THERE have been occasional successes (most notably an All-Ireland final appearance in 2010 of course) but for most of almost three decades now, Down fans have been waiting on the great leap forward.
Such is the intense interest in Gaelic Football in the county that the corner surely has to be turned at some stage and supporters will have their fingers crossed that the talented Down side that won the Ulster U20 title on Friday night can go on to success at senior level.
Conor Laverty’s team saw off a battling Monaghan in extra-time at the Athletic Grounds to win Down’s first provincial title at this level since 2009. Assistant-manager Marty Clarke was a member of the Down side that won the All-Ireland minor title in 2005 and now hopes Friday’s success can be a “springboard” for more in the future.
“I feel it is a really important step,” said Clarke.
“We’ve invested a lot in this group in terms of time and energy and the players have really bought into it and when you see the young faces and the red and black jerseys hopefully we can use it as a springboard for more.
“You have to have a crop that are as talented as this bunch and as athletic. We are really just playing to the players’ strengths in that respect. Conor does a fantastic drop, every session the training standards are so high there’s no slackness allowed, no looseness in terms of the standards they are setting.
“So there’s an Ulster championship and it is an important one for us.
Next up for Down are Connacht champions Roscommon. The young Rossies shocked Mayo in their provincial final to clinch the JJ Fahy Cup for the first time since 2015. Goals from Adam McDermott and James Fitzpatrick saw Liam Tully’s side to a 2-11 to 1-7 victory.
“We’ll be watching Roscommon now,” said Clarke.
“We know a little bit about them but we will be getting our homework done now because it is a short run in.”
Friday night’s Ulster final was tinged with grief after the tragic death of Monaghan skipper Brendan Og Duffy and after the game both sides came together to remember the Monaghan Harps clubman who lost his life in a two-vehicle collision.
Having come through that harrowing experience and with the Irish News Cup safely stowed away in the trophy cabinet, the Down players may enjoy the opportunity to play without pressure and express themselves against Roscommon.
“We thought we had everything planned – tactics, kick-outs… but a game like that sometimes opens up and it’s hell for leather,” said Marty of Friday night’s nerve-jangling Ulster decider.
“There was plenty of quality and plenty of mistakes and we’re just fortunate we got to extra-time and we knew that if we kept our heads we had a chance of coming out on top and thankfully we did.
“You’re trying to have a positive influence and you have Conor, Sean Boylan, myself, Declan Morgan and Eoghan McCartan (in the management team).
“There’s unbelievable athleticism and skill in that team, that’s plain to see but for us the challenge was to try and get a spirit in a belief and you can only get the coming through a test like we did there tonight. They really pushed on when the chips were down and we’re so proud of the group.
“There’s going to be mistakes but we feel we have a lot of work done in training physically and mentally to be able to deal with those sort of setbacks and go again.”
