Down’s Joe McDonagh status hangs on the final weekend

DOWN know what their final game of the Joe McDonagh Cup looks like this Saturday. A win over Kildare in Newbridge and they are safe. Four points will be their best tally since they made the step up.

Ronan Sheehan’s side were winners over Kerry on Saturday and should Westmeath beat the Kingdom this week, Down would stay up by virtue of head-to-head. It’s not a path they want to take.

“We absolutely needed it,” Sheehan said of Saturday’s victory in Ballycran. “We had a better hand to play with.”

The Down boss pointed to their defeat at the hands of Westmeath. There was a performance buried under their missed chances.

They’ve a few key players back in the fold and their win over Kerry will have given the camp a spring this week.

“The reality is, if we win that game then we secure our status no matter what happens elsewhere,” Sheehan added.

They take on a Kildare team who can still book a spot in the final. The Lily Whites, Carlow and Laois – who meet this weekend – are all level on six points.

Down have beaten Kildare twice in the league, including an entertaining final in Inniskeen.

“We’ll only be focusing on ourselves and on our own performance and trying to make sure we get the two points,” Sheehan said.

They were handed a tough hand with injuries to key players Ronan Beattie and Tom McGrattan.

With them, Down may have been safe by now. Or even eyeing a final spot.

“At this moment in time, given where we are and given our experience over the last number of weeks, we’re delighted with the victory (against Kerry),” Sheehan added.

“We’re hoping that we can push on now and it’s a big ask to beat Kildare for the third time in the one season.

“Look, we’ve done it before and we’d be confident of going down there and giving a performance and getting a result.”

While Saturday’s win was vital, Sheehan fully believed his squad would deliver.

Last week’s message was that he’d back them regardless of how their campaign panned out.

Every time Down hurling has asked them to deliver, they’d done so. The county is indebted to the current crop.

“They have that drive and grit and determination and they showed that in spades again on Saturday to get the result against Kerry,” he said.

“If you go back a number of years ago, when this group were starting their journey, people would have never really have thought we’d be getting back to back wins against Kerry in the one season,” he said.“We’ve beaten them three times in the last four times we’ve met them. It’s probably a sign of where this group has come over the last number of years but all counts for nothing if we don’t back it up this Saturday down in Newbridge.”