‘We’re gone like soccer,’ declares Downs boss after shootout

“It’s not right. Penalties – we’ve gone more like the Champions League. They (St Loman’s) definitely weren’t three goals the better team, and I think everyone would acknowledge that.”

That was the initial reaction of The Downs manager, Johnny Murray, after his side lost on penalties to St Loman’s, Mullingar in a pulsating Westmeath SFC final replay in TEG Cusack Park last Saturday.

“I heard John Heslin say (in his acceptance speech) that it wasn’t luck. I think they did have a fair bit of luck. If that last ball had gone over the bar at the end of normal time – and it was a pretty good shot for a score – it might have been the other way around.

“Credit to St Loman’s though, they are a very decent team.

“We had a fair idea that it was going to be a tight match and we did practice penalties during the week. Those lads who took the penalties were a credit to their club and probably tiredness and fatigue could have got to them.

“I think Luke (Loughlin) must have run about 14 km in that match and Charlie (Drumm) was something the same, so you try to get a long-distance runner to take a penalty.”

An early goal from St Loman’s forward Shane Dempsey was one of the big setbacks suffered by The Downs on Saturday but Murray was impressed at their resilience throughout the game.

“They showed the resolve to come back and do it again. It was a very tight game with two very good footballing teams. But it’s not right. I feel it is very unjust on the lads that they’re going out on penalties. I don’t think that’s any way to finish a Gaelic football game.

“I was never a fan of it. I know we are going out, but I wouldn’t have been a fan of St Loman’s going out that way either. It’s a terrible way to finish a game.”

With the Leinster club championship beckoning, Murray was asked what would be a fairer way to separate two such closely matched teams after over 140 minutes of football.

“Play more extra time, or play sudden death. What is wrong with Wednesday night again? My lads would go again on Wednesday. They’d have no issue going any other week. They’ve run themselves into the ground only to be beaten on penalties,” he said.

“St Loman’s won the match, and they probably had that little bit more finesse in some areas but I thought we were equally as good as them if not better at times.

“We showed we didn’t die for anybody. The lads ran themselves off their feet.

I have to go into the dressing room now and tell those lads how unlucky they were to be beaten.

“Everyone in the ground is saying, ‘It’s a terrible way to lose a game’, and the officials are coming over to me saying, ‘It’s a terrible way to lose a game’. Do something about it! Don’t tell me it’s a terrible way to lose a game. Do something about it because I can’t do anything.”

The Downs bainisteoir argued that his side had been underestimated during the year, but in the face of a number of injury problems, kept bouncing back and in doing so, showed what kind of a powerful outfit they really are.

“You have to admire the character of that team,” he reflected. “We had two or three terrible injuries during the year. Darragh Egerton did his ACL, and Conor (Coughlan) was a massive loss at the start of the game. I don’t make excuses but when you lose players of that calibre, inter-county level players, you’re going to be under the cosh a little bit.

“But then, I thought the lads who came in, like Oisín Loughlin, showed up tremendously well. He did a fantastic job today, as did anyone else who came in.

“Luke Loughlin was man of the match by a long way. Mattie Cunningham came into today and got a fantastic point and I was delighted for him.

“What hurt Luke and the lads in the dressing room was that we were 3.5/1 outsiders. Now I don’t back, but we don’t think we got the respect we justly deserved. But they proved it today. They got a good bit of respect from a lot of people in the county and they are one of the best footballing teams in Leinster.

“I was looking forward to playing in Leinster but unfortunately Loman’s are going to play in it now, and I hope they do very well.”

In summary, Murray praised the players from both teams for their efforts. “Credit has to be given to those players for the entertainment they give. They are amateur players but they are treating it as if they are professionals. And that is what they are; but they are still amateur players, each and every one of them, and they have to go to work tomorrow.”