Down unlikely to buck the one-sided trend in Ulster

WE have become immune to one-sided results in the football championships of Leinster, Munster and even Connacht. But Ulster was supposed to be unpredictable and competitive. Invariably, the games were tight, even a bit dour. But the first three games in this year’s Championship – Fermanagh v Antrim, Tyrone v Derry and Cavan vs Armagh – were all done and dusted by half-time. The game in Clones today may follow the same pattern. A look at the form book suggests Monaghan should have too much for Down. Malachy O’Rourke’s side have been Ulster champions twice in the past three years, they survived in Division 1 coming from seven points down to beat Donegal with a late score. O’Rourke (right) has brought them from Division 3 to the top tier, collecting silverware along the way.

Monaghan still need to ease the burden on Conor McManus. Conor McCarthy has been eased into the team by O’Rourke in the League and he seems to be a young player with a future. Against a Down team with such a poor defensive record, this could be the game to take the focus off McManus. Down seem to be in bother. Seven defeats in the League with an average of only nine points per game with only two goals scored which should be the biggest worry. In the past, Down teams were could create a goal out of nothing. That seems to be gone.

Of course, if ever a team can come from nowhere, it’s Down. They did it in 2010, reaching the All-Ireland final and even when they won the All-Ireland title in 1991, nobody would have predicted at the start of that season that Down would end up champions. They also put it up to Mayo on the last day of the League, losing by only three points in Castlebar.

But even allowing for Down’s reputation, the portents aren’t great. Benny Coulter and Marty Clarke both resisted the urge to return to the county set-up. Talented players such as Caolan Mooney and Niall Madine have opted out of the panel. The Championship will get a boost if there was an upset in Clones, but it’s hard to see it.