Down impress on their return to All-Ireland Championship

Down impress on their return to All-Ireland Championship

21 May 2025

DOWN started their All-Ireland Senior Football Championship campaign with a bang as they walked all over hosts Clare in Ennis on Sunday.

The Mourne Men had been looking to the national championship as chance to redeem themselves for their National League Division 2 relegation and Ulster semi-final exit, and they dominated from start to finish to secure victory at the first time of asking.

As much as Clare were not at the races for large periods of the tie, Down were arguably playing their best football of the season. 

First half goals from Carryduff duo John McGeough and Daniel Guinness set them on their way and as the points kept coming, Caolan Mooney’s major put the final nail in the Clare coffin.

Although Ryan McEvoy sliced wide of the mark with his early attempt and Emmett McMahon’s free opened the scoring for the hosts, the remainder of the first half would be one-way traffic for Down.

Pat Havern, one of the best long-distance shooters around, opened the visitors’ account with a two-pointer and was supported by a quick point from Miceal Rooney.

Their strong response continued when McGeough made the most of a sleeping Clare defence to meet a fine pass from Odhran Murdock and fist the ball into the back of the net.

Down, sensing their opponents were there for the taking, ramped up the pressure, intercepted a number of home moves and kept the scoreboard operator busy.

Danny Magill, Murdock and McEvoy were amongst the scorers, while Clare could only find one point in reply, as their side stormed into a healthy 1-10 to 0-3 lead.

Daniel Guinness produced a goal from out of nowhere, carving through the home defence with a marauding run, playing a clever one-two and hammering into the corner of the net.

This time, Clare did conjure up a response, hitting a goal and a point through Aaron Griffin.

However, that did nothing to slow Down’s juggernaut attack, as Havern’s second two-pointer ad a free stretched the margin to 14 points at the mid-way point.

It was going to take something catastrophic to stop Conor Laverty’s men and any notion of such an occurrence was quickly chalked off at the start of the second period.

Magill, James Guinness and Adam Crimmins got the ball rolling with a series of points, sending their team out of sight.

A rare Clare purple patch reduced the deficit to 11 points, with Dermot Coughlan, Eoin Cleary and Mark McInerney (4) all pointing, but after goalkeeper Ronan Burns’ save denied the home side a route back into the contest, points from Crimmins and Daniel Guinness settled the Down nerves.

Mooney put the game to bed when he smashed home with a clinical finish, yet the visitors showed no mercy in the closing stages.

Havern increased his tally to 10, converting a series of frees to end the match as top scorer, before Crimmins’ third and final point completed a dazzling display.

Down will now be fancied to secure their place in the All-Ireland knockout stages, with their next game coming at home to Louth on Saturday, May 31.

Clare: E Tubridy, M Doherty, C Brennan, R Lanigan, I Ugweuru, C Rouine, A Sweeney, B McNamara, C Meaney, K Sexton, E McMahon, A Griffin, M McInerney, E Cleary, D Coughlan.

Subs: A Sweeney, D Walsh, F Kelleher, S Griffin, J Stack.

Down: R Burns, P McCarthy, P Fegan, C Doherty, R Magill, P Laverty, M Rooney, D Guinness, R McEvoy, D Magill, O Murdock, A Crimmins, J Guinness, P Havern, J McGeough.

Subs: C Mooney, C Doherty, S Millar, F Murdock, C McCrickard, D Scullion.