Conor Laverty praises Down's strength to respond from setbacks
Michael Bolton
The Tailteann Cup may not be where Down wanted to be this season, but manager Conor Laverty is determined to end it with their players lifting the trophy at Croke Park on Saturday.
It has been a season of highs and lows for Down. From winning Division Three and defeating Donegal, to a heavy defeat to Armagh and dropping to the Tailteann Cup, Down have been through it all.
The route to Saturday's final was also far from straightforward, with defeat to Offaly leading to an additional game, and Laverty's side were made to work for victory in the semi-final against Fermanagh.
He admitted he would rather be in the second game of the day in a semi-final on Saturday evening, as their main motivation for victory is guaranteed All-Ireland championship football next season.
"I don't think we would be in the silverware bracket," said Laverty.
"The big incentive for everybody in the Tailteann Cup is you can guarantee Sam Maguire football the following year.
“What would the Wicklow players not give to be the second game (the All-Ireland SFC semi-final between Louth and Mayo) on Saturday evening?
“That is where we would all love to be playing, but we are where we're at, and I think we've given the competition the respect it deserves, and I think we've applied ourselves really well, but ultimately that is where a Mark Jackson, a Dean Healy, an Odhran Murdock, a Pierce Laverty, that's where them players would love to be playing.
“That the stadium isn't filling as your match is being played, that you are the pinnacle of the day.
“So, listen, that's the challenge for us all to get there. I think we got a taste of that last year, and it's something that these players would crave to have again, and I think that's what's at stake on Saturday, and for Wicklow, the same.
“Imagine what it would be like for Wicklow to have one of the top-tier teams come in to play them at home in the San Maguire next year.
“That's why the stakes are so high on Saturday afternoon, because of the ticket into the Sam Maguire next year.”
Having won the competition in 2024, making a return two years later would not have been part of the plan.
The start of the year saw Down being seen as a team to watch in the championship, with the famous win over Donegal only backing up those claims.
However, a week later, defeat to Kieran McGeeney's Armagh, combined with Westmeath's win over Kildare, meant it was a change of plan for the rest of the season.
In what Laverty described as a challenging week, he is proud of how his players responded.
"It was a challenging week because of the emotion that came from the Donegal game and the buzz around the county, and going to Clones with a real incentive to have a rattle at Armagh.
"That is one of the biggest challenges to get the balance of that right. I've been delighted with the character of the lads since then. Particularly their attitude and their commitment over this past number of weeks to get back to the final and to give this competition the respect it deserves.
"I think that says a lot about them personally and individually and collectively.
“Maybe some teams would have felt well, we were in the Sam Maguire last year, and we should have been there and maybe had an attitude towards it (the Tailteann Cup).
“But I feel that this is a good bunch of players, a very down-to-earth bunch of players. We asked them to make a decision on it; where they wanted to go in the competition.
“I gave them my opinion, and we gave them the management team's opinion on it. But they inevitably had to make the decision. So, they said they were in.
“We did tailor our mindset and intensity at the start of this competition. But I feel that we've given it the utmost respect. If we could get a result on Saturday, I think it would be good for the lads, and I think it would be standing them in good stead moving forward into next season.”
Down will go into the game as favourites, but Oisín McConville's Wicklow is aiming to cause an upset.
Under the leadership of a man who knows how to win in Croke Park, Wicklow has gone from strength to strength under his management, and Laverty is aware of the dangers they pose.
“They have a manager (Oisín McConville) who has been a winner with his club and with his county, and he has instilled serious belief in them.
“So they're going to come to Croke Park, and they're going to be coming here to play football, and they’ll have no fear of Down, so they'll be very, very dangerous.
“The calibre of players, from Mark Jackson in nets, who's possibly one of the best goalkeepers in the country, to Dean Healy in the middle of the field, to Chris O'Brien, who shot the lights out the last day, is very high.
“So, we understand the challenge that lies ahead of the quality of players that they have and the performances that they've put in over this season and going back to last season and the season before, where they took a lot of big scalps in the Tailteann Cup over the years.
