Shaun Casey assesses the Mourne County’s hopes for the road ahead

DIVISION Three isn’t exactly the scene Conor Laverty and Down wanted to experience again any time soon, but that’s where they find themselves as the 2026 National League approaches.

The Mourne men competed exceptionally well in Division Two last season, picking up six-points in the process, but failed to cling onto their status and slipped through the trap door via their head-to-head record with Louth.

Victories over Cork, Westmeath and Monaghan weren’t enough for them to avoid the drop, although they more than proved that they could compete at that level. They showed that’s where they belong.

And that was before their heroic championship displays. Beating Leinster champions Louth at Páirc Esler, pushing Monaghan and Galway all the way in the All-Ireland series, the feel good factor surrounding the team reached new heights in 2025.

While they’re back competing in the third tier, and possibly another run in the Tailteann Cup awaits later in the season, Laverty has his lads humming. They’re certainly heading in the right direction under his watch.

But the league won’t be all plain sailing and the first two outings could tell the tale. They have Clare at home, who just missed out on promotion last year due to score difference, before travelling to last year’s Tailteann Cup finalists, and Division Four winners, Limerick.

Those two Munster sides will be eyeing up promotion themselves, while Declan Bonner’s Fermanagh and Mark McHugh’s Westmeath, who joined Down in relegation last season, will all be vying for a two-top place.

Away day trips to Wexford and Sligo are sure to pose their own problems too but Down finish their campaign in the comforts of Newry, with Justin McNulty’s Laois coming to town.

Laverty used the McKenna Cup to run his eye over a whole host of new names that are aiming to break into both the squad and the starting team. 30 players in total saw game time across their two outings against Armagh and Tyrone.

Drumgath defender Pearse McPolin grabbed the eye over the two outings. He split the posts against the Orchard County and put in another decent showing against Tyrone at Pomeroy.

The likes of Donal Scullion, who bagged a penalty against the Red Hand County, and Jamie Doran are exciting young prospects coming through while Tom Close started both encounters in the middle of the park.

Seamus Loughran of Ballyholland has an impressive first half cameo against Armagh, chipping in with the first two-points of the night, but was pulled at half time and didn’t feature against Tyrone. Still he did enough in that short 30 minutes to raise his hand.

There’s a new man in the dugout as well, with club and county All-Ireland winner with Crossmaglen and Armagh, Tony McEntee coming on board, replacing the outgoing Ciarán Meenagh, who has taken the Derry job.

Down have also welcomed the Kilcoo contingent back into the fold, after their extensive Ulster Club run, just in time for the league. Ceilum Doherty, Micéal Rooney, Callum Rogers, Ryan McEvoy and Barra McEvoy all got minutes into their legs.

And there’s plenty more talent to come back into the squad. Odhrán Murdock, who deservingly earned an All-Star nomination for his performances last year, didn’t tog out in either of their McKenna Cup encounters.

The powerful midfielder, who can switch in and out of the forward line to brilliant effect, is one of the brightest stars in the Mourne setup and has really gone from strength to strength since breaking into the team a few years ago.

Liam Kerr is back in the panel too after a one year hiatus. The Burren clubman spent last season in Australia and like Murdock, is back among the pack, but hasn’t returned to the red and black jersey just yet in 2026.

Barry O’Hagan will be another boost when he returns following back-to-back cruciate injuries. He featured in the latter stages of the club championship for Clonduff and will be an option in attack for Down going forward.

There’s real quality right throughout the Down squad, from the goalkeeper right up to corner forward. The shot stopping ability of Ronan Burns was on full view recently versus Tyrone and he is one of the best young keepers in the country.

Captain Pierce Laverty is an assuring presence in the full back line while Ceilum Doherty is likely to retain the tag of their go-to man-marker, although he played in the half forward line last Sunday afternoon.

Burren clubmen Ryan Magill and Paddy McCarthy have been around for the last few years while Daniel Guinness has really grown into a major leader in the changing room.

Pat Havern, who finished the preseason campaign with 0-10, remains the star man in attack and his ability to score from outside the 40-metre arc will be extremely important as they push for promotion in the league.

Before a ball is kicked, the men in red and black will instantly be hailed as the favourites to top the table by the end of Division Three, but Laverty and his team will know that games aren’t won on paper. Complacency won’t be a factor in their changing room.

It’s a walk they’re fairly familiar with at this stage and they know what it takes to get out of Division Three. That will be the overall target, and if they can achieve that, they may just contest the Sam Maguire once again.

NFL TARGET

PROMOTION to Division Two will be the most important thing for Down this season as Conor Laverty hopes to keep his men on an upward trajectory. They earned promotion two years ago but didn’t win the league, so maybe they’ll go for the title this time around.

SFC TARGET

PROMOTION from Division Three will improve Down’s chances of competing in the All-Ireland series. For now, it’s the Tailteann Cup, which they will be looking to capture, after their Ulster campaign comes to an end. They have Donegal in the opening round and will believe they can give the reigning champions a right rattle.