DOWN’S victory in the Tailteann Cup brought with it many emotions. Joy, delight, jubilation and, in some way a relief too.
A relief to win a final in Croke Park, a relief to have seen out the last few minutes and, perhaps most of all, a relief to be guaranteed a place at the top table next year – back competing for Sam Maguire.
It’s been two years in the making for this group and comes after Down had suffered one of their worst ever year’s results wise the campaign before.
In 2022 the Mournemen didn’t win a single competitive game. Now, in two years since, they haven’t lost a home game and have returned to Division Two. It has been a target of this group to get back to that level and it’s something that delighted manager Conor Laverty.
The Kilcoo man said, “It’s going to be a great thing that Down can bring some of the big teams to Newry next year.
“Some of the top four teams are going to come to Newry next year in the Sam Maguire and, listen, we haven’t been beat in Newry in two years.
“We wouldn’t fear anybody in it and that’s even the top tier teams and that’ll push the standards of our players and it’ll push the standards of training when they go back in November or December time.”
When asked what qualities he has brought and what has changed about the Down setup over the last couple of years, Conor reflected, “It’s probably a togetherness.
“We’re a really, really close group. We’re very, very good friends. I suppose it helped that I had a lot of them on a journey with the Under 20s for three years.”
One of the players who has journeyed with Laverty on that road has been Danny Magill, and the Burren man was in both an ecstatic and determined mood, even the day after the dust had settled on the victory.
Magill said, “Am I delighted we won? Absolutely, but it’s not the end of the road for us, we want to get up to Division Two, we want to compete in Division Two and we want to move up the ranks.”
In the full article Danny Magill says what he thinks about taking on better teams next year.