By Shaun Casey

NO team in the history of Down club football has ever won seven Senior Championship titles on the trot. Kilcoo have the opportunity to do just that on Sunday and experienced head Ceilum Doherty insists they aren’t looking that far down the track just yet.

The Magpies have won 12 of the last 13 county titles, evenly split six and six, since 2012. They were in the exact same position back in 2018, chasing seven titles in succession, but Burren halted their dreams of history.

They’re back in the same situation and this time around it’s Carryduff who have the chance to upset the odds in the final. Kilcoo, like every year, head into the decider as massive favourites to come out on top and reclaim the Frank O’Hare trophy for the 23rd time.

“We always just set our stall out at the start of the year, we knew Bryansford were coming in the first-round and then we pushed on from it,” said the versatile Doherty, who has become a key man-marker for both Kilcoo and Down.

“Fortunately, we’re in the county final at the minute but we know there’s a massive task against a great Carryduff side. The aim is to make sure we’re ready for that game. Whatever happens after that, we’ll take it in due course.”

Kilcoo and Carryduff have shared the big stage before, back in 2020 – Carryduff’s first ever appearance in the showpiece.

The Down kingpins ran out 0-16 to 0-9 winners in the end, but Carryduff have been building since and have been earmarked as a side that could cause Kilcoo problems.

That’s exactly the way Doherty sees it as well. “They’ve been the best team in the championship, make no bones about that. They’ve been brilliant,” he added.

“They’re very well set up – they have a management team there for a long number of years, so they’ve been building something together collectively.

“They are going to be a massive challenge because they have been brilliant, and you have to take your hat off to them.”

Monaghan man Martin Corey, along with two-time All-Ireland winner Joe McMahon, have taken over the managerial reins from Karl Lacey this year and, alongside Paddy Crozier, have added something a little different to the Kilcoo machine.

“A new face and a new voice are great. He’s brought great standards,” Doherty said of Corey. “Anywhere he has gone, he’s always done well especially when he was with Cavan in 2020 (when they won the Ulster Championship).

“He played at a high level for Monaghan and Clontibret, and Joe too – you always looked up as a wee boy at those Tyrone teams in the noughties, they were unbelievable to watch.

“These men have a wealth of knowledge and they’re great men so you’re just taking every bit of information that you’re getting from them.”