Ulster U20 Championship quarter-final: Cavan v Down (tonight, Kingspan Breffni, 8pm)
DOWN’S Conor Laverty says he is enjoying his first taste of inter-county management in tonight's Ulster Under-20 championship quarter-final in what should an intriguing battle for his side against Cavan. Laverty took up the U20 role at the end of last year, but the Covid pandemic has hampered preparations. The U20 championship was announced only two months ago and the Kilcoo star expects Cavan take confidence from their recent success at underage level.
“It has been a real challenge from a short turnaround and with no real competitive games to even try boys in that environment,” Laverty said.
“It is just about a squad of players together that want to play for Down and want to compete at the highest level as possible.
“Cavan are very strong, and I suppose of the last couple of years they have been the one team particularly at U20 and U21 level, they have won as many Ulster championships as any other county, and they are the current senior Ulster Championship.
“There is a real surge in Cavan coming from last year and they are on an upward curve. They have three or four players in a senior squad, and we are fully expecting three of them to play against us in Breffni.”
With Down senior manager Paddy Tally recently claiming that players need to give a 10-year commitment to the county, there are high hopes of several of this U20 squad making the transition to senior football.
“As a management we are very aware that our main objective is to get players ready to compete for Down at senior level. We know that is the pathway to get our players ready over the next number of years. A couple of the players have been in with Paddy [Tally] throughout the year and we see this squad very much as a development squad for the Down senior team over the next couple of years.”
Assisting Laverty is 2010 Allstar Marty Clarke, coach Declan Morgan and Meath’s four-time All-Ireland winning manager Sean Boylan and the Kilcoo clubman is excited to work with the former Royals boss.
“Sean is a great man and an absolute gentleman, and we are very lucky to have him involved in Down,” Laverty said.
“The players are really learning from him and evening the management team can learn from his experience that he has in the game. He has been a massive addition to us, and we are delighted that he is involved.”
Laverty has played with several of the U20 players he will be mentoring on Friday, including captain Shealan Johnston, who is talented footballer. Other Kilcoo club-mates Justin Clarke and Anthony Morgan played huge roles in helping the Magpies to the 2019 All-Ireland club final.
Laverty also coaches at his club and the Monaghan senior team and sees the roles working hand in hand and he felt the time was right to move into inter-county management.
“I firmly believe that you can do both and I have worked with many good men throughout my own career who were capable of coaching and managing, so I am enjoying both sides of it but I still love being out on the coaching field,” Laverty said.
“Everybody has their own ambitions in their playing career and in their coaching career and next for me was to see if I was good enough to manage at this level. And I know the players in Down over this past number of years, particularly the ones coming through, and I know they are a very dedicated bunch of players that I was interested in working with.”
