By Niall Gartland

IT’S still early days but the pieces seem to be in place for the Down camogs to push on and have a very productive season.

Domhnall Nugent’s side pushed Limerick all the way in their Division 1B opener before clinching an eye-catching victory on home soil against Dublin last weekend, setting them up nicely for this Saturday’s meeting with Offaly.

Speaking ahead of their trip to Birr, Down corner-back Aoife McDowell highlights the strength of their panel, which is very much in evidence in their win over Dublin.

For instance, Clodagh Kelly made her debut in nets and kept a clean sheet. Niamh McConville also made her debut, while Clara Cowan has returned to the fold after 14 months out with an ACL injury.

McDowell, who plays her club camogie with An Riocht, said: “On Monday night we had 33 or 34 girls at training. Everyone’s chomping at the bit to get a start against Offaly. Nobody’s place is guaranteed and that’s great as everyone’s pushing each other on.

“Domhnall has brought in a few girls who performed really well in the club championship. There’s also a good number of girls who have stepped up from minor level. You wouldn’t have known that any of those girls haven’t played at this level, so it’s really encouraging for Down camogie.”

While Down produced a really commendable display on their first day out, losing by 0-12 to 0-10 to Limerick, they knew that there was significant scope for improvement. Their efforts on the training pitch in subsequent days paid off as they went on to record a hard-earned but deserved victory over Dublin in front of a strong crowd in Liatroim Fontenoys.

McDowell commented: “I suppose we were a bit gutted that we didn’t get over Limerick. You have to look at the positives – there were a lot of good things that came out of that game, but we also knew there was a lot to work on.

“We let a few things slip against Limerick, but I think learning from that helped us get over the line against Dublin.”

McDowell was a rookie member of the Down team that landed All-Ireland Intermediate honours in 2020, lining out alongside players of the pedigree of the Carr sisters, Fionnuala and Sara Louise, Paula O’Hagan and Niamh Mallon.

She started life as a forward but was tested at corner-back last year in Nugent’s inaugural season at the helm and has taken to it like a duck to water.

As a team they are still growing and developing with every game, and she believes they will have taken a lot of confidence from their win over Dublin.

“It was great to get over the line against Dublin – it was a massive boost for the girls, and something we needed in terms of belief. Management have been trying to instil in us the importance of believing in ourselves, because they believe in us, and it’s just about getting that into our own heads, so it was an important win in that respect.”

Their forthcoming opponents Offaly are still searching for a first win of the campaign after a dream 2025 season which culminated in All-Ireland Intermediate honours. They too produced a commendable performance against Limerick though, so they’ve shown they can compete at this level.

McDowell said: “We’re just taking it game by game. Our attention went straight to Offaly when we went back training on Monday.

“It’s going to be a big task, they were All-Ireland champions last year, so there’s no doubt it’s going to be difficult.

“We just have to put in a performance and take it from there.”