Down senior footballers face tough opener

Down senior footballers face tough opener

22 January 2020

DOWN’S senior footballers head for Clonmel on Sunday more in hope than optimism to open their Division 3 Allianz League campaign against Tipperary.

Paddy Tally’s charges face a tough opening game as the Premier County, who were relegated from Division 2 last season, will be like a wounded animal and determined to bounce back into the league’s second tier.

The sides met last June at Pairc Esler when Down won an All-Ireland Qualifier 1-13 to 1-10. Pat Havern, Corey Quinn and Donal O’Hare did most of the scoring that day, but Tipperary will be a different proposition at the weekend.

New Tipp manager David Power, who famously led the county minors to an All-Ireland title in 2011, has an abundance of talent at his disposal, but he will have to without star player Michael Quinlivan.

The Clonmel Commercials man has decided to go travelling for a year and his absence is a huge loss to Tipperary’s attack and the county’s bid to regain their status in the top flight ahead of next season’s championship changes.

Promotion is also a must for Down as well, as they too have huge aspirations of avoiding competing in the All-Ireland second tier competition.

Down have just emerged from an indifferent McKenna Cup campaign.

Wins over Fermanagh and Antrim were cast aside when Tally’s team were given a reality check by Tyrone in the semi-finals.

Mickey Harte’s experimental side simply over-powered Down and had too much physicality all over the park.

Hopefully, Down will have learned from that game, but second guessing Tally’s team selection ahead of Sunday is a difficult job.

Definitely missing Sunday’s game will be vice-captain Caolan Mooney, the one player in the camp who has the ability to stand out from the rest. His unavailability through injury is a severe blow to Tally’s aspirations

John O’Hare and Marc Hynes shared the goalkeeping duties in the two McKenna Cup games, but Castlewellan’s Rory Burns is still considered as the county number one.

Downpatrick’s Gerard Collins, Burren’s Kevin McKernan and Warrenpoint’s Ryan McAleenan could well man the full back berths with Annaclone’s Brendan McArdle also in the frame.

A knee injury for Saul’s Pierce Laverty, picked up against Tyrone, could rule him out of action, but Daniel Guinness could well fill in for him at right half back. Captain Darren O’Hagan seems to be favourite to start at centre half back with a mixture of Ross Carr, McArdle, Mayobridge’s Shane Annett and Guinness flanking him.

Midfield has been a bit of a problem for Down, but Loughinisland’s Jonny Flynn should start in this sector with either Liatroim’s Liam Middleton, Castlewellan’s Sean Dornan, Carryduff’s Owen McCabe or Longstone’s Conor Poland most likely to get the nod.

The set of six forwards will come from Poland, McCabe, Corey Quinn, Barry O’Hagan, Conor Maginn, Pat Havern, Donal O’Hare, Brendan Gallen, Ciaran Harney, Liam Kerr and Ross McGarry.

Regardless of who Tally starts with, Tipperary will be no pushovers and now under Power’s management, they will be keen to impress.

Michael O’Reilly, Liam Fahey, Bill Maher, Robbie Kiely, Jack Kennedy, Conor Sweeney and Liam Treacy all showed up well in Tipperary’s recent McGrath Cup campaign and did enough, even without Quinlivan, to suggest that they will be a tough nut to crack.