Promoted Down ready for 'massive test' in Carlow

After a 19-year absence, Down make their return to Division One hurling and manager Ronan Sheehan feels the upcoming campaign in 1B will help his team take another step forward.

Sheehan's side claimed the Division Two title last year, but a difficult Joe McDonagh Cup campaign was to follow as Down just about retained their status with their sole win over Kerry enough to see them stay up at the expense of the Kingdom.

Exposure to top-level hurling in the league ought to provide good preparation for the championship as they will not only face some of their McDonagh rivals, but also top sides in 2024 All-Ireland champions Clare, Dublin and Wexford.

It all begins for Down on Saturday when they travel to face a familiar foe in Carlow [14:30 GMT], whom they soundly beaten by in last year's championship opener with the concession of "poor goals" hammer blows.

Undoubtedly, it's a tricky assignment, but one in which Sheehan says his team is looking forward to as they seek a positive start to the campaign.

"We've played them a number of times over the last few years, have never beaten them in Carlow, but we've beaten them in Ballycran, so this is a massive test for us on Saturday," Sheehan told BBC Sport NI.

"They will see it as a massive opportunity to pick up two points and get off to a good start, but we will go with confidence and belief that if we play to our ability, we won't be far away.

"If you're being honest, there are two leagues within this division: Clare, Wexford and Dublin are seeing which two will get promoted and then ourselves, Carlow, Kildare and Antrim are probably focusing on trying to stay up in 1B, so Saturday is massive.

"We've always said we could never push on in the McDonagh until we were up in 1B, getting exposure to those better games on a regular basis."

With hurling's league structure now seeing divisions of seven teams with two winning promotion and two suffering relegation, there is little margin for error regardless of what the initial ambitions are.

A little bit of luck comes into it also, with counties who have a smaller talent pool hoping injuries and suspensions don't become as telling factor and Down had their fair share in last year's championship which didn't aid their cause.

Losing players of the calibre of John McManus, Caolan Taggart and Tom McGrattan left big gaps to fill and while McGrattan's recovery from an ACL injury continues, Sheehan is hopeful the Portaferry man will be back for the later stages of the league.

However, Down are not just relying on the established names such as the Sands brothers, Eoghan and Daithi, Tim Prenter and Pearse Og Crickard. A number of fresh faces including Portaferry's Cahal Coleman and Carryduff's Liam Blaney are pushing for places with 14 of the 36-man panel under the age of 21.

Also helping is the emergence of talent from clubs outside of Down's traditional base of the Ards, with Liatroim, Carryduff and Bredagh, but while those signs are encouraging, Sheehan insists "there's a lot more work to do".

"We're no different to the teams in that [second] tier where we can be competitive when we have all of our players on the field, but when we don't the competitiveness changes fundamentally - an uncomfortable reality."

Sheehan will be hopeful that is the case as while they have some exciting fixtures to look forward to against MacCarthy Cup teams, there is also the renewal of the old rivalry against Antrim with the sides meeting in the final round on Saturday, 21 March (17:00 GMT, live on BBC Sport NI website and iPlayer].

Meetings between the Ulster rivals have been sporadic in recent times, a long way removed from the halcyon days of the 1990s when Down won three provincial titles in games played in front of huge crowds.

Antrim were big winners when they last met, a McDonagh Cup game in 2022, while Down must go back to 2010 since they defeated the Saffrons, winning a league fixture by one at Casement Park.

"There's always that bit of rivalry and spice when Antrim play Down at any level," Sheehan agreed.

"They are the standard bearers in Ulster but we would believe that gap to them at senior level is closing and we can get a result in both of those games, but I'm sure Antrim are seeing it in that same manner.

"That last league game here in Newry on a Saturday night under lights will be a great occasion and there should be a great crowd, so hopefully both of us are safe at that stage instead of it turning into a bit of a relegation play-off."