THE CELEBRATIONS ARE surely continuing in the home of All-Ireland club champions Kilcoo today, but when things die down there will be an interest in how many players commit to James McCartan’s Down panel this season.
In the past some Kilcoo players opted not to join the county cause, instead choosing to put their full focus into the club.
Ceilium Doherty and Ryan McEvoy were their only representatives that featured in last year’s Ulster championship.
Talented forward Jerome Johnston who hit the winning goal on Saturday, for instance, decided not to get involved in 2021, citing fears around Covid with the birth of his first child looming.
Jerome and his brothers Ryan and Shealin, plus a host of others, would significantly strengthen Down’s hand for this season.
There is optimism that the appointment of McCartan, who achieved great things with Down as a player and manager, coupled with the fact Kilcoo finally reached the Holy Grail, may see a number of Mickey Moran’s squad link up with the county set-up.
There is a greater sense of urgency for a quick return, however. Down have lost their opening two games of Division 2 and a drop to the third tier would mean they’ll need to win Ulster to avoid playing in the Tailteann Cup this summer.
They travel to Meath, who are also on zero points after two games, on Sunday in a game that is already being billed as crucial in the race to avoid relegation.
“Kilcoo in a situation where they’re after winning, then you look at the Down situation where they’re in big trouble,” said Marc Ó Sé on the latest episode of The42 GAA Weekly.
“It’s a very hard one to call. The boys have to be able to have their few pints and celebrate.
“Inter-county players now, they have a day or two (of celebrations) and the show is taken off the road. It all depends on the relationship James has with them. I always said that when the Kilcoo lads came back that Down would improve because James has proven to be a great manager.
“I’m sure he’ll be onto those lads, I’m sure they’ll be able to have their few pints.
“You could possible see a few of them involved the next day. A rising tide lifts all boats and they’re badly needed at the moment. A field session towards the end of the week and a gym session would see them back in harness again. You might have a situation where you might bring a few into the team, because Down do need them.
“The flip side, when we played in the All-Ireland club final in 2004 against Caltra, Jack O’Connor had taken charge of Kerry and when we came back in he’d introduced Aidan O’Mahony and Paul Galvin into the team. When I came back, having played through the All-Ireland club series, I was sitting on the bench.
“I think there’s going to be a few of them that will want to get back in. Okay, they’ve won an All-Ireland club final, but they’ll be anxious to get a position on the Down team and get back to fight for their spots, obviously some will get in straight away. I’d be thinking they’ll be involved next weekend.
“I think the way James McCartan will possibly play this is he could say, ‘We’re in a bit of a hole at the moment, we need lads to play. Ye will get a rest in a few weeks, but we need lads to get us over the line in the next week or two.’ That would be my take it.
“There are fellas tired, they’re going a long while now and that’s the other side of it. But I’d imagine James will be throwing that carrot at them, ‘We’ll go for two or three weeks and see where it brings us, get a bit of a break.’”
Some Kilcoo stars such as Jerome and Ryan Johnston battled injury in the lead-up to last weekend’s final and will need a break, while others like Eugene Branagan appear ready made to fit into the Down team.
“What an exciting footballer he is,” Ó Sé said about the wing-back. “When Kilcoo have the ball and when he has it, he creates that energy where you know he’s going to attack.
“You know he’s going to tear off down the field. It’s exciting to watch him and he’s going to be a huge player for James McCartan. It’ll be interesting to see if he can bring that to the inter-county scene.”
