All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Preliminary Quarter-final
Down v Galway
Sunday, 1.45pm, Páirc Esler
By Peter McGrath Jnr
If there was any sense that the visit of Louth to Páirc Esler as the Leinster champions wasn’t a ‘glamour tie’, there will be no doubting the attraction of Galway coming to town on Sunday.
In one sense, Down may have ‘wanted’ Cavan or Cork in the draw, but in another way this is exactly what Conor Laverty has been yearning for since he took the job as manager – bringing the best teams in the country to Newry.
In the wake of Down’s defeat to Monaghan, the manager was upbeat in his post-match reflections. Laverty indicated the plan was to win on Sunday and have a weekend ‘off’ but, despite the result, he was proud of the effort and application of his players.
“I didn’t plan to be playing next weekend. Everybody says about the six or seven day turnaround but most teams are probably playing an in-house match next weekend anyway. As players, I think the more games you play, it’s better. It can work one of both ways. People say it can hurt playing three weekends in a row, but it could work for some teams in that they pick up momentum, and I think in football at the minute momentum is a massive thing.
“I was involved in a team in 2010 that got on a bit of a run in the qualifiers (and reached the All-Ireland final),” Laverty stated.
Conor also highlighted the possible benefits of home advantage in this week’s game. He said: “Newry was fantastic two weeks ago and the Down support came out again today. It’s good to see the supporters going. I think this team is on a journey and we really want to bring the (Down supporters) with us.”
Galway, though unconvincing in their round robin games, remain recognised as one of the top teams on the island. Beaten in the All-Ireland final last year by a single point, the Tribesmen have been dining at the top table for several years and have won the last four Connacht titles.
Manager Pádraic Joyce has been in charge since the beginning of the 2020 season and has moulded his side into a resolute opponent for any comer. The team is sprinkled with star quality. In players like Sean Kelly, Rob Finnerty and Shane Walsh, they have serious ability and they landed five All-Stars in last year’s championship.
There is also Damien Comer — a man who is unlikely to feature this week due to injury but, if he were even available off the bench, he could leave a lasting impression on the game.
It took a stunning second-half comeback against Armagh in the group stage last weekend for Galway to qualify. Trailing by seven at half-time having had two penalties which yielded a single point return, they could easily have downed tools and closed the curtain on their campaign. Instead, they grabbed a stranglehold on the game from early in the second half and completed a dramatic turnaround to secure a one-point win.
Down’s positive performances continued despite the defeat to Monaghan. Odhran Murdock had his best game for a long time and there was some excellent last-ditch defending, including interventions from Pierce Laverty, Danny Magill and Paddy McCarthy.
There were a handful of individual errors the group will want to tidy up ahead of Sunday afternoon but, for the most part, a replication of the performance and attitude is exactly what will be required.
Down will know they need to put in their best performance of the year if they want to beat Galway but, with the roar of the Newry crowd behind them, come throw-in on Sunday at 1.45pm, this committed group of Mournemen will be primed and ready, full of belief they can cause a major upset.
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