Laois manager Justin McNulty knows his Louth counterpart Aidan O'Rourke only too well.

The former Armagh team-mates will be in opposite corners at Portlaoise on Sunday when the O'Moore men host the Wee County in the first round of the Leinster SFC.

"Sure, Aidan and I have been at war many times together, in the trenches since we were at school, playing together since we were 14 years old. We know each other inside out," McNulty comments in The Irish Times.

"Aidan is a meticulous planner, tactically astute, a fantastic motivator and his attention to detail is phenomenal."

Reflecting on his three-year tenure thus far in Laois, McNulty adds: "It certainly hasn't been steady progress.

"There have been stormy waters along the way, plain sailing for periods too. I would always stick by my values, always stick by my principles, and I won't be moved on that.

"Guys were uneasy with the huge disappointment of being beaten by Longford [in 2012] but they stayed tight. They kept their troubles in house. We always decided guys were going to go forward. When that happens then things can be put back on the road." Tweet

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