By Niall McCoy

DOWN attacker Daithi Sands believes that they must be prepared to repel an Offaly storm in the opening quarter of Sunday’s Division 2A clash in Tullamore.

Not only are the Faithful county intent on tightening their grip on promotion, but they will also be smarting from last year’s shock loss to Down in the Christy Ring Cup semi-final.

Michael Fennelly’s side have looked like men on a mission this season and had 21 points to spare against Kerry last time out.

Sands said that they would have to be alert from the off or they too could be in for a long afternoon.

“They’ll not be taking us for granted and they’ll see it as a chance to right a wrong,” he said.

“They’ll be looking to blow us out of the water, to put the game to bed early.

“We’ll be well prepared though. We don’t fear them.”

Ronan Sheehan’s side have impressed since making the move up to Division 2A.

After losing to Kerry, they earned back-to-back victories over Carlow and Wicklow to all but guarantee their status in the division for another season.

Another surprise win over the four-time All-Ireland winners would put them right back into the promotion picture, but avoiding relegation was the main aim of the season – and that means they have a free hit this weekend, according to Sands.

“Those wins sort of guaranteed our safety while Offaly are pushing for promotion. So we have nothing to lose.

“We are looking to win, of course, but from our perspective we want to put in a performance and be competitive.

“If we’re still in the game with 15 minutes to go then there’s no reason why we can’t push on.”

Although Down’s results have been good, the Portaferry clubman said that the move to a higher level of hurling has been a real baptism of fire – especially evident in their 4-18 to 0-19 loss to Kerry in round one.

“It’s definitely been a big step up. We found that out against Kerry,” he said.

“We were competing well in that game and then in a six-minute spell they blitzed us with three goals.

“There’s no room for mistakes in this division, no room for complacency. That was an early lesson for us, but one we hope we have learned from.”

Much of the Ulster hurling talk has been about how Antrim have been faring in Division One, with Down’s progress maybe going a bit under the radar.

The player said that it was totally understandable, but also added that their aims were just as lofty as their neighbours.

“Antrim are playing higher level so they’re going to get more coverage,” said Sands.

“That’s where we want to get to. We want to be at the same level as Antrim.

“We want to put in the performances, get the results and build momentum.”

16 May 2021; A view of the scoreboard after the Allianz Hurling League Division 2A Round 2 match between Down and Carlow at McKenna Park in Ballycran, Down. Photo by Eóin NoonanSportsfile