By Peter McGrath jnr
When Conor Laverty took his seat in the media room beneath the Cusack Stand in Croke Park following Down’s 2-16 to 1-21 defeat to Wicklow, his expression said it all.
There was pain, devastation, shock and a myriad of other emotions visible at a glance. Usually quick and authoritative in his post-match assessments, this was a different Conor Laverty. He paused to consider his answers. His tone was, understandably, low and measured.
The scale of the bitter disappointment was evident in his first reflection on the defeat.
“I don’t have the words to describe it, that’s the truth,” he said.
“Lack of discipline, very sloppy in possession, [with] the amount of turnovers we gave away.”
The manager noted that his side had started brightly, adding: “The first half we were extremely happy, the second half it was a disaster.”
While acknowledging that momentum can play a huge part in games under the new rules, the Down boss was frustrated by his team’s productivity given the amount of possession the Mournemen secured.
“I still think we had chances,” Laverty reflected. “I would understand if we had got penned in on kick-outs and couldn’t get our hands on the ball, but I think we were 92 per cent on our own kick-out, so that tells its own story. Twenty-five or 26 turnovers.”
There was a palpable sense of frustration about the way much of the play broke down and some of the decision-making on the field.
“It’s still the same areas we are falling down on,” Laverty said. “For all it’s a positive, promotion, there’s still areas that are frequently being revisited in periods of games.
“We have tried to work on them on the training pitch, we have tried to work on them on and off the pitch, but it’s a massive challenge.”
In summing up, the Down manager praised Wicklow for their performance and victory. However, it was clear he felt his own side had underperformed at key stages of the contest.
“Football is maybe about moments now and in them moments we just lacked that bit of composure in the final third just to get the scoreboard ticking again and just keep that distance whenever they were coming,” he said.
“They were always going to come because they’d done the same against Offaly and with the new rules and the breeze out there.
“Taking nothing away from Wicklow because the heart and courage they played with, we can take absolutely nothing away from them. Of course, we’re disappointed in our own performance, particularly in the second half.”
There will now be a few weeks for the management and squad to reflect on those moments and gather their thoughts as the club leagues conclude and the club championship season looms.
