The shock of the weekend? Let us make an argument for Down topping their group
Declan Bogue
THOSE CASTING AROUND for a little value over the weekend could do worse than turn a discerning eye to the meeting of Down and Monaghan, in Armagh this Sunday.
At the time of writing, Down were 13/5 to get the win that would give them a quarter-final spot and a crucial week’s rest. Long odds that are hard to justify once you get under the skin of this game.
It wouldn’t take much to build a case for such long odds around Down.
Relegated to division 3 after just one season in division 2, they are in the Sam Maguire competition by virtue of having won the Tailteann Cup last year, one year on from losing the final against Meath in a game that showed up the deficiencies in their physical profile.
Off to the championship they went and an away tie against Fermanagh. With eight minutes left on the clock, they trailed by seven points, 0-21 to 0-14.
They then ran in a series of scores to snatch a victory. Daniel Guinness followed a two-pointer with a goal. Pat Havern scored twice and Ryan McEvoy grabbed a late goal.
“Somebody said Dick Turpin wore a mask,” the Wildean Down selector Mickey Donnelly bon motted to reporters afterwards.
That win took them through to an Ulster semi-final, where it felt that they were being held – Scrappy-Doo fashion – at arm’s length against a vastly more mature Donegal, even though the margin was just six points in the end.
Onto the group stages. They opened with a 17-point win over Clare in Ennis and received exactly zero credit for it.
For their home game, they beat Louth. It took a last-gasp block from Adam Crimmins on Tommy Durnin who looked set to kick the two-pointer that would have snatched the win for Louth.
Still and all, still no credit. A Louth defeat put down to a Leinster final win hangover.
Once you finish up doing Down down, there they sit, on top of Group 3. Two wins from two. A points difference of +18.
Their relegation? It happened despite them winning three games, finishing level with Louth but losing out on the head-to-head rule.
Three years into his spell in charge, Conor Laverty has made Down as competitive as they have been since James McCartan was in charge.
It hasn’t been straightforward, but the management have shown impressive agility in getting a little bit more out of the players they have.
With the addition of Ciaran Meenagh to the backroom, you can see how the efficiency of the Down attacks mirrors that of the Derry team that he coached in 2022 and 2023.
There have been setbacks. Liam Kerr did not return for this season after looking like the sharpest forward they had in the first two seasons. Anthony Morgan has gone travelling. Instead of booting a ball in Pairc Esler, Charlie Smyth instead is booting one around Caesar’s Superdome as a kicker for the New Orleans Saints.
The goalkeeper position is a neat place to start.
The need for a mobile goalkeeper to come out the field left Niall Kane unsuitable to modern requirements. For a while John O’Hare of Glen filled the position but his passing was more likely to be a lay-off handpass rather than getting his head up to ping the ball 50 metres.
For a time, they tinkered with the notion of present coach and 2010 All-Star Marty Clarke restarting his county career as a goalkeeper and he had done some work with goalkeeping coach John Devine.
Ronan Burns of Drumgath has filled the void. Just 19-years-old, he is the youngest intercounty goalkeeper on the circuit and his potential is huge.
What the bare scoreline against Fermanagh doesn’t tell you was Burns’ four goal chances saved.
Some seasoned players have found their way into serious form. Odhran Murdock has found a new level. Danny Magill is scoring for fun. Daniel Guinness was a player who only looked comfortable while fisting points over the bar and is taking far more risks now.
One element of adopting to the new rules is how Down, who had been big-game hunters and prolific goal-scorers in the mould of Kilcoo under Laverty, have switched focus entirely to concentrate on two-pointers, like a stadium rock band introducing an element of drum ‘n’ bass to keep things fresh.
Pat Havern has emerged as a leading proponent of the art and craft. And he’s relocated from being a frustrated inside-forward starved of possession, to a floating attacker around the middle third, awaiting the chance to strike.
Again, sensible measures tailored to maximising the effect of their weaponry.
It’s a hard tag to shake off and perhaps it goes back to the Tailteann Cup defeat against Meath, but they aren’t the tallest crew around.
Fermanagh strung a series of big men such as Joe McDade, Conor McGee, Brandon Horan and Darragh McGurn across the middle and made hay on the Down kickout.
In fact, the Down comeback only began after Fermanagh took off McGee in the 58th minute.
Donegal don’t miss when it comes to exploiting well-signposted weaknesses among the opposition, but they have been using their skyscrapers like this for years. With a cast of Michael Langan, Hugh McFadden, Michael Murphy, Ciaran Thompson, Caolan McGonagle and Jason McGee they are well-staffed in that regard and again, they put Down under stress.
The question is, can Monaghan do the same?
The half-back line as named of Ryan O’Toole, Dessie Ward and Conor McCarthy are not particularly tall.
Neither is the half-forward line of Stephen O’Hanlon, Micheál Bannigan and Ryan McAnespie. Michael McCarville and Gavin McPhillips have been named to start here. But don’t be surprised if Darren Hughes and Killian Lavelle are late replacements to add a bit of heft to the middle third.
Elsewhere, Down have markers. In the past, Ceilum Doherty has played well up against Monaghan’s key man Conor McCarthy when they met in Kilcoo and Scotstown colours in the Ulster club.
Miceál Rooney would appear the right fit for Stephen O’Hanlon for agility and pace, while Peter Fegan could get the job of spending an evening with Jack McCarron.
Finally, finally, finally. In 2012, these two met in the same venue, the last time they played in Armagh. Monaghan built up a heavy lead in the first half, but Down unleashed an absolute onslaught on them in the second half.
The most memorable thing about the whole game is the way in which the former Monaghan manager Vinny Corey, couldn’t lay a glove on the extremely elusive Conor Laverty that day.
Omens everywhere. I’ll be having a nibble anyway.
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