DOWN have welcomed pacy forward Liam Kerr back into the fold for their 2026 campaign – with Burren club-mate Danny Magill also hoping to return to red and black in time for championship.
Kerr took time away from county football last year, but his availability is a boost to Conor Laverty’s panel as the Mournemen bid to build upon an encouraging All-Ireland series – with promotion from Division Three their first objective looking at the season ahead.
He is working his way back to fitness after undergoing an operation on his foot days before Burren’s Down SFC exit to Carryduff in early October, but coach Mickey Donnelly knows exactly what Kerr can bring to the Down attack.
“We didn’t have Liam last year and that was disappointing for all of us, but it’s great to have him - his appetite was whetted probably by seeing those big games last year,” said the Tyrone native, speaking at the launch of the Dr McKenna Cup in Armagh on Tuesday night.
“He’s a quality player, he has elite level pace, he’s a good finisher, lovely left foot, and it’s about having the best players available.
“It doesn’t matter whether you’re from Down, Armagh, Tyrone, Donegal, you need the best players available and Liam Kerr is in the best group of players in Down. It’ll be exciting to see him with the boots on again.”
As for whether the likes of Kilcoo pair Shealan Johnston and Anthony Morgan will be back in the Down frame after also missing last year, Donnelly admits that will be a waiting game after the Magpies’ devastating Ulster final loss to Scotstown on Saturday.
“Those conversations haven’t took place yet,” he said, “it’s important that those lads get their chance to decompress as well and I’m sure they’ll do that over the next lock of days.”
One man who definitely intends wearing county colours next year, however, is Danny Magill.
The 24-year-old suffered a cruciate ligament injury in Burren’s Down championship win over Castlewellan on August 22, ruling him out of the rest of a club campaign that ended with rivals Kilcoo lifting the Frank O’Hare Cup for the 13th time in 14 years.
It was a bitter blow for Magill after a sparkling summer that saw him rack up 19 points in All-Ireland series games against Clare, Louth, Monaghan and Galway, with his pace and power a major weapon in the Mourne arsenal.
Laverty and co will be hoping he might be able to get back ahead of schedule to aid Down’s promotion push but, for now, Magill’s target is the Ulster championship date with reigning provincial kingpins Donegal on the weekend of April 25-26.
“That’s the plan - myself and the physios will go for an aggressive timeline. If it doesn’t happen, it doesn’t happen, but we’re 100 per cent going for it.
“The McKenna Cup will obviously be coming too soon, and the National League maybe so as well, but I have eyes on the Ulster championship.
“We’ll take every day as it comes, we’ve goals to smash every week, so as long as we keep doing that, we can see what happens come April.”
