DOWN go into Sunday’s Ulster SFC quarter-final showdown with Armagh at Pairc Esler more in hope than expectation.
Paddy Tally’s charges have it all to do after an inconsistent National League campaign and that is reflected in the 6/4 against odds for the Red and Blacks.
Down were strongly fancied to make a quick return to Division 2 in the NFL, but they shot themselves in the foot when the chips were down.
Wins, albeit unconvincing, against Sligo, Westmeath, Longford, Offaly and Carlow, following a disappointing defeat to Laois in their first game, left Down only needing to beat Louth at home in their last game to be promoted and through to the divisional final.
However, a miserable display saw them fall to a narrow defeat, leaving extremely disgruntled Down fans bemoaning am unacceptable performance.
To be fair, Tally used the league and McKenna Cup games to blood several new faces and bed in his philosophy, but the time is now right to see improvements, big improvements.
Encouraging signs shown in several NFL games counted for nothing after the Louth defeat and Tally, who is regarded as a brilliant coach with a background in sports science, was using sports psychology before it became a buzz word, must have his players hitting the ground running on Sunday.
He will have to be at his persuasive best to try and ignite this current crop of players, but he has done it at Tyrone, Galway and St Mary’s College and all of Down are hoping he can replicate the effect he had on the Down squad when, working under James McCartan, they took the team to an All-Ireland final before losing out to Cork.
Tally has been working extremely hard behind the scenes and in recent weeks, Down have done enough to suggest in challenge games that they are on the right track.
Second guessing Tally and trying to predict his starting 15 for the Armagh derby is a difficult task.
Unfortunately, Kilcoo’s Ryan Johnston aggravated a hamstring injury in a challenge game against Galway at the weekend and is a definite non-starter.
However, there is no doubt that he will build his team around the talented Caolan Mooney.
However, the inspirational Rostrevor man must be given licence to run at Armagh from a central midfield position.
Mooney is most definitely the jewel in Down’s crown.
He has exceptional ability, supreme athleticism and the pace, power and guile to ruin Kieran McGeeney’s game plan.
Loughinisland’s Jonny Flynn should get the nod alongside Mooney in midfield with Longstone’s Conor Poland also in line for a three-man midfield unit.
Castlewellan’s Rory Burns should start between the sticks, provided he has overcome an injury picked up in a recent club game, but Tally has more than adequate cover in Bryansford custodian Marc Reid.
Both ‘keepers are in the squad, not just for their shot-stopping abilities, but primarily for their accurate distribution from kick-outs and potential to take the ball themselves into open play.
It is believed that skipper Darren O’Hagan, from Clonduff, Warrenpoint’s Ryan McAleenan, Downpatrick’s Gerard Collins, Bryansford’s Ruairi Wells and Davy McKibben, Saul’s Pierce Laverty, Carryduff’s Daniel Guinness, Mayobridge’s Cory Quinn, Castlewellan’s Colm Flanagan, Annaclone’s Benny McArdle and Burren’s Kevin McKernan are in the mix to fill the six defensive positions.
Tally might just go with experience in this sector as Laverty, Quinn and Guinness, impressive as they have been, are just out of the U-20 squad. However, all three are capable of handling the big occasion and they could well form the basis of the Down defence.
In attack, Down should have Glasdrumman’s Connaire Harrison fully fit again and his partnership with Burren’s Donal O’Hare is central to Tally’s aspirations.
This duo have the ability to unlock any defence and the task of supplying them with good ball could fall to McKernan, Kilcoo’s Paul Devlin and brothers Jerome and Ryan Johnston, and Clonduff’s Barry O’Hagan.
Kieran McGeeney, now in his fifth year in charge at Armagh, was able to get Armagh to hold their own in Division 2, but the Orchard County, although doing well in the Qualifiers, have yet to win a game in Ulster under their former captain.
The return of Stefan Campbell and Jamie Clarke this season and Rian O’Neill’s arrival gives the Armagh a serious cutting edge and they could just be too sharp for Down to handle.
The last time Down played Armagh in the Ulster Championship was only two years ago and the job of nullifying Clarke’s influence on the game was handed to Darren O’Hagan — a marking job that enabled Down to record a notable win.
“Going into that game Oisin McConville was saying that Armagh had one of the best full-forward lines in the country and yet they were still in Division 3,” the Down captain said.
Sunday’s game can’t come quick enough for the Clonduff man and he expects a tough, hard-hitting encounter and fireworks from start to finish.
“It’s a local derby. There’s definitely no love lost. It’s real. People probably think it’s not, but here has to be that hatred there,” he remarked.
“It’s like Clonduff playing Kilcoo. I know all the Kilcoo players, but once they’re wearing a different jersey on the field you hate them. You need that — you need that bit of hunger. That’s why you play county football.
“I want to win. I love playing county football and I think Paddy Tally will get an Ulster title out of Down. I don’t know if it will happen this year, next year or in three years, but I do think he can build a team that could do it,” he added.
“You set out every year to win and if we beat Armagh it will be massive for us.”