Ardee St Mary’s joint-captain Robert Leavy admits playing in a Leinster club SFC final was a mere pipedream not so long ago.

Ardee are just 60 minutes away from becoming the first Louth club to lift the Sean McCabe Cup after turning their fortunes around in recent years. The long-serving Leavy won his first Louth SFC title in 2022 and two more have followed since then.

“I played in two or three relegation play-offs,” the 38-year-old midfielder explained to reporters ahead of this evening’s provincial final against Cuala at Croke Park.

“There were a few times when I was still playing at this time of year to try and survive in senior football.

“My mind for a long time was not wanting to ... maybe try and push on a little bit, winning a senior championship mightn’t have been a reality, but not being part of a team that got relegated was probably the goal.”

He added: "We are off the back of three Louth titles in-a-row, having not won a championship in 25 years. And we hope to learn from last year's disappointment (when they were beaten narrowly by Kilmacud Crokes). We might have lost that day, but it helped us realise we’re not a million miles away.

"So this year was to try and win again in Louth and focus on Leinster. It has worked out well so far."

Tweet

Most Read Stories