Laverty wary of Clare in Mournemen’s league opener

By Shaun Casey

COME the end of March, Down will hope they are celebrating a swift return to Division Two and that journey starts on their home patch this weekend against Clare, a challenge that Conor Laverty’s side are well aware of.

The Banner County have reached the last three Munster finals, falling to the might of Kerry on all three occasions, and just missed out on climbing out of Division Three last season, finishing behind Kildare and champions Offaly on score difference.

Clare also finished third in the division back in 2024, when the Mourne men claimed top spot, and Laverty’s men enjoyed a huge 3-15 to 1-10 home victory in the final round on their way to gaining promotion back then.

“Clare have a lot of bodies back who were not in the panel last year,” said Laverty of their forthcoming opponents..

“They have been competing in the latter stages of the All-Ireland for many years, they are an experienced side, and we know the task that is in front of us.”

Home advantage has been key to Laverty’s success as Down manager since taking over the reins in 2023. Last year’s round three defeat to Meath was Laverty’s first in the comforts of the familiar Newry venue.

Clare are the first visitors to Páirc Esler while Westmeath, Fermanagh and finally Laois, in the last round, will all enter the home of Down football throughout the league as well.

Massive crowds travelled to Newry last summer and were thoroughly entertained in Down’s dramatic victory over Leinster champions Louth and gut-wrenching defeat to Galway. Exciting times, but the show moves on.

“Those games were fantastic for the players to experience but it was also good for the supporters, particularly the younger boys and girls in the county to see some of the best players in Ireland coming to Newry,” continued the Kilcoo clubman.

“But that is last year, now as a group we can’t be speaking about Louth and Galway, we have to have full focus on Clare and Limerick in our first two National League matches.”

On the league as a whole, Down’s overall ambitions are of course to climb to the top of the pack and regain their place amongst the top 16 teams in the country, but there’s a lot of work to do between now and then.

Laverty used 30 players in the McKenna Cup and will look to welcome back Liam Kerr, Barry O’Hagan, Odhran Murdock and Hugh Pat McGeary at some point in the near future as well.

“We were disappointed last year, getting relegated back to Division Three but we understand that we didn’t get over the line in the tighter games last year.

“We are still looking forward to the league,” he added.

“There is no point in telling any lies, we have ambitions to get out of the Division Three but there is a lot of quality in it and on their day could have the beating of anyone, so we just have to prepare ourselves as best we can.”