By Shaun Casey A HOUDINI act in Clones on the final day of the National League has a familiar ring to it but this year is slightly different as it’s Conor Laverty’s Down who are trying to pull off the round seven heroics. On plenty of occasions in the last decade, Monaghan have secured their […]
By Shaun Casey WHEN Down players and supporters leave the Páirc Esler ground on Saturday evening, they’ll have a clearer picture of where their survival hopes sit. A defeat to Westmeath could send them spinning back to Division Three after just one season in the second tier. It wouldn’t be confirmed there and then, but […]
By Shaun Casey SATURDAY’S trip to Kingspan Breffni is a hugely important one for Down and their target of staying in Division Two, says former full-forward John Clarke. As things stand, Down currently sit in one of the two relegation spots. The Mourne men earned promotion from Division Three last season and are determined to […]
By Shaun Casey A REGULAR rule of thumb in the National League is that winning your home games are a must and anything you get on your travels is a bonus. Down will be chasing a bonus two-points this weekend as they hope to fend off fears of relegation. The Mourne men surrendered their unbeaten […]
By Shaun Casey GETTING to play in front of an excited crowd in Newry helps to bring the best out of the Down players, says the versatile Ryan Magill. The Mourne men are aiming for their second win of the campaign when they invite Meath to Páirc Esler on Saturday evening. Conor Laverty’s side bounced […]
By Shaun Casey THIS time last year, Down were two divisions below Roscommon in the National Football League but now in 2025, the two sides will battle it out on the opening day of the Division Two campaign. The Rossies were relegated from the top tier, along with Monaghan, while the Mourne County gained promotion […]
By Shaun Casey WITHOUT reflecting too much on the year just gone by, it’s worth noting that Down ticked both of their boxes in terms of the big targets for 2024. Get promoted out of Division Three and win the Tailteann Cup. Tick. Tick. Having come so close in 2023, motivation would have been extremely […]
1 Down heading up SINCE Conor Laverty took the reins in the Mourne County, Down have been slowly but surely improving. While they missed out on promotion in 2023, and lost the Tailteann Cup final to Meath, they ticked off both those objectives in a superb 2024 season. They topped the Division Three table but […]
GARVAGHEY, Owenbeg, Convoy – hitherto fairly obscure place-names now synonymous with GAA centre of excellences, and in time, you can add Ballykinlar to the list. It was announced last week that Down GAA will receive over £12.6million in funding to develop a new base from the EU-supported PEACEPLUS Programme. Here’s the nuts and bolts – […]
Niall Gartland takes a look at who’ll be in charge across the province in 2025 Antrim – Andy McEntee MEATH native Andy McEntee is set to manage Antrim for a third year in 2025 and the general feeling is that he’s doing a good job at the Saffrons. If you take this year, they finished […]
