Camogie Leagues Division One
Down v Offaly
Saturday, tbc

By Kieran Lynch

THE 2022 season hasn’t started easily for the Down camogs, as they have been thrown into the bear pit of Division One, but their manager Paul Donnelly has praised the spirit of his team, as they haven’t let their heads drop despite back-to-back defeats.

“We’ve trained extremely hard since the second of January,” he told Gaelic Life.

“And the management team are very happy with the attitude and application that has been shown by all of the players involved on the panel; I think that there’s tremendous drive and spirit within the panel, and our job is to try and build upon that over the course of the next few months and hopefully years.”

From the outside looking in, many people may expect Down to be disappointed with heavy defeats against Tipperary and Galway, but Donnelly has focused on the positives for his team, as they continue to learn and develop whilst playing some of the best teams in Ireland.

“There’s no doubt that we have had two tough games,” said the Down manager.

“We started our season against two teams who I believe are amongst the best teams in the country. But the management team have identified a lot of positives from both games, as well as areas for improvement.

“But that’s sport, isn’t it? There is no team or player that is the finished article, and as I see it, every time you train, or every time you play, it should be seen as an opportunity to improve.

“That’s our mantra: improvement, improvement, improvement.”

As many teams do, Down look at the league as an opportunity to unearth new talent, and Donnelly believes that the clashes against strong opposition will stand to his young team come championship-time.

“We’ve had the opportunity to develop some new and up-and-coming players within Down, who I believe will set the pitch alight, come the summer months,” said Donnelly.

“We believe that the National League is an opportunity to develop, to learn, and to try and identify new and up-and-coming talent, and I think that we have done that.”

This weekend, Down take on Offaly, who like them, have also lost their first two encounters, and Donnelly has marked this game as one where his team can show what they’re all about.

“Offaly will be another challenge again, there’s no doubt about that,” he said.

“But I think that we have prepared well, and I believe that we are now ready to deliver a performance. Not just for the players themselves, but for the families, the clubs and the communities that want us to do well.”

Donnelly also wishes to pay special thanks to Liatroim Fontenoys GAC’s committee and volunteers for their fantastic facilities and hospitality in hosting two Down home games, and CM Precision Components, for providing the necessary support for Down to prepare the panel of players as best as they can in the forthcoming year ahead.

READ MORE…Down take positive from life in the fast lane. Click here…