JOE MCDONAGH CUP ROUND THREE

Down v Offaly

Sunday, Ballycran, 1pm

By Niall Gartland

EVEN though Offaly claimed only their first win all season with last weekend’s win over Meath, this is an exceptionally tough ask for the Down hurlers.

Offaly have had a bumpy time of it in recent years, but they steadied the ship last season, achieving promotion and winning the Christy Ring Cup.

They played in Division 1A this year and lost all their games (no major surprise given their opponents included the likes of Limerick), and they were defeated by a single point in their first Joe McDonagh Cup outing.

However, on paper they should be pushing towards winning the Joe McDonagh Cup, and when they met Down in last year’s league, they ran out 5-25 to 1-19 winners.

Ronan Sheehan’s Down team have had a great season so far, but they had a tough time of it against Antrim at the weekend, losing by 15 points. Some of their defenders struggled to cope with Antrim’s nippy forwards, but it was encouraging that they never gave up and scored second-half goals through Daithi and Eoghan Sands alongside Chris Egan. Offaly may prove too hot to handle but they’ll fancy their chances of picking up points in their final two outings against Carlow and Meath and making sure they stay out of the relegation play-offs.