PLACED on a pedestal by pundits, Louth’s goalscoring star Craig Lennon insists he still looks up to current colleagues - and opponents.
Comparisons to Mayo legend Lee Keegan were made after another impressive performance from the St Mochta’s clubman in the preliminary quarter-final victory over Cork.
Although he appreciates the praise, Lennon feels it is very premature, preferring to focus on his football ahead of a first ever All-Ireland SFC quarter-final this weekend, against Ulster champions Donegal:
“I didn’t see it, one or two had it mentioned to me but I try not to pay too much notice. Lee Keegan is one of the best ever in my eyes.
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“He’s probably Mayo’s best player, I think. In my opinion he was unbelievable so it is definitely nice. It’s an honour to be mentioned in the same breath as him.
“But I try to avoid that stuff. I feel the second I start thinking about comparisons, Lee Keegan and that kind of stuff, is probably the second I take the eye off the ball. So I try to avoid it, but obviously I can appreciate it. It’s nice to be mentioned.”
Pic Philip Walsh
Among those he admires playing the wing-back role, he first mentions one who’ll be lining out against him this Sunday:
“There’s so many good attacking wing-backs, Ryan McHugh there, Jack McCaffrey, Colm Boyle, Lee Keegan. All them lads are huge and they’re GAA icons. So yeah, it’s nice to be mentioned in the same breath as them, I suppose.
“But I’ve only been doing it for one or two years. I have to keep at it. There’s loads left in me. Hopefully when I retire maybe I can appreciate being mentioned with them.”
Having always been a forward, Lennon has been a roaring success since his conversion to wing-back, including netting important goals against both Meath and Monaghan.
Although he acknowledges that “I can appreciate I’m probably playing the best I have for Louth and hopefully it continues on,” he gives credit to coaches and colleagues:
“I’ve been blessed with my coaches all my life, from underage, going back to Darren McMahon with the club here, a clubmate of mine now. He had us from 14, 15, drilled into our heads, about running hard off the shoulder, stuff like that. I definitely count my lucky stars with the coaches I’ve had.
“I’ve always been quick enough, and then just constant training. We do so many attacking combinations and drills – it might seem ‘off the cuff’ in games but we practise that every week in training. It’s confidence from training, I suppose.
“Thinking back to my goal against Monaghan, the first goal against Meath, it’s just pure creativity; the goal against Monaghan, the inter-linking from ‘Kiki’ [Ciaran Keenan] and Peter [Lynch], they just force you into positions and I’ve been fortunate enough to get on the end of them.”
Even though this Louth team has made history, Lennon says that he has been inspired by others in the county jersey, and hopes to replicate them: “I know myself I definitely would have been looking up to some Louth players - Decky Byrne, a clubmate of mine, would have played for Louth for years, even Bevan Duffy, Paddy Keenan – you would have looked up to those lads when you were younger.
“Hopefully we’ll be fortunate enough that some of the younger lads will be looking up to us, it’s great for Louth football and long may it last.”
