Recap and reaction as Down lift the Tailteann Cup after gritty two-point win over Laois

Mark Barry's stunning late goal set up grandstand finish, but the Mournemen held firm to secure Sam Maguire Cup football for next season 

Tailteann Cup final: Down 0-14 Laois 2-6

By Paddy Tierney  

Down have secured Sam Maguire Cup football following a gritty two-point win over Laois in Saturday’s Tailteann Cup final at Croke Park.

The Mournemen were the better team for the majority of the game, but goals in either half, including a stunning late strike from Mark Barry, kept the O’Moore County in contention.

Laois were hit for four goals inside the opening 16 minutes of last season’s semi-final clash between the teams and, while they didn’t concede a goal in the first half, they were three points down inside the first four minutes.

Liam Kerr, Pat Havern and Shealan Johnston were on target early on before Mary Barry settled the Laois nerves with a well-worked score.

Laois hit their first goal somewhat against the run of play as James Kelly’s ball over the top put Brian Byrne through on goal. Down goalkeeper John O’Hare came off his line to fist the ball away from Byrne, but his clearance fell to Seamus Lacey who tucked the ball into the left-hand corner of the net.

Down rallied and outscored Laois 0-5 to 0-2 for the remainder of the half with Odhran Murdock landing two classy points from play as the Mournemen led 0-8 to 1-3 at the break.

Justin McNulty’s half-time teamtalk appeared to work the oracle as Laois hit three unanswered points on the restart via Conor Heffernan, Barry (free) and Paul Kingston (free).

Conor Laverty rolled the nice and introduced Caolan Mooney and Danny Magill early in the second half and the pair had a great impact with Magill kicking two points within minutes of being introduced. He also had a hand in Murdock’s third point as Down regained the advantage.

Further scores from Mooney, Pat Haverrn and Peter Fegan put Down into a five-point lead late on and the result seemed beyond doubt.

However, there was a final twist as Laois plundered their second goal. James Kelly’s long-ball in was punched clear once more and Barry collected the ball 25 metres from goal and rifled the ball into the top corner of the net to set up a grandstand finish.

Barry missed a chance to draw within one moments later and Laois couldn’t fashion another goal chance and Down held on to claim the Tailteann Cup and, with it, a place in the All-Ireland series next summer.

Down scorers: Odhran Murdock 0-3, Pat Havern 0-3 (0-1f), Danny Magill 0-2, Peter Fegan 0-1, Shealan Johnston 0-1, Jonny Flynn 0-1, Ryan Johston 0-1, Liam Kerr 0-1, Caolan Mooney 0-1.

Laois scorers: Mark Barry 1-2 (0-1f), Seamus Lacey 1-0, Killian Roche 0-1 (0-1f), Conor Heffernan 0-1, Evan O’Carroll 0-1, Paul Kingston 0-1 (0-1f).

The Ulster neighbours will both be in action in Croke Park on Saturday with Down contesting the final of the Tailteann Cup while Armagh take on Kerry in the All-Ireland SFC semi-final

By Paddy Tierney
belfastlive.co.uk
Sliding doors moment in Down-Armagh rivalry not lost on Mourne skipper Pierce Laverty  - Belfast Live

The rivalry between Down and Armagh is one that runs deep and it isn’t lost on the Mournemen that their season could have been very different had they pulled off a famous victory over the Orchard County in the Ulster SFC semi-final back in April.

On Saturday, both teams will be in action in Croke Park. Yet, Down will emerge from the Cusack Stand prior to their Tailteann Cup final meeting with Laois.

The game acts as the curtain-raiser for the main event of the evening. Armagh and Kerry will take to the hallowed turf from the Hogan Stand tunnel ahead of their All-Ireland SFC semi-final battle.

Yet, just one point separated Down and Armagh in Clones with Jason Duffy kicking an injury-time winner for Kieran McGeeney’s men.

That narrow loss condemned Down to the Tailteann Cup for a third consecutive season and they’ll be hoping to finally secure Sam Maguire football next season by beating Laois this weekend.

Down captain Pierce Laverty admits that defeat took its toll on the squad, but feels they are in a good place as they bid to go one better after losing out to Meath in last season’s Tailteann Cup final.

“The week after the Ulster Championship defeat, it was obviously a tough one to take,” said Laverty.

“You're maybe carrying it into the house and then to work and that, you're moping about the place a bit and you watch it back and you can be disappointed in that.

“I suppose the message from the boys when we got back to training was just to get back on the horse and get at it and get back to work.

“There's no point feeling sorry for ourselves and that and to just get back to work and that's the only way to look at it.

"We had another game to win in two or three weeks’ time (in the Tailteann Cup) and we said we'll not win it by sitting about here feeling sorry for ourselves so that was the driving factor.”

He added: “We are where we are and that's in the Tailteann Cup right now. There's no point in me saying we should be in the Sam Maguire last year or this year - we've had the opportunity to go and do that and we haven't done it yet. We're trying to maximise our performance to get over the line.”

Down defeated Laois by 22 points in last year’s Tailteann Cup semi-final but lost out to Meath in the final.

The Saval native hopes the hurt of last year’s defeat will help drive Down over the line this weekend.

“It’s an opportunity to win silverware on the national stage and to have that under your belt, even the loss last year and again Westmeath this year, to overcome them two defeats and then go and do it this time around, it'll be a massive learning curve and it'll be great to see some of the younger players especially. To have that under their belt now, to feed that into the games going forward is crucial.

Mournemen take on Laois in Tailteann Cup decider on Saturday

By Neil Loughran

July 10, 2024 at 6:00am BST

NO matter how much time passes, whatever challenges the day to day throws up, Marty Clarke always gets a tingle when the bus pulls up at Jones’s Road.

Thursday marks 20 years since one of the most talked about teenagers in the country first set foot on the sacred sod, playing in Down minors’ drawn Ulster final with Tyrone before Armagh brushed aside Donegal in the big one later that day.

The Red Hands would prove the stone in Down’s shoe that year, winning the Ulster final replay before edging out their Mourne counterparts at Casement Park in the last four of the All-Ireland series a month later.

But Down, and Clarke’s, time would come – their 17-year-old playmaker lighting up Croke Park as the Tom Markham Cup was secured 12 months later with a thrilling victory over Mayo.

After leaving to make his name with Collingwood in the AFL, the prodigal son returned to spearhead Down’s drive to the 2010 All-Ireland final, spellbinding performances against Kerry and Kildare sending supporters into a frenzy, only for Cork to pop the balloon when it mattered most.

The Cranfield man’s last appearance in red and black came there too, his county career coming to a premature end in frustrating fashion when he was sent off in a 2011 qualifier defeat, the Rebels once more holding the Indian sign over their northern opponents.

But the Croke connection runs even deeper still. When he comes back now, which he will on Saturday as part of Conor Laverty’s management team for Down’s Tailteann Cup decider with Laois, it is all business.

Clarke, though – like Laverty - was lucky enough to catch the tail end of the county’s last glorious era, a starry-eyed six-year-old watching from the Cusack Stand as DJ Kane hoisted Sam aloft.

He remembers exactly how it felt, and how much it seemed to mean to those all around him. What Marty Clarke wouldn’t do be part of a group inspiring another generation in similar fashion.

“That’s the key,” smiled the 36-year-old, “Conor is obviously a similar age to me – we got to pretend to be Down players in the garden.

“We were laughing because there was no internet as such in them days, but everyone seemed to know everything about all the teams.

“You just maybe read the paper and watched the TV on a Sunday evening, it was a great time to grow up and certainly planted the seed for my sporting career, being able to go to Croke Park and see the red and black, see those players do what they did.

“Every time you go back, you’re hopeful, whether as a player or now as a management team, you want the boys to go out and express themselves, to play with flair as well.

“It’s a special place to play.”

Bidding to escape the Tailteann Cup at the second time of asking, Laverty’s men are under no illusions about the gap that must be made up to even come close to emulating those heroes of bygone days.

But, in his second year at the helm, sealing promotion to Division Two and guaranteeing All-Ireland Championship football next year would be a huge step in the right direction.

“We feel we’re building in the right direction,” said Clarke.

“If we can go there and get the job done then we can push pause for a few months, go back to their clubs and give all there, and you’re starting in Division Two and the Sam Maguire next year.

“We know that’s the prize at stake, and that’s certainly tangible progress, and it would have to be taken up another few levels to play in Division Two and play in the Sam Maguire. That’s our ambition, if you get those things right then potentially you could get on a roll and that’s where we would like to be.

“We would like to be ambitious and see where we could go, and have the county right back up there towards the top tier.”

It is 13 years since Clarke last represented Down and, working alongside the modern player, the strides made since in terms of physical preparation have been significant.

At a media night in St Malachy’s High School, Castlewellan last week, Clarke sat alongside captain Pierce Laverty and Daniel Guinness – two men whose diligent approach reminds him of his own playing days on the other side of the world.

“The professionalism of these lads here and many others in the squad… it is essentially what the preparation has become now in GAA across the board.

“It doesn’t matter if you are playing a team in Division Four or the best teams in the Sam Maguire; the level of conditioning of the lads has been superb. We can only speak for our own camp, but Conor has put together a phenomenal management team, the strength and conditioning with Johnny Davies, who has been doing a great job.

“But the players drive a lot of it and lot of them are living and breathing it - none moreso than these two. It is day and night, if you are putting hard work in and time and effort and you are asking questions about how you can get better.

“We do have a couple of mavericks… I was a small bit in that category myself when I was playing, where I was stimulated so much by playing and training, but I think that has been fed out of the game now. You have to be near enough all-in.

“It seems to me most players enjoy it, it is an avenue to the facilities, exposure to top level coaching, strength and conditioning, gyms and all that. It is a great lifestyle for a lad living in Ireland, if he is on a good county side, then he can do that... you look at the best teams and you have 25 or 30 lads who are all in that category.”

That is where Down want to be; where Down need to be. Saturday is another huge fork in the road – this time around, they cannot afford to take a wrong turn.

Mournemen face Laois in Tailteann Cup decider, with winner securing All-Ireland crack next year

By Neil Loughran
IRISH NEWS

July 11, 2024 at 8:30am BST

Kevin McKernan was a stalwart of Down football, representing the Mourne County for over a decade and a half and enduring tough times during that period, but enjoying great times too.

Lee Costello
Tailteann Cup Final: Down need to lift trophy this time around, says Kevin McKernan | BelfastTelegraph.co.uk

The pinnacle of his career was reaching the All-Ireland Final in 2010, where they lost to Cork by the smallest margin, but the excitement, build-up and buzz will always stay with him.

The Mourne County are not reaching those heights lately, but they are certainly on an upward trajectory under Conor Laverty and having reached their second Tailteann Cup Final in a row, the buzz is back.

“We had a breakfast morning last Friday which 400 people attended and it reminded me of the All-Ireland Final breakfast morning,” McKernan said at the AIB media launch ahead of the Tailteann Cup Final.

“It’s just a great opportunity to gather funds, an opportunity to sell the county as they approach a big Final — you can sell the dream, promote the big day and this win in the Tailteann Cup for either Down or Laois has serious repercussions.

“For either side, if they win, then it’s a case of seeing whether they develop to the next step or they get stale and struggle.

“Laois are in bonus territory, I have heard that from numerous Laois people, I even heard Colm Parkinson say that if Laois were even competitive and pushed Down hard, then they would be happy and content.

“For Down people, we need to go and win this. There is no hiding that fact from Laois or Down. Down were beaten Finalists last year, they are in a better place to win this game and need to do it.

“This brings great excitement for Laois to try and stop Down doing that, while Down can be excited about being on this upward curve they are currently on.

“They can look at teams like Armagh and Galway, who have been competitive against the very best, but Sligo pinned Galway in Connacht, while Down pushed Armagh right to the last four minutes of stoppage time.”

McKernan retired in 2022, just before Laverty took charge, but he did have the benefit of playing alongside him in the famous red and black jersey, and fully backs him to bring good times back.

“Conor will do absolutely anything in his power to win, and he will do everything to better this team. With his backroom team, he has given Down the tools they need to compete. Physically, tactically, how they approach games, he’ll look at all of that and think, ‘How can I make Down the best versions of themselves?’

“He worked with the U20 teams and is bringing them through, and that will leave Down in an even better place.”

Down vs Laois: Marty Clarke says 2023 semi-final rout was “a freak” game as Mournemen gear up for Tailteann Cup rematch

Clarke insists Justin McNulty has reinvigorated the O'Moore County and is expecting a different test from the Division Four champions at Croke Park this weekend

By Paddy Tierney belfastlive.co.uk

Down coach Marty Clarke insists the Mournmen are ready to take the step up in class as they bid to secure Sam Maguire football next season when they face Laois in Saturday’s Tailteann Cup final.

Since Conor Laverty took the reins in 2023, Down have squandered a host of opportunities to move into football’s top 16.

Two chances to gain a place in the All-Ireland series came and went last year when they failed to reach the Ulster final and lost the Tailteann Cup final to Meath.

Winning Division Three this season would have secured a place in the group stages, but Down were beaten by Westmeath and they were edged out by a single point by Armagh in the Ulster semi-final.

This is, therefore, a fifth opportunity for the current crop to book their place in the top-tier competition and it is one Clarke says Down are keen to grasp.

"There is no doubt that the prize of getting into the Sam Maguire is a very big one as is winning a national competition in Croke Park,” said Clarke.

“I still think that our biggest target going into this game is to see if we can put together a performance where we feel we do ourselves justice in those areas. Because we feel that we haven’t reached the heights we would like but we are working hard to do that.

"The thing about it is, that you have to factor in, is every opposition gives new challenges and at the minute because we have been down in the Tailteann Cup for a few years every side is always raising their game to play you - we found that out against Sligo.

"We give every opposition maximum respect but there is certainly a lot on the line for us individually and certainly if we were to get that cup and be in the Sam Maguire next year, it would be a fantastic year."

Westmeath, inaugural Tailteann Cup winners in 2022, have shown that teams operating in Division Three can hold their own in the All-Ireland series and Clarke feels the current Down squad would relish the chance to rest themselves against the top sides in the country.

“We feel we’re building in the right direction,” added Clarke.

“If we can go there on the 13th and get the job done then we can push pause for a few months, go back to their clubs and give it all there, and you’re starting in Division Two and the Sam Maguire next year.

“We know that’s the prize at stake, and that’s certainly tangible progress, and it would have to be taken up another few levels to play in Division Two and play in the Sam Maguire.

“That’s our ambition, if you get those things right then potentially you could get on a roll and that’s where we would like to be.

"We would like to be ambitious and see where we could go, and have the county right back up there towards the top tier.”

Standing in Down’s way is Justin McNulty’s Laois, a team that lost to the Mournemen by 22 points in the semi-finals in 2023.

Clarke labelled last season’s Tailteann Cup clash at Croke Park “a freak” game and feels the O’Moore County are a completely different animal under the guidance of the 2002 Armagh All-Ireland winning defender.

“I’m been very impressed (with Laois), any side that gets promotion and wins that national title in Croke Park, you know they have their shop in order,” said the Down coach and former All-Star.

“It is difficult to get out of any Division. (Justin) McNulty has come in as new management and they really have looked the part.

“If I looked back and watched that game the last day, it was just one of those games when everything falls for you. We are under no illusions that it was a bit of a freak game.

“The Laois of this year are much improved, even though they have plenty of the same players as do we.

Conor Laverty's side face Laois in Saturday's Tailteann Cup decider with the winners guaranteed a place in the All-Ireland series next season

By Paddy Tierney belfastlive.co.uk

GAA president Jarlath Burns has suggested the format of the All-Ireland series could be altered after criticism that teams have too many chances in the current structure.

One of the formats under consideration is the double-elimination structure in place in the Down club Championship whereby teams could lose once in either of the first two rounds. Teams securing two wins in the first two rounds go through to the quarter-finals with the remaining teams entering a qualifying phase for the remainder quarter-final berths.

Down and Laois go head-to-head in Saturday’s Tailteann Cup final with the winner being guaranteed a place in next season’s Sam Maguire Cup and, speaking at a press night at St Malachy’s High School last week, Castlewellan, both Daniel Guinness and Pierce Laverty spoke favourably of the structure employed in the Down club championship.

“I'd be a big fan of the way the Down Championship is run,” said Guinness.

“I know speaking to a lot of boys from other counties, their sort of feeling is that there's a lot of group games, they might play five or six group games before they actually get to sort of a knockout game.

“I think the Down Championship, the way you can get the second chance in the first two rounds, but every game still has that big championship feeling, I think it's the best way to run it.”

Those sentiments were echoed by Down skipper Laverty.

“Just the fact that there's always something at stake in every game, you have your opportunity to win your first two games and put you into a quarter-final and give you the two-week break,” said Laverty.

“Then, on the flip side of that, you have that backdoor if you fall short on the first day and then it immediately becomes knockout football if you don't survive the first day.”

Down claimed a facile 8-16 to 2-12 win over Laois in last season’s Tailteann Cup semi-final before losing out to Meath in the decider.

Conor Laverty’s side had two further chances to seal a place in the All-Ireland series this season. However, they lost out to Westmeath in the Division Three final at Croke Park before suffering a one-point loss to Armagh in the Ulster SFC semi-final in Clones.

Guinness feels the hurt of losing those games and last year’s final will only serve as motivation ahead of Saturday’s decider at headquarters.

“They'll definitely be a big motivation, you've obviously seen us last year, those defeats on the big day, they are hard to take,” added the Carryduff clubman.

“I suppose the only thing you can do after is learn from them and use them as fuel going forward into the big matches, both in your preparation on the training pitch to get yourself into the position to hopefully perform better, but also on the day itself then they also help.”

“I think, especially the two big defeats we've had in the finals between Meath in the Tailteann Cup last year and then obviously Westmeath in the league final this year, we knew what was at stake going into them games and unfortunately in both games we sort of fell short.

There's set to be a huge demand for tickets for the 2024 Tailteann Cup final between Down and Laois - which went on sale at 12 noon on Tuesday, July 2. 

The Down and Laois game will serve as a curtain-raiser for an All-Ireland semi-final between Kerry and Armagh in Croke Park on Saturday 13th July.

Tickets can be bought through via TicketMaster - this link as well as in person via selected participating SuperValu stores.

The Tailteann Cup final is due to be played on Saturday, June 13 from 3pm with the game being shown live on RTÉ.  The Kerry and Armagh game is on at 5.30pm.