By Michael McMullan DOWN hurlers were dealt a significant blow with the loss of Tom McGrattan but manager Ronan Sheehan looks at the bigger picture. The Portaferry man, named on this year’s Gaelic Life hurling team of the season, sustained a season-ending ACL injury in training. McGrattan missed their Joe McDonagh Cup defeat to Laois. […]
By Michael McMullan DOWN hurlers don’t have much time to lick their wounds after shipping five second half goals in defeat to Carlow on Saturday as the Joe McDonagh Cup swung into action. They’ll host Laois on Saturday afternoon in Ballycran (1.30pm) hoping to pull their championship ambitions back on track. Ronan Sheehan’s side went […]
By Shaun Casey IT’S three weeks since Down defeated Kerry and sealed their spot in Division 1B for next season, but their league campaign isn’t quite complete yet and the team are looking forward to competing in this weekend’s Division 2A league final, says goalkeeper Stephen Keith. The Mourne men will join Kildare in the […]
By Shaun Casey WHEN the half-time whistle sounded in last year’s Ulster Club SHC final, Portaferry looked well on their way. The Down champions flew out of the traps and rattled the Sleacht Néill cages in the opening half. At the interval, Portaferry were seven points clear and had one hand on the Four Seasons […]
By Shaun Casey TWO of Ulster’s unbeaten teams put their records on the line this weekend as Derry and Down do battle at Owenbeg on Saturday. Both teams got their Division Two campaigns up and running with first-round wins and will aim to continue that trend. It’s two years since these sides crossed paths in […]
By Shaun Casey WHILE Down’s league fate won’t be determined on Saturday, Ronan Sheehan says his men are keen to start on the front foot as they take on familiar foes Kildare in the opening round of their Division Two league campaign. The two teams know each other quite well at this stage and the […]
By Michael McMullan IT was a weekend to remember at Croke Park for Down hurling with their u-20s winning a second All-Ireland B title in three seasons. For manager Connor O’Prey, it was a satisfying way to finish the season and lays another layer of concrete on the county’s foundations. “You only get to enjoy […]
By Niall Gartland DOWN hurling boss Ronan Sheehan (pictured) hopes that his side can take a massive step towards Joe McDonagh Cup survival – and possibly more – when they venture to the deep south for their round two match against Kerry this Sunday. Sheehan’s side got their campaign off to a winning start with victory over […]
By Shaun Casey STANDING in at corner-back as a young and fresh 19-year-old, Portaferry’s Caolan Taggart thought every year was going to be like this. Win the county title, pick up a provincial crown, and give the All-Ireland series a crack. Unfortunately, sports rarely follow such easy plans. That was back in 2014 when Taggart […]
By Niall McCoy THE last two champions, Donegal and Down, will battle it out for some early season silverware in the Conor McGurk final at the Dub on Saturday. It’s the third straight final for Mickey McCann’s Tir Chonaill side who lifted the trophy for the first time last year after a five-goal final display […]
