Crimmins to the rescue as Down stave off desperate Louth charge

Crimmins to the rescue as Down stave off desperate Louth charge

4 June 2025

ADAM Crimmins was the hero of the hour as Down survived a late fight-back from neighbours Louth and moved to within one step of the All-Ireland Championship knockout stages.

Down were in fine fettle in the first half, racking up score after score to take a nine-point lead into the break. 

However, they were well aware that the job was not done at the half-way point and fear of a collapse began to set in when Louth hit five two-pointers in the second period.

Trailing by just one point, the visitors had control of possession when the hooter was sounded and as Tommy Durnin lined up a potential match-winning two-point effort, Crimmins produced the most heroic of blocks to ensure his side made it two wins from two.

The Mourne Men got off to a roaring start, with Odhran Murdock coming out on top in the throw-in and opening the scoring with an eye-catching two-pointer.

Ryan Magill and John McGeough each clipped scores over the bar to give them a four-point lead after only three minutes of play.

A schoolboy error from Down handed Louth their first score in the eighth minute, when they failed to abide by the three players back rule and Sam Mulroy converted the resulting free.

However, the home side soon began to impress all over the pitch, rendering their opponents scoreless for the next 21 minutes, while building a healthy advantage.

Ceilum Doherty kick-started a flurry of scoring, with Danny Magill and Odhran Murdock converting from two-point range, before James Guinness and Pat Havern increased the margin to 10.

A Louth purple patch saw Conor McKeever, Ryan Burns, Conor Grimes and Mulroy all split the posts, but their resurgence was cut short by Havern (3) and Magill (2).

Still, the visitors were refusing to go down without a fight, and they hit the final two points of the first half thanks to Burns.

A Murdock free got Down off the mark in the second period and while the early signs alluded to a repeat of the opening 35 minutes, the action was far from over.

The grit and determination of the Louth men came to the fore once more, as a Mulroy two-pointer reduced the deficit back down to seven.

The game was fast developing into a real battle and with that extra bit of needle injected into the contest, a second Mulroy two-pointer was sandwiched between a pair of scores from Magill.

Points from Crimmins and substitute Caolan Mooney offered a reply from Down, but after Louth’s Donal Kenny rattled the post, Mulroy, Durnin and Craig Lennon raised three consecutive orange flags.

The sides exchanged two scores apiece and while Down kept their noses in front, what had earlier looked like a certain victory was now in jeopardy.

A Downey brace and a Havern point left just one point between the teams, with the scoreline sitting at 0-25 to 0-24, and Down worryingly conceded possession late on.

Louth launched one last attack and Durnin’s eyes lit up as he lined up a shot from outside the arc – one that would have snatched victory if converted.

The heroic Crimmins showed exactly what it means to represent your county, as he stormed in to close the angle and threw himself in front of the ball.

Murdock kicked the loose ball out of play, bringing the contest to a close and sparking celebrations from the Páirc Esler crowd.

Down will now aim to achieve a perfect group stage record and guarantee a place in the knockouts when they travel to Monaghan on Saturday, June 14.

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

Subs: C Mooney, S Millar, E Branagan, F Murdock.

Louth: N McDonnell, D Nally, D Campbell, D McKenny, C McKeever, P Lynch, C Lennon, T Durnin, C Byrne, B Duffy, C Downey, C Grimes, C Keenan, S Mulroy, R Burns.

Subs: L D McDonnell, A Williams, P Matthews, K McArdle, D McKeown.