyone they played in Westmeath this year and will be coming to Pearse Park full of confidence.

"Our best performance against Eire Og will not be good enough so we will need to raise our game and perform at our best."

Tweet

Most Read Stories