OLLIE KELLY Hands up all you hurling afficionados who have heard of Ollie Kelly. I wouldn't expect too many 'Ayes' outside of Louth. And yet, he should have a considerably high profile on a national level, as he has terrorised defences with his free-scoring habits at inter-county level for 10 years or more. Proof of the Drogheda native's ability to raise green and white flags is that he was the second leading scorer in the National League behind Tyrone's Eamonn Devlin, with the DJ Careys, Ger Manleys and Johnny Dooleys of the world in his wake. Like so many achievers in the game before him, Ollie is modesty personified. "I wouldn't have finished second but for the team. There are 15 lads in a team and I have to get passes for scores and people have to be fouled for me to convert frees." A little disappointment does exist however, that for all the publicity the Irish Independent run competition received, not even Devlin got any sort of a token, as a reminder of his great achievement. "I think that the top three should have got something the way it was billed throughout the League you'd have thought it was going to happen. It would have been nice to have got some momento, I wouldn't go out of my way looking for it but it would be nice. At least I have the paper clippings." The Drogheda Independent did do the decent thing and honoured Ollie with their sport star of the Month award for last March and at least he has that. The last year has been a very successful one for Kelly. Besides the previously alluded to events, Louth earned promotion to Division Three of the League. Ollie's club Wolfe Tones won an amazing treble, annexing the Championship and League titles and adding to that the Shield at the All-Ireland Sevens Competition, and just four weeks ago, wife Fiona gave birth to daughter Aine, who is a good sleeper, just like Aoife (2) and her father!" Ollie names his late father Oliver, who died last year, as the greatest influence on his life and career. "He was a great hurling man. The present county hurling selectors, Tony Melia, (Manager) and selectors, Michael O'Broin, Jackie Connolly and Paul Callan, who plays centre-back have also been great help." What about Louth in Division Three this year? "It's a different standard with teams being fitter. It's harder, faster, tougher. You'd know the difference alright. A lot depends on this year. Our aim is to consolidate. It's very important for hurling in the county that we stay up in Division Three and it would be a great achievement. The way to get better is to play better teams. As it is we have improved greatly in the last two years. We should have been promoted the season before last but Monaghan beat us by a point in the last game. Last Sunday week we beat them well so there has definitely been an improvement. At the moment we have one win from two games. The aim is to stay up." And who's to say that the Wee County won't manage that? Taken from Hogan Stand magazine 4th November, 1994 Tweet

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