Louth's Conor Grimes says they are not "delusional" ahead of their final round robin game against Kerry but is confident the side can compete with the All-Ireland champions.
Following narrow losses against both Cork and Mayo, Mickey Harte's side enter their final Group 1 game with a slim puncher's chance of survival.
With the season on the line, they need to win in Portlaoise this weekend, an outcome which would potentially have the added effect of eliminating the defending champions in the process.
While the notion of Kerry being eliminated prior to the knockout is not considered a tenable one, Louth wing-forward Grimes says their illustrious manager has no interest in approaching games just to compete.
"We believe if we bring the best version of ourselves, we can be competitive," Grimes told RTÉ Sport.
"But at the same time we're not delusional. We know the challenge that's at hand.
"It's not in Mickey Harte's nature to just go and compete and be happy with a performance. He's a winner. That's what he's instilled in his teams over the years."It's a results business. After two games, we're bottom of the table with no points. That's the way we're looking at it.
"It means the world to us, to get this exposure. For the supporters in the county, we want to give them more big days out. The only way to do that is to get a result on Sunday.
"But we're not delusional. They've some of the best players in the country. Probably some of the best players to ever play the game.
"But we're going to be confident in our preparation and the way we set up and what we're about."
Louth's impressive 2023 campaign, comprising of a push for promotion in Division 2 and a run to the provincial decider, had been soured by their limp Leinster final showing, which concluded in a frightful 21-point beating at the hands of a merciless Dublin side.
The two-point loss in their nominal home game against Cork had set them on the back foot in Group 1 but they recovered much of the earlier goodwill with a one-point loss to Mayo in Castlebar.
Grimes wasn't inclined to revel in the moral victory.
"Outside of the playing group, a lot of supporters within the county were almost happy or relieved to come within a point of Mayo and put in a good display.
"But as players, it's a results business and we don't want our season to end and we need to pick up results if we want to continue.
"It was a scorching hot day in Castlebar and to put in so much effort and come up just short was hugely disappointing.
"But it's week in week out, that's the format of this series and you have to bounce back really quickly."
When Mickey Harte was appointed Louth manager in late 2020 - remarkably soon after his glittering reign as Tyrone boss ended - the county were languishing in Division 4, having been eliminated by Longford in the shotgun championship of 2020.
Since then, their rise has been swift and borderline Derry-esque in league terms. Two successive promotions in 2021 and 2022, almost accompanied by a third earlier this spring.
"Coming to terms with the intensity of the games is the biggest thing we've had to bridge," says Grimes.
"Obviously, we've got incredible management that have been at the top table for so many years. They know what it takes to perform at that level and they've instilled those values in us.
"It's been fantastic, a good season for us so far. A lot of ups and downs. The Leinster final being the biggest down. But we competed well throughout the Allianz League which was our goal, to make sure that we had All-Ireland series football at the back end of the summer.
"Our second goal was to get to a Leinster final. We managed to do that, although we underperformed on the day. But we took massive learnings from that and we've taken them into the All-Ireland series."
Grimes himself is in a curious position, juggling his inter-county career with running his own business, Spoonful Botanical, the company he founded with his wife Jayne, which produces anti-inflammatory healthfood items.
The Louth veteran pays tribute to his manager, in particular, for the understanding the demands of the business.
"I have to give Mickey Harte huge credit. He believes in the business. He understands the kind of work-life balance I have. And he's hugely supportive of me, he knows how important it is to us.
"One of the only dressing downs I've ever gotten from Mickey was about trying to do both. It was an O'Byrne Cup game and I was coming off the back of the one of the busiest events that we have with the company, with Spoonful.
"He had a go at me for placing those demands on myself to try and do both. That's the kind of person Mickey is. He doesn't try to exploit you on the pitch or off the pitch."
Watch Roscommon v Kildare in the All-Ireland Football Championship on Sunday from 1.15pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player, follow a live blog on RTÉ.ie/Sport and the RTÉ News app or listen to live updates on Sunday Sport on RTÉ Radio 1
Watch Galway v Armagh in the All-Ireland Football Championship on Sunday from 3.30pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player, follow a live blog on RTÉ.ie/Sport and the RTÉ News app or listen to live updates on Sunday Sport on RTÉ Radio 1
