By Michael McMullan

THE Down camp are excited about this weekend’s return to top-flight hurling but manager Ronan Sheehan is aware of the challenge ahead.

The Down manager says they will be favourites for relegation and underdogs in all their games, beginning on Saturday afternoon in Carlow.

Sheehan also feels even though they beat Kildare in last year’s league final, they’ll be underdogs when the counties cross paths later in the campaign.

“The way they (Kildare) performed in the McDonagh Cup has probably put them ahead of us in the pecking order,” he said.

Sheehan has been a long-serving driver of all things Down hurling, from the early days with minor teams all the way to the senior ranks.

“Nothing ventured, nothing gained,” he said of Division 1B. “We’re going up here to put our best foot forward; we’re going up to perform as well as we can.

There is also a feeling fixtures have fallen well. After a tough opening half, home games against both Antrim and Kildare later in the campaign, either side of a trip to Dublin, are key games in their bid to cement a spot in the division for next season.

“We’d be hoping to have a couple of niggly injuries to Tim Prenter and John McManus cleared up by then,” Sheehan said, who is also hoping for McGrattan’s return from an ACL injury.

“We may lose one or two as we go through the next three games,” Sheehan added.

“The way it’s structured this year and the way it’s fallen for us, it gives us a really good opportunity to see what we can do in our first three games.

“We can then reset and go again for almost a second mini-league, which is ideal from our perspective.”

The recent Down hurling story tells of a consistent group of players chipping away at everything in their control to improve their stock. Many counties could take a look and follow their lead.

Sheehan says the most pleasing aspect of the group is their hunger for improvement and an excitement in where they are going.

“Their attitude is definitely one of, they’re excited about the opportunity to test themselves, but they also want to be the best version of themselves they can be.

“They want to try to see just how much they can push and how much they can do in Division 1B.”

A chance to take on recent All-Ireland champions Clare and to welcome Wexford to Ballycran is why competitors play sport. Pitting themselves against the best.

“It’s something that as a panel and as a collective we’ve probably worked together since 2019 to achieve,” Sheehan added.,

“Now that we’ve got there, we want to try and do our very best to stay there. A number of years ago, we got into the McDonagh Cup. We probably have stayed in there from time to time with the skin of our teeth.

“This year will be our sixth year in succession in the McDonagh Cup, which in itself is a really significant achievement. Particularly when you consider the likes of Meath, Kildare, Kerry have dropped in and out over the years.

“For us to maintain our status in the McDonagh has been a massive statement for us and we want to try and do the same in 1B.

“We feel if we can hang in there this year, then there’s no reason why we can’t get a run there for three or four years.”