'We're not taking anything for granted' - Dermot Power

The Downs’ manager Dermot Power feels the earlier results in this year’s Senior football championship are not an accurate guide as to the true strength of the competition and feed into the theory that his side are well ahead of the chasing pack.

It will count for nothing, he suggests, as his side prepare to meet neighbours Coralstown/Kinnegad in a novel county final on Sunday, the first time the two clubs have clashed on the big occasion.

“I think you can probably read a little bit too much into some of those earlier rounds. We played against some teams that didn't have a full deck. The first round against Kinnegad, they were probably missing four or five players. The same with St Loman’s. We did what we had to do during those rounds, but certainly none of us are reading anything into those results,” he observed.

Part of the last management team to lead The Downs to glory three years’ ago, he was delighted to get back involved this year, though he realises the pressure it brings. Surrounding himself with good people has been key to developing a strong backroom team.

“I was involved with the team back in 2022. Myself and Lar Wall and Barry Conroy. When the opportunity came, I gave it some thought. I have known these players for a number of years. Coming into a set-up like that, it brings its own challenges. Also, in the current year, Barry is back in. We've Eoin Carroll with us, an excellent coach. We have a significant backroom as well. All of that makes it easier for me. It's not just about me in isolation,” he remarked.

“It's the whole management team. That's the reason why we are here, where we are.

“We have a fantastic group of players. I've said it to numerous people in the past. The hardest thing is to try and put 15 on the pitch. You've got 30 fantastic athletes training week in, week out. And more over the course of the league as well. For me to be involved in this, it's a privilege.

Sometimes I think I may have underestimated the challenge at times. It can do your head in. To reach a final, part of it is a bit of a sense of relief. Part of it is saying, I know the way I felt when I was on the terrace. I know the way I felt last year. To be in a position now where you can somewhat contribute to what might happen on the day, that's exciting.”

Power wasn’t surprised that Mullingar Shamrocks provided such a stern test in the first half of the semi-final.

“Shamrocks were going to bring as much as they possibly could to us, and you have to expect that. So the whole game probably turned out similar to the way we thought it would, and we were glad that in the second half we started to impose ourselves just a little bit more. We started to find a little bit more momentum as well,” he observed.

He is acutely aware of the threat posed by a well-balanced Coralstown/Kinnegad outfit, under the stewardship of former Westmeath boss Jack Cooney.

“They’re an excellent team. They have a forward line midfield that's very strong, have a lot of really quality forwards, well able to score. They've got Josh Gahan back. They've got Jack Torpey back. They've got (James) Maxwell back. They've got (Brian) McGrath back,” he noted.

“I've named probably half their team there, and then for the last game, they end up bringing on (Shane) Fleming as well.

This is a team that you have to respect the quality that they have in that team. Then you have a management team that has so much experience.

“You would have had Jack (Cooney) coaching Castleknock (Dublin) as well. So we're not taking anything for granted at all, and we'll do the very best we can on the day, and we'll prepare accordingly for a major challenge.”

Changes to the football rules this year have contributed positively to the game and also mean having a strong panel is more important than ever.

We've both spoken about it before, that high fielding is back again. Winning the ball around midfield is crucial. It sort of sets you up with a very attacking platform. The solo and go; the inside mark. There's a number of things that have certainly changed the whole game,” the manager remarked.

“The speed of the game has grown significantly, and that brings with it added pressures. I suppose the level of aerobic fitness required by the players now is at a much higher level than even what it was last year. I think people don't understand that the intensity that the new rules bring means that players have very little time to recover on the pitch.

You're going to pick up a few niggles on the way.”

The build-up to Sunday’s final will be special in the close-knit community of The Downs, but the fact that they have been in a final last year is a definite help.

“I suppose we're trying to treat it like any normal week. It’s hard to do that really, but training will be spicy. There's 25 or 30 lads out there that all want to be in that first 15, so it'll be an excellent lead-in to the final,” said Power.

As a supporter, Power felt the hurt of last year’s defeat and it’s sure to make everyone in The Downs even more determined, even if they are reluctant to dwell on it.

“We're leaving last year behind us. This is a new year. It's 368 days since we played that final, so we are very focused,” he added.