Football

We weren't overly aggressive against Monaghan: Down boss Eamonn Burns

Down boss Eamonn Burns has defended his team against the charge they were too aggressive against Monaghan
Down boss Eamonn Burns has defended his team against the charge they were too aggressive against Monaghan Down boss Eamonn Burns has defended his team against the charge they were too aggressive against Monaghan

DOWN boss Eamonn Burns has defended his team against suggestions they were over-aggressive in their Ulster semi-final victory against Monaghan.

RTE pundit Joe Brolly lauded the Mourne County’s “extremism”, both in terms of their defensive and attacking play, with several incidents picked out for a TV highlights reel showing some full-blooded challenges.

Others, however, suggested Down had crossed the line.

But Burns, whose side face Tyrone in the Ulster final on July 16, insists his team played within the rules at all times in defeating the Farneymen.

“I think a lot of it is overhyped and I’m not going to comment on individuals, but I thought some people picked out and were seeing things that weren’t there,” said the two-time All-Ireland winner at last night’s meet and greet with fans in Downpatrick.

“Our tactics are to play football at all times – play it as hard as you want and as long as you stay within the rules, you’ll stay on the field.

“I’ve always emphasised that to the men that I have and even when I was coaching at juvenile level in my own club, I’ve always emphasised that. There’s very few dark arts with us. We like to play football that we know, but you have to be tough with it too.

“A lot of that comes from their will to win the game but I don’t think we’ve ever overstepped the mark in that respect at all.”

The aggression and tempo Down have played with has been a hallmark of their campaign as victory over Armagh was following by that stunning upset against Malachy O’Rourke’s men.

It is some turnaround for the Mournemen as, prior to March’s National League win over Meath, they had gone almost two years with a victory in League or Championship.

Yet here they are, already one of the stories of the summer.

Snatching a relegation-defying draw against Cork on the last day of a topsy-turvy Division Two campaign was the moment the spark was ignited, and they have carried that momentum into the Championship.

Even a month ago few could have imagined Eamonn Burns would be preparing his county for an Ulster final against Mickey Harte’s red-hot Red Hands.

But the Bryansford clubman says that while others have been left open mouthed by Down’s rise, he hasn’t been surprised by the performances his men have produced.

“Not really,” said Burns.

“When you go into those games, they can go either way. The Armagh game could’ve gone either way, we toughed it out and kept ourselves ahead and gave ourselves a cushion to win the game.

“The experienced players pushed us on when we needed it. Again, against Monaghan we got a good start to the second half which gave us a cushion. There were periods where we didn’t score and missed a lot of chances and if we’d taken our scores then it probably would’ve been easier at the end.

“But you go into those games, you set out your plans and you hope because anything happen on the day. So far so good, things have been running our way.

“We’ll prepare properly for Tyrone and hopefully our plans will be carried through and we’ll see where are from there.”