Ulster SFC quarter-final: Down v Antrim
(Pairc Esler, Saturday, 6pm, live on BBC2)
 
IF Down are looking for the inside track on Antrim, they need look no further than selector, Mickey Donnelly.

The Tyrone native is a teacher at St Ronan’s College in Lurgan, where some of Saturday’s opposition attended as pupils, so is well aware of what they are up against in Newry.

Down have held the upper hand in recent meetings including last year’s wild finish at Pairc Esler and February’s more dominant victory at Corrigan Park.

But Saturday’s game could well be different again and on the wider spaces of Down’s home patch, Antrim’s speedsters may have a little more room to manoeuvre, but the news that Aghagallon’s Ruairi McCann - of whom Donnelly is well acquainted - is once again out is a blow to Antrim and boost to Down considering the havoc he wreaked in Newry last year.

“We played Antrim in Newry last year and I think there were 11 changes between that (Antrim) team and the one that played at Corrigan Park,” said the Aghaloo man who is part of Conor Laverty’s management team.

“Eunan (Walsh) came back in (against Wicklow), Adam (Loughran) has been a great player but had a hernia operation. Ryan Murray is a huge loss, Peter Healy has been out...

“Antrim have been riddled with injuries but you look at six points and a couple of near-misses - it hasn’t been bad League campaign for them. We know it’s going to be a huge challenge in Newry. 

“With Ryan Murray out, Adam out and Paddy McBride coming back out the field a wee bit, Antrim probably lost a bit of punch and Ruairi gives them the different dynamic as you can run the ball but when under pressure, launch it into the square.

“Corrigan is a wee bit tighter, but we think we have an athletic group of players. Antrim are a brilliant counterattacking team by getting players behind the ball and breaking.

“If Adam gets the ball in space he will hurt you, but with my friendship and teacher hat on, I’d love to see him line out as you want to see a lad like that playing football. I think Antrim have very similar characteristics to us as we both like to mix it up.”

That win over the Saffrons at Corrigan Park was key to helping the Mournemen win promotion to Division Two.

Therefore, despite the teams knowing they would meet again in the Ulster Championship, there was no suggestion it was a phoney war or a matter of teams keeping their powder dry.

It was a game both teams desperately wanted to win as prior to it, they were on a similar trajectory.

“We certainly weren’t holding anything back,” Donnelly insisted.

“From the dark nights in winter, we ear-marked that Antrim game as being huge. Obviously, because of the game last year, but also as Antrim had gone deep into the Tailteann Cup and probably performed better against Meath than we did.

“We knew the was going to be a huge game in the landscape of the League. Antrim had won two, we had won two so both teams were going full tilt.”

Their respective Tailteann Cup campaigns were important for a number of reasons.
Of course, building momentum as a group was important for both managers, Conor Laverty and Andy McEntee, but just as big was giving supporters outings at Croke Park that does entice more fans to back the team.

Down may have fallen at the final hurdle against Meath after Antrim lost to the same opposition and the recent Division Three final didn’t go Down’s way either, but getting to the brink of silverware was vital as it has given players and supporters an extra spring in the step heading into this week.

“'Lav' has been very strong in that these lads have won nothing with Down - the last Ulster title was in ‘94, so any silverware was huge,” Donnelly explained.

“Even getting to the Tailteann Cup (final) was huge in terms of the groundswell of support and creating an interest in young fellas and girls getting a ball in their hand.

“I don’t think it was any coincidence Down ladies went onto win an All-Ireland Junior title a few weeks after because everyone was feeling good about Gaelic Games and feeling good about putting on a Down jersey. We want these (Down) lads to be the players young Down fellas look up to.”