By Niall Gartland DOWN’S season hinges on Saturday’s Tailteann Cup round three clash away to Longford. Conor Laverty’s side would rather be nowhere near the Tailteann Cup competition in the first place, and perhaps that goes some way to explain their shock defeat to Offaly on their last day out. Offaly’s vastly superior conversion rate […]
By Shaun Casey THERE were plenty of hugs and slaps on the back dished out at full time last Sunday in Letterkenny. O’Donnell Park was awash with red and black jerseys as Down celebrated one of their most impressive victories in recent years. The biggest hug handed out was from an Armagh man. Tony McEntee […]
By Shaun Casey IT always seems impossible until it’s done. Down against Donegal. Division Three champions against Division One winners. The Mourne men still aren’t 100 per cent sure of their championship path. They could end up in the Tailteann Cup. On Sunday, at Letterkenny, they come up against the frontrunners for Sam Maguire. You […]
By Shaun Casey FOR a county with such a proud tradition, it’s almost unimaginable that Down have gone over 30 years without tasting provincial glory. They’re reached finals alright but just haven’t got over the line since 1994. They’re building nicely under Conor Laverty and he certainly has them in a better place now than when […]
By Shaun Casey WINNING in Croke Park is a good habit to get into. Climbing the steps of the Hogan Stand and raising some silverware, no matter what level, is important. Not every player gets to experience that feeling. While Down have bigger fish to fry in the coming weeks, with Division One league champions […]
By Michael McMullan A NATIONAL title is up for grabs but Saturday’s Division Three final brings a level of uncertainty for Down and Wexford. With Kildare relegated from Division Two but still guaranteed a ticket to the Sam Maguire race, the winners from this game will have their fingers crossed. Should any team below them […]
By Shaun Casey DOWN made the perfect start to their Division Three promotion push last weekend with a home win over Clare and will look to go two from two against Limerick on Saturday, which won’t be easy, says coach Mickey Donnelly. The Mourne men trailed by five points at half time of their league opener but […]
By Shaun Casey IT’S probably the hardest way possible to kickstart the season, with ties against Armagh and Tyrone coming up in early January, but Down are looking forward to those battles, says coach Mickey Donnelly. The Mourne men haven’t won the McKenna Cup since 2008. This season, they get things up and running against […]
By Shaun Casey DOWN will be favourites when they line out at Brewster Park, Enniskillen on Saturday to take on Fermanagh, but that won’t matter much when the ball is in the air. Mickey Donnelly and the Mourne men have been stung before. Two years ago, when Conor Laverty first took charge of his native county, […]
By Niall Gartland THE Tailteann Cup doesn’t seem to have captured the imagination of the paying public, and Down selector Mickey Donnelly believes the GAA need to look at ways of making the competition more palatable for fans. Plummeting football championship attendances hit a new low a fortnight ago when fewer than 100 spectators watched the […]
