Karl Lacey: If there’s anybody that puts pressure on, it’s ourselves

HE was one of sport’s true perfectionists as a player, and Karl Lacey is seeking those same levels of peak performance in the foothills of the Mournes.

Two years with Kilcoo, he has them back in an Ulster final and edging closer to the standards that saw them crowned All-Ireland champions in 2022.

Dominant in Down, utterly brilliant at times beyond the county boundary, the Magpies have taken flight once again.

But they haven’t yet soared to the heights that the manager strives towards in his pursuit of excellence.

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“There’s obviously certain pressures with it but the pressure’s not just on me or the management team or the players themselves, it’s the group.

“If there’s anybody that puts pressure on, it’s ourselves,” said Lacey.

“The pressure to perform and it’s that high-demand environment, we’re looking for perfection every night you go out so that’s probably the most pressure.

“It’s never going to be perfect and it’s getting that fine balance of not too critical or too negative on ourselves.

“There’s plenty of positives too but at the same time, we’re always trying to squeeze the percentages out of ourselves and get more and more.”

The speed of their transition from defence to attack is arguably Kilcoo’s most potent weapon, injecting energy and pace on the counter-attack that has blown many opponents away.

“The quicker you get the ball moved, winning the race and getting up the pitch before the defence set-up happens, you have more of a chance of getting your shot away at the end of that.

“Moving the ball, personnel-wise we have players that can move through the gears fairly quick. Doing that with the ball can be a lot more challenging.

“I think it’s something every team works on, but personnel-wise we have the pace to do it which obviously helps.”

Playing their football on the front foot with dynamic defenders adding numbers in support, a Kilcoo team in full flight can be a devastating force.

In times of peril, however, the steadying hand of Mr Dependable, Niall Branagan, is needed.

And the man who keeps it all secure at the back is rarely found wanting, delivering consistent, no-frills displays of defensive resilience.

“I’ve only known Niall over the last two years and Niall’s just somebody that works really, really hard on his game.

“He’s that type of player that defending is number one for him and when you look at everybody else, there’s the defence and the attack element with them.

“He’s very much, number one, a defender and he’s like everybody else, Niall just works really hard, he doesn’t miss many training sessions. Every night he comes, he comes with that 100 per cent attitude that we look for.

“He’s a real leader in the group and being able to take Jack McCarron out of it in the semi-final (v Scotstown) was fairly pleasing for him and it’s a reward for all the work that he’s done.

“But by the time he got home, I’d say he was just looking forward to an Ulster final and looking to improve and that’s just how driven he is as an individual.”

Doubts persist over the availability of top scorer Paul Devlin for tomorrow’s Ulster Club SFC final against Errigal Ciaran at the Box-It Athletic Grounds.

He missed the semi-final rout of Scotstown due to injury, but Lacey is prepared to give the attacker as much time as he needs to prove his fitness.

“We’re hoping it’ll be sorted out. It’s too early to call in relation to the game but we’re just happy we didn’t take the chance given the result and we got over the line without him.

“It was a big call at the time but if he played, he could have set himself back and it could have been a longer-term thing.

“We’re just going to work and do everything we can and give Paul every chance. Obviously, he’s a big part of it for us and he’s a big leader and he’s trained really hard this year, so we’ll just give him every opportunity.

“There’s a couple of different dynamics that can happen, we just need to see closer to the time and it goes back then to other players now that Paul’s not training, other players are training hard and they’re stepping up.

“It’s very hard, that’s the honesty in the group and you just can’t look past that. Paul knows that too and he’s itching to get back in and he’s working hard at the rehab.

“Obviously for us we want everyone, and we want Paul training, but we have to be mindful and it’s another opportunity for somebody else if Paul’s not ready, somebody else can then step in.”