A veteran of ten campaigns at the age of 23, Louth's 2003 ladies captain Orlaith Kirk led by example all year, displaying her customary excellence at midfield as the Wee County threatened a major breakthrough. Speaking to Gerry Robinson, she reflects on a league campaign that ended on a bitterly disappointing note (when the Wee County were denied a place in Division One by an injury-time Roscommon goal at Kiltoom in April, it was much less than they deserved) but a year that generally augurs well for Louth's future. The first objective Louth's ladies set themselves in 2003 was to earn a place in Division One of the national league. They went about their task accordingly and powered their way to a semi-final meeting with Roscommon. In that 'semi', Louth were certainly the better team and looked likely winners from start to finish. However, they were caught by a late, late suckerpunch when Roscommon found the back of the net deep into stoppage time to prevail by a single point. As full time elapsed, Louth led by two points but that late, late goal gave the home side a very lucky 3-7 to 1-12 win. It was sheer heartache for luckless Louth as their promising league form all amounted to nothing when the final whistle sounded. At stake had been not just a place in the 2003 Division Two decider but also automatic promotion to Division One for the forthcoming season Orlaith Kirk, Ann-Marie Murphy, Grace Lynch, Lorraine Muckian and Tara Lynch all played brilliantly on the day and none of them deserved to finish on the losing team. However, after coming so close to securing promotion, the Louth girls at least know that they're well capable of making the step-up with a minimum of fuss next year. The progress they made in 2003 was encouraging and hopes are high that the Wee County can re-visit the glory days of 1998 and '99. Looking back on the '03 league campaign, team captain Orlaith Kirk admits that, despite the unsatisfactory outcome, she was in general pleased with Louth's form: "We had Elaine Rogan and Edel McKeown back from injury and that was a big boost to us straight away. And we definitely played better football than we had in the previous two seasons. Some of the new girls that came in really found their feet in 2003 and we were stronger than we had been any other year since moving up to senior level. "Losing to Roscommon like that was very disappointing because we probably played well enough to go up to Division One. Everybody was gutted after that game because the late goal undid an awful lot of good work. Our approach was focused and the girls put in a huge effort. "We led Roscommon for virtually the entire match and squandered a lot of scoring opportunities. We really should have put them away and it was a big blow to get caught like that so late in the game. It was a harsh lesson but hopefully we can learn from it and we'll be all the stronger for it next year. "Our first aim for the year was to get into Division One, where we'd be playing regularly against the best teams and the top footballers in the country. That's very important to the development of this team, so hopefully we can do it next year." Division Two was divided into two sections - 2A and 2B - with eight teams in each group. The Top 4 from each section went through to the quarter-finals. Louth, who finished second in Division 2A, took on Leitrim in their quarter-final and recorded a comfortable win at Stabannon. This set up the ill-fated semi-final meeting with Division 2B table-toppers Roscommon. Had Louth won that game (as they deserved to do) they'd have met Cork in the final, with silverware up for grabs and a place in the top flight already guaranteed. They were so, so close... Though she was only 23, 2003 was Orlaith Kirk's tenth season with the Louth ladies. During that time, the Naomh Malachi girl has been one of the county's most consistent performers. Invariably, she has a massive influence on games from the middle of the field. Unsurprisingly, she took to the captain's role like a duck to water: "It was a great honour to captain my county," she notes. Ladies football in Louth has made extraordinary strides since Orlaith first donned the red jersey a decade ago. It's a whole new ball game today, as she explains: "When I started playing, ladies football wasn't really popular at all. There was just a handful of people in the county putting in the work and trying to promote the game. You could see how far we were behind some of the other counties and how much work we had to do to catch up. "However, things were brought to a whole new level by the All-Ireland junior win in 1998 and - even more significantly - the All-Ireland intermediate championship success the following year. I think the intermediate win was far more notable as intermediate football is a much higher level and it was a huge boost to our confidence. "Unfortunately a few girls retired after that, which left a vacuum in the team. Some new girls were brought in and we needed time to find our feet again. So I suppose 2000 and 2001 were transition years for us but the newer players have really grown into their roles and we're stronger now than we've ever been. We've an excellent blend now and with Elaine and Edel back as well I think we can realistically set our sights on a Leinster championship and even a senior All-Ireland inside the next two or three years. "That has to be our ultimate goal and there's no doubt we have the experience and the ability to achieve it. Mayo have shown what can be done when a good crop of players comes together at the same time and we're hoping to follow their example." Under the guidance of manager David Fedigan (Hunterstown) and trainer Enda McKeown (St Josephs), the Louth ladies were subjected to a more professional regime than ever before in 2003. Orlaith is confident that they're heading in the right direction and believes the sky's the limit: "There was a huge step-up this year in terms of the training we did and the commitment. It was the best-prepared Louth team that I've played on and we can take it even further next year. David and Enda adopted a very professional approach and they prepared the team meticulously. The training was hard but each and every girl gave 100%. They sat us down at the start of the year and let us know the level of commitment they expected, and the girls gave it. We trained with a purpose - our targets were to get into Division One and to give Leinster a real crack." To what extent has the overall standard of ladies football in the Wee County improved? "There's no comparison. Where it's most obvious is at underage level. There are U12, U14 and U16 competitions in the county now and Louth is producing strong teams at minor level. There was none of that when I was coming through but the structures are all in place now and there's an abundance of talent in the county. "The whole thing has changed completely and Louth are closing the gap on the more traditional counties. We're breathing down their necks and it's only a matter of time before we reap the benefits and make a major breakthrough." One of the problems facing Louth is that Leinster is arguably the most competitive province with nine senior counties - as opposed to six in Munster, two in Connacht and three in Ulster. So a breakthrough will have to be earned... However, Orlaith is adamant that this in not beyond them: "We know we should be in Division One now and we also know the quality of football we can play. There is definitely an All-Ireland in this team in the next three years. There's a wealth of talent at our disposal and a lot of girls coming through. Success breeds success and the more progress we make the more talent will come through. "This is a very exciting time to be involved with the Louth ladies." Ten years down the line, Orlaith Kirk has lost none of her enthusiasm. To the contrary, the gifted midfielder seems keener than ever. Louth GAA is indeed privileged to be blessed with such a special talent. Tweet

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