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Down must aim to scale new heights in 2024, says All-Ireland hero Greg Blaney
Wednesday 29th November 2023
https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/sport/gaa/down/down-must-aim-to-scale-new-heights-in-2024-says-all-ireland-hero-greg-blaney/a1782288942.html
When Down capitulated to Meath in the Tailteann Cup Final in 2023, former Mourne County All-Ireland winner Greg Blaney experienced difficulty in masking his disappointment.
Blaney, who won All-Ireland senior medals with Down in 1991 and 1994, has waited patiently to see the county flourish again, and now, 30 years down the line, he feels that a breakthrough is overdue.
Optimism may have prevailed within the Mournes ahead of the Tailteann Cup decider, but a late surge by Colm O’Rourke’s side saw them collect the silverware.
Now, Blaney, a recently retired dental surgeon, believes the time is ripe for Down to reach for the stars once again.
With a posse of new players coming through, Ciaran Meenagh’s arrival being viewed as a big boost for the management team, a healthy fan base and a county board that is prepared to pull out all the stops in a bid to terminate the lean decades, Blaney feels the time is ripe for a ration of success to be had.
And he certainly lays his thoughts on the line as he ponders the future.
“I think the first thing we must achieve is to get promoted from Division Three,” states Blaney. “This is very important, in my view. The fact that we will have a home game against Antrim in the Ulster Championship gives us some scope for positivity. You would have to say that, should we get a helping of success in the League, then this would, I feel, stand to us in the Championship.
“I think that Conor Laverty has done rather well in his role as manager given that he has only been there for one year.
“In relation to the Down team itself, I think we maybe need a few bigger, more physical players around the middle of the field.
“Obviously, this is a key area, and if a team can gain a foothold there, it can prove a big help.”
Players such as skipper Pierce Laverty, Danny Magill, Odhran Murdock, Daniel Guinness, Liam Kerr, Ryan Johnston and Pat Havern are proving their worth in the Down jersey, but Blaney warns that the side will have to hit the ground running in 2024 if success is to be achieved.
Down’s sojourn in Division Three and their disappointing record in the Ulster Championship have occasioned disgruntlement and indeed frustration among followers, but Blaney makes a plea for an extra helping of patience going forward.
“When you think about it, we have a new management team in place, some players are just beginning to come through and, all the while, some other teams are getting stronger,” points out Blaney. “It could be said that we were unlucky not to get out of Division Three this year, but we are where we are.
“The McKenna Cup competition will be starting soon, and this will give us an insight as to where we are. But I firmly believe that the League will be hugely important from Down’s perspective, and I hope that the fans give the team enthusiastic support.”
The Down County Board have unveiled their new Strategic Plan in which the future is mapped out, and with County Chairman John Devanney leading the way, a more dynamic approach is being taken to all aspects of development both on and off the field of play.
With Kilcoo having dominated the Senior Football Championship for some considerable time now, there is a feeling within the county that other teams should now be more capable of rising to the challenge that they pose.
If they do, the county as a whole will surely benefit and Laverty’s hand will be strengthened.
