IT is set to be a bumper weekend of action for fans of the Down senior men’s and ladies football teams.
Two mouth-watering fixtures take place and the stakes currently couldn’t be higher for both of the county’s squads.
The Mournemen will once again make the trip down south to Croke Park this Saturday and, for the second year in-a-row, will contest another Tailteann Cup final, this time against Laois. Throw-in is set for 3pm.
And then, on Sunday, Down ladies will travel to Clones in Monaghan to take on Tyrone at 2pm in the semi-final of the All-Ireland Intermediate Football Championship, with a place in the decider up for grabs under joint-managers Caoibhe Sloan and Peter Lynch.
The men’s contest will act as a curtain raiser to the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship semi-final between Kerry and Armagh, which will take place afterwards at 5.30pm in the Dublin venue.
And, Conor Laverty’s charges know that if they can finally get over the line then they themselves will be playing All-Ireland football next time around.
Down lost out in their Tailteann Cup final last year following an underwhelming showing to Meath and then tasted defeat in their Division 3 league final to Westmeath earlier this year.
Both of these finals occurred at Croker and thus they will be hoping that the third time is the charm, especially against a Laois outfit which Down defeated in the Tailteann Cup semi-final stage last year by a thumping 8-16 to 2-12.
Down star Daniel Guinness believes those previous losses will act as encouragement for the team ahead of Saturday’s showdown.
“Definitely the hurt and the feeling after those two games will hopefully give us an extra drive going into that game on Saturday,” he said.