By Shaun Casey

THE celebrations and claps on the back for gaining promotion and getting their hands on the Division Two league title will long be forgotten about when Down line out at Netwatch Cullen Park on Saturday afternoon.

Ronan Sheehan and his men will have put an unbelievable league campaign behind them as they set their sights on the championship. Hopes will be high in the Down camp surrounding the Joe McDonagh Cup.

Carlow are their first opponents and the Leinster men had a steady league campaign up in Division 1B. They won two, lost two and drew two of their six outings to finish in the middle of the pack.

Not only that, but Carlow have returned to this competition having claimed the title just two years ago, beating Down by 13 points along the way, and they competed in the Leinster Championship in 2024.

That didn’t necessarily go to plan as they finished bottom of the group with just one point to show for their efforts, a round three draw against Kilkenny, but it wasn’t enough to secure their spot in the race for Liam MacCarthy.

So Down will be well aware of the challenge their hosts offer this weekend and given the game is away from home for the Mourne men, they’ll know they are going to be up against it to get an opening-day result.

But confidence will be sky high in that changing room and they’ll be keen to carry their winning form and momentum from the league into a ferociously competitive Joe McDonagh Cup campaign.

Their scoring power would suggest that they’ll always be in with a chance and their goal-scoring rate has been impressive this year. In seven league games, Down rattled the net an outstanding 24 times.

Eight of those majors came in the final round against Meath (which they lost) and the decider against Kildare. In those last two games, Portaferry attacker Tom McGrattan fired off 4-17, with his accuracy from frees a key part of his game.

Eoghan Sands, Tim Prenter and Donal Hughes also carry huge scoring threats while John McManus and Caolan Taggart keep things tight at the back and form a solid spine in the Down defence.

Carlow will be a step up in class for the Ulster men, but the task is one that they will embrace. They’ve come along way from that 13-point drumming two years ago and will be keen to show that.