Allianz National Hurling League Division 2A final: Down v Westmeath (today, Semple Stadium, 4.45pm – live on TG4 YouTube channel)
FROM the Horse and Jockey hotel this afternoon, Down make the short spin up the road to Thurles where a date with destiny awaits – the home of hurling offering a gateway back to Division One, and the opportunity to rub shoulders with greats of the game.
It is a situation few would have predicted when, after the guts of a decade stuck in Division 2B, the Ardsmen finally found an escape route two years ago. Survival, consolidation, development – these were the buzzwords. Promotion? Hopefully, some day.
Here they are, though, bound for Semple Stadium - the curtain-raiser to a Division One clash between Cork and Waterford – knowing victory over Westmeath, who toppled Kerry in last week’s 2A semi-final, would guarantee them a share of the stage with hurling’s heavyweights for the first time since 2007.
The arc of improvement has been steady, the consistently impressive results and the settled look of a panel boasting a healthy mix of youth and experience – there is no doubt Down deserve to be here and, after claiming Westmeath’s scalp less than a month ago, have the tools to take the next step.
Yet boss Ronan Sheehan knows the Lake County will have been paying Down particular attention since losing out in Cusack Park. Typical of their campaign, the Ardsmen dug deep to finish strongly, grabbing eight of the last nine points to snatch a two-point win.
“When you beat a team, there’s always that piece that the team who loses learns more than the team who wins. They probably analyse what went wrong more than the other team looks at what went right,” said the Newry Shamrocks clubman.
“That was going to be the case whether it was Westmeath or Kerry. Importantly, all the games we’ve played in the League this year, there’s been nothing in any of them. The break of the ball has generally decided games and I wouldn’t expect it to be any different on Saturday.
“If you were to go and ask 10 pundits, probably nine would back Westmeath, because last year Westmeath were playing in Division One. They were playing in the Leinster Championship because they won the McDonagh Cup.
“In two weeks we head down to Kerry to play in the McDonagh Cup - on the same day Westmeath play Kilkenny. They’re a more established team, where we’re just starting our ascendancy really.
“But you can never take the view that there’s always next year. You’ve got to grab these opportunities when they come along. We’re here now, and we’re determined to make the most of it.”
And while Westmeath have bounced back impressively from defeat to Down, they struggled to see off the Kingdom in Mullingar last weekend, eventually edging across the line after having a man advantage for over an hour following Mikey Boyle’s first half dismissal.
However, they were boosted by a return to form of Niall Mitchell and the return from injury of former Galway star Davy Glennon, who came off the bench to score a goal. The towering Niall O’Brien also came on as a second half sub.
In defence, Darragh Egerton is as reliable as they come, with Tommy Doyle the cornerstone of Joe Fortune’s side.
But Down are seriously strong in that department too, with their defensive doggedness keeping Kerry at bay as a place in today’s decider was secured. Just as in that game, they will be without midfielder Donal Hughes, the Bredagh man missing out with a knee injury.
Demonstrating the panel’s strength in depth, Liatroim’s Pearse Og McCrickard stepped in for Hughes that day and was arguably Down’s best performer. In Paul Sheehan, they have as solid a free-taker as there is.
Oisin MacManus has been the ace in the hole from the bench, helping put Westmeath to the sword in their first encounter and nailing two late frees at the death to see off the Kingdom a fortnight ago.
One last push awaits on hurling’s grandest stage and while it will be a first time for most donning red and black, the trip to Tipp represents a special personal journey for Sheehan.
His late father Jerry hailed from Banteer, and the closeness of those north Cork connections brought many unforgettable days in Thurles.
“Look, every hurler wants to play on Tom Semple’s good field, as it was referred to years ago.
“I spent my boyhood being brought to Thurles by my father, being lifted over the turnstiles in the good old days when you could do that. I saw great players there - Jimmy Barry-Murphy, Gerald McCarthy, Nicky English, but I was raised on stories of Jimmy Doyle, John Doyle, Christy Ring and of the old stand literally shaking when Ring would run onto the pitch.
“I probably got as many texts this week from Cork as from Down people... my cousins are going up early on the supporters’ bus from Banteer so they can watch our match as well.
“It’s a magical place for any hurling person, and for us and, for my own family, it’s a pilgrimage. But the game, and the chance to win promotion, is the most important thing.
“Now that we’ve got here, I want us to go out and show the quality of the team that we are. Everything after that is in the hands of the hurling Gods.”
