Down county football team

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Gaelic football team

Down

Sport:| Football
Irish:| An Dún[1]
Nickname(s):| The Mournemen
County board:| Down GAA
Manager:| Conor Laverty
Captain:| Pierce Laverty
Home venue(s):| Páirc Esler, Newry[1]
Recent competitive record
Current All-Ireland status:| Ulster (SF) in 2024
Last championship title:| 1994
Current NFL Division:| 2 (Runners-up in Division 3 in 2024)
Last league title:| 1983

First colours

Second colours

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Current season

The Down county football team represents Down GAA, the county board of the Gaelic Athletic Association, in the Gaelic sport of football. The team competes in three major annual inter-county competitions; the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship, the Ulster Senior Football Championship and the National Football League.

Down's home ground is Páirc Esler, Newry. The team's manager is Conor Laverty.

The team last won the Ulster Senior Championship in 1994, the All-Ireland Senior Championship in 1994 and the National League in 1983.

With just one loss in six appearances in All-Ireland SFC finals, Down has a reputation for rising to the big occasion. Kitted out in distinctive red and black, the team's massive fan base has been responsible for some of the largest match attendances in GAA history. Although, since the last decade of the twentieth century, the team has had a barren patch at senior level, despite various successes at underage level, in 2010 Down showed signs of improving by gaining promotion to the National Football League Division One and reaching the All-Ireland Senior Football final — narrowly losing by one point to Cork.[2][3]

## History

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### 1950s–1960s

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Down was not regarded as a football stronghold when Queen's University won the 1958 Sigerson Cup, and some of its leading players turned their thoughts to Down's county team dilemma.

Down won the 1959 Ulster Senior Football Championship (SFC) title with six inter-changeable forwards who introduced off-the-ball running and oddities such as track-suits.

In 1960, two goals in a three-minute period from James McCartan and Paddy Doherty helped Down to defeat Kerry, who were almost completely unbeaten at the time, and which brought to an end the Kerry football regime for a few years.

In 1961, Down defeated Offaly by one point in a game that featured five first half goals. In that three-year period their supporters surpassed every attendance record in the book.[citation needed] When Down played Offaly in 1961 they set a record attendance of 90,556 for a GAA game. Against Dublin in the 1964 National League final a record crowd of 70,125 attended. The 71,573 who watched Down play Kerry in 1961 still stands as a record for an All-Ireland SFC semi-final. In 1968, Down defeated Kerry with Sean O'Neill and John Murphy goals, again in a two-minute spell. Despite a famous prediction that Down would go on to win three-in-a-row,[citation needed] the county took twenty years to regain its status.

### 1970s–1980s

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This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (May 2020)

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### 1990s

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In 1991, Down surprised favourites Meath, Barry Breen scoring the goal that sent his team into a lead of eleven points with twenty minutes to go, a lead that Meath could not match. In 1994, Mickey Linden sent James McCartan in for a goal directly under Hill 16, a goal which silenced Dublin and helped Down claim its fifth All-Ireland SFC title.

No other team from Ulster won an All-Ireland SFC until Armagh won the 2002 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final.[4]

### 2000s–present

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Down (red) in action against Queen's University Belfast in the 2009 Dr McKenna Cup

In 2008, Down defeated Tyrone after a replay in the Ulster SFC but lost to Armagh in the Ulster SFC semi-final. Down advanced to play Offaly in the All-Ireland SFC qualifiers. After a convincing 5–19 to 2–10 victory over Offaly, Down faced Laois in a Round 2 qualifier. Defeating Laois by a single point, and with Dan Gordon being sent off, Down progressed to the last round of the qualifiers, in which the team was paired with Wexford, a game held at Croke Park. Down had Dan Gordon's suspension removed, but awful conditions and a poor Down performance resulted in a defeat to Wexford by a scoreline of 2–13 to 0–12.

Down reached the 2010 All-Ireland SFC Final after a narrow win over Kildare in the semi-final. However, Down lost to Cork in that game, the first time Down experienced defeat in an All-Ireland SFC final. Cork trailed by three points at half-time but improved in the second half and won by a scoreline of 0–16 to 0–15. Down captain Benny Coulter's effort on 70 minutes and a fisted Daniel Hughes effort one minute into added time left one point between the teams. That was the way it stayed, as Cork collected its seventh All-Ireland SFC crown in front of a crowd of 81,604.

In 2019, Down won the U20 Leo Murphy Cup Football Development League, defeating Cavan in the final by a scoreline of 1–14 to 0–11.

## Style of play

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Down teams through the years have played with great emphasis on attack, often leading to the neglect of the defence. This system has cost Down teams of the twenty-first century, with the introduction of more negative tactics to quell forward lines, with a massive emphasis on blanket defence.

## Panel

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This section needs to be updated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information. (June 2022)

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Team as per Down vs Cavan in the 2020 Ulster SFC semi-final, 15 November 2020

| No.  | Player  | Position  | Club

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1  | Rory Burns  | Goalkeeper | Castlewellan
2  | Peter Fegan  | Right Corner Back | Burren
3  | Patrick Murdock  | Full back | Warrenpoint
4  | Pierce Laverty | Left Corner Back | Saul
5  | Gerard Collins  | Right half back | R. G. U. Downpatrick
6  | Kevin McKernan | Centre back | Burren
7  | Daniel Guinness  | Left half back | Carryduff
8  | Caolan Mooney (c)  | Midfield | Rostrevor
9  | Jonny Flynn  | Midfield | Loughinisland
10  | Barry O'Hagan  | Right half forward | Clonduff
11  | Paul Devlin  | Centre forward | Kilcoo
12  | Conor Poland  | Left half forward | Longstone
13  | Jerome Johnston  | Right corner forward | Kilcoo
14  | Donal O'Hare  | Full forward | Burren
15  | Ceilum Doherty  | Left corner forward | Kilcoo
|  | No.  | Player  | Position  | Club

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16  | John O'Hare  | Substitute | Glenn
17  | Ryan McAleenan  | Substitute | Warrenpoint
18  | Cormac McCartan  | Substitute | Warrenpoint
19  | Brendan McArdle  | Substitute | Annaclone
20  | Corey Quinn  | Substitute | Mayobridge
21  | Liam Kerr | Substitute | Burren
22  | Dylan Ward  | Substitute | Kilcoo
23  | James Guinness  | Substitute | Carryduff
24  | Ryan Johnston  | Substitute | Kilcoo
25  | Niall Donnelly  | Substitute | Tullylish
26  | Sheelan Johnston  | Substitute | Kilcoo

## Management team

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* Manager: Conor Laverty, appointed 8 August 2022[5]
* Backroom team: Martin Clarke, Declan Morgan, Micky Donnelly and Ciaran Meenagh.[6]

## Managerial history

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As late as 2012, Down had a history of not appointing "foreign" managers, though Martin Breheny suggested Down might be the most likely from the cohort of football teams that traditionally appointed a manager from inside to ask for "outside help".[7] Since then, the county has recruited Jim McCorry and Paddy Tally from outside.

Dates  | Name  | Origin

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1989–2002  | Pete McGrath | Rostrevor
2002–2006  | Paddy O'Rourke | Burren
2006–2009  | Ross Carr | Clonduff
2009–2014  | James McCartan Jnr | Burren
2014–2015  | Jim McCorry |
2015–2018  | Éamonn Burns | Bryansford
2018–2021[8][9] | Paddy Tally |
2021–2022  | James McCartan Jnr (2)  | Burren
2022–  | Conor Laverty | Kilcoo

## Players

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### Notable players

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For individual player details, see Category:Down inter-county Gaelic footballers.

### Records

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* Seán O'Neill – Down's only representative on the Gaelic Football Team of the Millennium
* Kevin Mussen – from the Clonduff club, the first Down man to lift the Sam Maguire Cup in 1960
* Paddy Doherty – All-Ireland SFC winning captain 1961
* Joe Lennon – All-Ireland SFC winning captain 1968
* Patsy O'Hagan – All-Ireland SFC winner (1960 and 1961) and selector for 1968 All-Ireland SFC winning team
* Paddy O'Rourke – All-Ireland SFC winning captain 1991 and former Down senior football manager
* James McCartan Jnr – All-Ireland SFC winner in 1991 and 1994, All Star (1990 and 1994), managed Queen's University to the 2007 Sigerson Cup.
* D. J. Kane – All-Ireland SFC winning captain 1994 and former assistant county manager with Down.
* Ambrose Rogers – from the Longstone club, was captain in 2010 but was injured before the All-Ireland SFC Final
* Benny Coulter – half-forward and Ireland international, All Star (2010)
* Dan Gordon – midfielder from the Loughinisland Club, captain of the Down senior team in 2007–08. In 2010, Gordon played in defence.
* Brendan McVeigh – An Ríocht, All-Ireland SFC winner and All Star in 2010. Down GAA First Division winner 2007. Only Down goalkeeper to have won an All Star.
* Martin Clarke – An Ríocht, won an All-Ireland MFC medal in 2005 and an All Star in 2010, in between which played for AFL club Collingwood Magpies.
* Patrick Kielty – comedian, All-Ireland MFC winning team 1987
* Kevin McKernan – All-Ireland Minor Championship 2005, Ulster Under-21 winner 2008

### All Stars

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* v
* t
* e

Down All Stars

Down has 23 All Stars, as of 2010. 18 different players have won, as of 2010. Greg Blaney won three All Stars. No player has won more.

1971: Seán O'Neill
1972: Seán O'Neill2nd
1975: Colm McAlarney
1978: Colm McAlarney2nd
1981: Paddy Kennedy
1983: Liam Austin, Greg Blaney
1990: James McCartan Jnr
1991: Conor Deegan, Barry Breen, Ross Carr, Greg Blaney2nd
1994: Miceal Magill, Paul Higgins, DJ Kane, Gregory McCartan, Greg Blaney3rd, James McCartan Jnr2nd, Mickey Linden
2010: Brendan McVeigh, Daniel Hughes, Martin Clarke, Benny Coulter

## Honours

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Official honours, with additions noted.[1]

### National

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Down (in red jerseys) take on Laois during the 2024 Tailteann Cup final

* All-Ireland Senior Football Championship
* Winners (5): 1960, 1961, 1968, 1991, 1994
* Runners-up (1): 2010
* Tailteann Cup
* Winners (1): 2024
* Runners-up (1): 2023
* National Football League
* Winners (4): 1959–60, 1961–62, 1967–68, 1982–83
* Runners-up (4): 1962–63, 1963–64, 1969–70, 1989–90
* All-Ireland Junior Football Championship
* Winners (1): 1946
* All-Ireland Under-21 Football Championship
* Winners (1): 1979
* Leo Murphy Cup - U20 Football Development League
* Winners (1): 2019
* All-Ireland Minor Football Championship
* Winners (4): 1977, 1987, 1999, 2005

### Provincial

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* Ulster Senior Football Championship
* Winners (12): 1959, 1960, 1961, 1963, 1965, 1966, 1968, 1971, 1978, 1981, 1991, 1994
* Runners-up (15): 1940, 1942, 1958, 1962, 1967, 1969, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1986, 1996, 1999, 2003, 2012, 2017
* Ulster Junior Football Championship
* Winners (9): 1931, 1934, 1946, 1947, 1949, 1958, 1965, 1966, 1971
* Dr McKenna Cup:
* Winners (11): 1944, 1959, 1961, 1964, 1972, 1987, 1989, 1992, 1996, 1998, 2008
* Dr Lagan Cup
* Winners (6): 1949, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964
* Ulster Under-21 Football Championship
* Winners (9): 1965, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1984, 1985, 2005, 2008, 2009
* Ulster Under-20 Football Championship
* Winners (2): 2021, 2023
* Ulster Minor Football Championship
* Winners (10): 1958, 1960, 1962, 1963, 1966, 1977, 1979, 1986, 1987, 1999

## References

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1. ^ a b c "Down — Cumann Lúthchleas Gael Uladh". Ulster GAA. Retrieved 15 June 2022.
2. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 3 October 2011. Retrieved 22 September 2010.`{{cite web}}`: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
3. ^ "All-Ireland SFC Final: Cork 0–16 0–15 Down". BBC. 19 September 2010. Retrieved 19 September 2010.
4. ^ "Armagh are champions". BBC. 22 September 2002.
5. ^ "Conor Laverty named as new Down manager". RTÉ. 8 August 2022.
6. ^ O'Brien, Kevin (8 August 2022). "Down appoint Conor Laverty as manager". The42.ie.
7. ^ Breheny, Martin (24 November 2012). "The import and export business". Irish Independent. "Besides, can you ever imagine any of them, with the possible exception of Down, looking for outside help?"
8. ^ "Paddy Tally appointed as new Down Senior Football Manager". Down GAA. 23 August 2018. Archived from the original on 1 November 2020.
9. ^ "Paddy Tally leaves role as Down manager". RTÉ. 9 July 2021.

## External links

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* Official website

* v
* t
* e

Down GAA

County teams|

* Football
* Hurling

Stadiums|

* Páirc Esler

Competitions|

| Football|

* SFC
* IFC
* JFC

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Hurling|

* SHC
* IHC

* Category
* Commons

* v
* t
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National Leagues of the Gaelic Athletic Association

National Football League (2023)

Division 1|

* Armagh
* Donegal
* Galway
* Kerry
* Mayo
* Monaghan
* Roscommon
* Tyrone

Division 2|

* Clare
* Cork
* Derry
* Dublin
* Kildare
* Limerick
* Louth
* Meath

Division 3|

* Antrim
* Cavan
* Down
* Fermanagh
* Longford
* Offaly
* Tipperary
* Westmeath

Division 4|

* Carlow
* Laois
* Leitrim
* London
* Sligo
* Waterford
* Wexford
* Wicklow

National Hurling League (2023)

Division 1|

* Antrim
* Clare
* Cork
* Dublin
* Kilkenny
* Galway
* Laois
* Limerick
* Tipperary
* Waterford
* Westmeath
* Wexford

Division 2A|

* Carlow
* Derry
* Down
* Kerry
* Kildare
* Offaly

Division 2B|

* Donegal
* London
* Meath
* Sligo
* Wicklow
* Tyrone

Division 3A|

* Armagh
* Louth
* Mayo
* Monaghan
* Roscommon

Division 3B|

* Cavan
* Fermanagh
* Lancashire
* Leitrim
* Longford
* Warwickshire

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