Allianz National Hurling League Division 2A: Kildare v Down (Sunday, Hawkfield, 2.30pm)
JUST when Ronan Sheehan thought his resources couldn’t be ravaged any more, they just did.
Already without Eoghan and Daithi Sands, Donal Hughes and Ruairi McCrickard, the Down hurlers lost more of their already thinning squad following last weekend’s opening NHL Division 2A defeat to Offaly in Ballycran.
Ballygalget duo Marc Fisher and Jordan Doran received straight red cards, Ryan McCusker pulled a groin and young Declan McCartney suffered concussion. All are ruled out for the Kildare clash.
Down officials appealed Fisher’s red card against Offaly but the decision was upheld during the week.
Sheehan, now in his fifth year as Down senior hurling manager, will dip further into his U20 resources with Finn Turpin and Stuart Martin expected to make their full National League debuts against the Lilywhites.
Experienced attacker Oisin MacManus is struggling with a hip problem – but may be thrust into Down’s starting line-up after coming on as a second-half substitute against Offaly.
While Sheehan will be forced into fielding more rookies than he perhaps would have liked, their back-line still looks experienced and strong, which gives them a chance against last season’s Christy Ring champions.
Stephen Keith, John MacManus, Barry Trainer, Tom Murray and Caolan Teggart have the defensive nous to snuff out any attack in Division 2A, but it’s further forward and getting enough scores on the board where the Ardsmen might struggle this weekend.
Former Kilkenny goalkeeper David Herity has been at the Kildare helm for as long as Sheehan has been in Down. Both know every wheel and turn of each other's team.
The Lilywhites got off to a flyer in their opening League tie last weekend, breezing past Carlow with 14 points to spare.
They also claimed the Kehoe Cup – Leinster’s pre-season tournament, which included a comfortable win over Down – and are unbeaten in 11 games stretching back to last season.
James Burke has shown fantastic consistency in the Kildare attack and remains their key scoring threat. Gary Keegan of Celbridge is another go-to man in the Lilywhites attack, while Herity has been raving about young Cian Boran of Naas, describing the 18-year-old as “an outstanding talent”.
So, Herity is making gains with Kildare who have bobbed between Division 2A and 2B for a while now.
After a poor opening to last season’s NHL campaign, Herity wanted a sprint start in 2023, especially with the Joe McDonagh on their horizon – a significant step up from their happy travails in the Christy Ring.
Of course, it goes without saying every team desires a sprint start – but it’s been more difficult for Down given the high level of absenteeism.
What’s in their favour, however, is that they are well acclimatised to Division 2A terrain.
Sheehan didn’t have to look too hard to find positives out of last week’s narrow defeat to Offaly especially with having only 13 men on the field at the finish.
“We’re established in the division and people know what we’re about,” said Oisin MacManus. “But, with us being a couple of main men down it is quite tough and it’s going to be a battle.”
The two counties have enjoyed some memorable battles over the last few seasons with the Leinster men coming out on top on most occasions.
Kildare nipped them in the 2020 Christy Ring final at Croke Park and in last season’s memorable League tie Down came back from 15 points down at the break, only to lose by a single point.
Few teams have made a friend out of adversity more than the Down hurlers over the years. They'll embrace the challenge that they face in 2A this season.
They head to Hawkfield as underdogs on Sunday but there appears a quiet confidence about them that they’ll secure enough points to hold their position in Division 2A.
They just might have to wait a few more weeks before getting some on the board.
