Morgan Fuels Down SFC quarter-final: Burren v Ballyholland (Sunday, Pairc Esler, 7pm)
IT was at the quarter-final that Burren’s championship dreams were surprisingly shattered last year – and boss Jim McCorry hopes lessons have been learned to avoid the same fate being suffered at the hands of Ballyholland on Sunday.
Having landed the league title, it was seen as the flip of a coin between an improving Burren and county kingpins Kilcoo for who would eventually lift the Frank O’Hare Cup.
However, the St Mary’s came up short in their last eight clash with neighbours Warrenpoint, bowing out after penalties, while the Magpies went on to clinch the Down crown for a 10th time in 11 years.
“We really under-performed,” said McCorry.
“Did we take the eye off the ball? What were the reasons for it? Ten wides, nine shots short in a game that you draw in normal time, then in extra-time before losing on penalties… it was a hard one to take.
“It’s something that sticks in the craw of everyone that was involved with the club - supporters, committee members, players, management, backroom team, everybody feels the same. But that’s consigned to history now.
“Certainly there was a lot of learning from it for all of us, and hopefully we’re taking that forward this year.”
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Now in his third year at the helm, McCorry’s men are again seen as contenders-in-chief to Kilcoo’s crown – young players like Odhran Murdock, Danny and Ryan Magill and Paddy McCarthy, who contributed to considerable underage success, now mainstays of the side alongside experienced men like Kevin McKernan, Conaill McGovern and Donal O’Hare.
Bridging that gap to senior success is the challenge now, with Burren’s last Down title coming in 2018, only for Kilcoo’s domination to resume thereafter.
And while McCorry doesn’t feel under pressure to deliver this year, he admits expectation is always a factor at a club with such a rich history.
“With a big club like Burren, they would expect to be winning championships,” said the former Down boss.
“Pressure is something that can be there if you let it get to you, but as far as I’m concerned as a coach, and with the management team we have, we go out to prepare them to the best of our ability. I’ve probably never worked as hard with a team as I’ve worked with Burren.
“They’re a great bunch of players, they’re working so hard trying to apply that, but winning championships doesn’t just happen. It takes an awful lot of hard work and things to come right for you.
“Then when you have a team like Kilcoo who have dominated so much, and are still the main force in Down, it really takes somebody to try and knock them off their perch somewhere to try and break that.”
With so many players involved with Down either at senior or U20 level in the first half of the year, as well as Armagh defender Paddy Burns, it was only towards the end of the league that Burren finally found themselves at full strength.
Victories over Warrenpoint and Loughinisland moved the St Mary’s into the last eight, but McCorry knows they are in for a battle against a Ballyholland side who have bounced back from opening day defeat to Loughinisland by toppling Saval and Longstone in the back door.
“They’re a very hard team to play against, Michael Walsh has them well organised.
“When it comes to championship, Ballyholland are a different side - they’re ultra-competitive, we know that, and we know what we’re up against.”
