DOWN boss Eamonn Burns says he wouldn't want to be anywhere else other than Division One and feels the Mourne men are making progress despite losing their opening two games in the top flight.
Down were on the receiving end of a 17-point hammering by Donegal in their first game, but were unlucky to lose to Monaghan (0-13 to 0-11) eight days later in Clones. And the games don't get any easier for Down as Kerry are their next visitors to Pairc Esler on Sunday, February 28.
Despite the unforgiving environs of the top flight, Burns wouldn't have it any other way: “As I've said to the players, Division One is a good place to learn. You’re playing against the best players in Ireland and you’re under no illusions," he said.
“If you were playing in a lower division, you mightn’t know where you’re at. At least we know where we’re at. We’re either way off it or close to it - and I think we’re close to it."
Burns cut a dejected figure after the Donegal defeat and, although they'd still no points leaving Clones the following week, the double All-Ireland winner was greatly encouraged with how his team responded.
“You were always going to get a reaction," he said.
"They’re a good bunch of lads. They knew themselves the Donegal performance wasn’t a true reflection of where they are. And they were extremely disappointed they didn’t get something out of the Monaghan game. They played well, they kept themselves in the game. They made some silly mistakes but, over the 70 minutes, that's going to happen.”
And Burns refused to use absenteeism as an excuse for that pair of losses. With Caolan Mooney, Darren O'Hagan, Conor Maginn, Donal O'Hare, Paul Devlin, Ryan Johnston, Jerome Johnston and Arthur McConville all missing from the Down team-sheet against Monaghan, they still should have at least grabbed a share of the spoils.
“You have what you have," said Burns.
"I’d be loathe to say: ‘If we would have had him and him available…’ At the end of the day, people are not going to say: ‘Down were beaten, but they didn’t have certain players available'. When you lift the paper, it says Monaghan won their Ulster derby against Down. It doesn’t say some players were missing. But that’s the same with every squad."
Caolan Mooney hasn't featured in Down's first two NFL games due to “quite a bad hamstring tear” and is doubtful for the visit of Kerry at the end of the month. Mark Poland suffered a head injury and lost a tooth against Monaghan, but should be fit to resume against the Kingdom.
Down's prospects of gaining some points on February 28 perhaps aren't helped by the fact Kerry are also pointless, having lost to Dublin and Roscommon: “Kerry will be coming to Newry gung-ho, I’d imagine, after losing their first two matches," Burns added.
"They’ve no points and we’ve no points. But playing Kerry is going to be tough at any time. These matches are character-builders and they’ll stand us as we approach the Championship."
Asked how his week was after that morale-sapping defeat to Donegal, Burns quipped: “You know yourself. You’re getting it everywhere you go. You’re getting it at home, you’re getting it at work, you go for a pint and you’re getting it. There’s no hiding place!
“You just have to lift yourself because the players are looking to you to lift them. It’s a hard job. You can’t look at boys with a sad face. You have to stand up and get on with it.
"But I’ve got a lot of support around me in terms of my backroom team and members of the county board. We’ve a journey to make and we’ll do our best.”
