Magee: Down focus fully locked on All-Ireland progress

By Michael McMullan

DOWN camogs have parked their Ulster semi-final disappointment and have set their new focus on the All-Ireland series.

After victory over Kildare, Down welcome Kerry to Liatroim on Saturday aiming to back it up.

A late save from Antrim goalkeeper Caitríona Graham denied Down a spot in the Ulster final but they’ve since moved on.

“We very much focused on the All-Ireland campaign,” outlined Dearbhla Magee.

“We have done a lot of training between then until now to get us ready for championship mode.”

Since their Ulster exit, Down had virtually the entire month of May to get their ducks in a row for three group games to define what their All-Ireland bid looks like.

The Kildare box is ticked. One down, two to go. Kerry this weekend and Carlow after that.

Magee had toyed with the idea of taking a year away from the Down camp. A break to charge the batteries. Then came the news of Domhnall Nugent coming in as manager.

“He was in helping with my club team in Liatroim,” Magee said of her U-turn.

“I knew Domhnall from that and what he could bring to Down when he said he was coming in.

“He’s added a lot of energy and a lot of excitement back into Down camogie in terms of people actually wanting to play for the county, which is really, really good.”

There is an excitement of younger girls wanting to play for the county and that’s been helped by the introduction of a new u-23 competition.

“It’s the first year it’s been run but it’s really good because it’s bridging that gap between minor camogie and senior camogie,” Magee said of the benefit to counties, Down included in that..

As a PE teacher, she can relate to sport more than most. Dropout is a real issue.

Any help between minor and senior is welcome.

“The girls sometimes feel intimidated to come up and play with the seniors,” she said. “Now, with the u-23 (grade), that’s the step.

“So, they come up and they train with us so we’d have 40 or 45 at training. That’s great because it adds to the numbers obviously and then you get full games.”

The sessions are enjoyable, structured and it has helped with the run-in towards the championship. The here and now.

The seniors have a spine of u-23s on the team. They host Kerry this weekend with the u-23s away to Meath.

There’s a balance to be made, but the players just keep their heads down and play.

The win over Kildare brought some confidence in what they were doing was taking them down the right route.

“Going into play Kerry, we played them two years ago in Division One,” Magee recalls.

“We flew to Kerry that time and we drew with them. It meant we stayed up on points difference and they went down.

“They’re a very physical side and we know that, but it’s just going and matching that physicality and bringing the intensity.”