AT present, it's hard to know whether the rustles in the Ulster football undergrowth concerning the surprise potential of Down's footballers, are for real or just idle chat to set them up for Sunday's Ulster preliminary round match at Clones against Donegal.
Down were All Ireland champions twice this decade and at times played the best football seen in recent years. The likelihood of their beating Donegal shouldn't be the stuff of sensation; but, whereas when Down are good, they win All Irelands when they are bad they are dreadful.
They seem to be in a dreadful cycle at the moment, having followed the 1994 All Ireland with relegation in successive years from the first to third divisions.
Team manager Peter McGrath, now in his seventh year, understands the anomaly. "The obvious answer is that, if you examine the personnel, it can be seen that nothing resembling that played in the League for us at any time. We had a catalogue of injuries, the League threw up teams that were changing every week. If we had Sunday's team in seven League matches, I feel there's no way we would have ended up relegated.
"The McKenna Cup (Ulster's secondary competition) may not be a widely recognised event, but it did give us the opportunity to regain a lot of stability, and the four matches we played helped us. Whether they helped us enough remains to be seen; but if we win on Sunday, there'll not be too many Down supporters worrying about Division Three."
If winning the McKenna Cup isn't irrefutable evidence of recovery, enough people have been impressed by the team's form to rate their chances of defeating an injury weakened Donegal. Down, however, have their own troubles on that score, and, in a strange way, these injuries constitute further rounds for optimism.
In recent years, the dearth of replacement talent has forced the county to field teams which, although strong on paper, were actually unfit and lacking match practice. This problem came to a bead last year in the corresponding match against Donegal.
Nearly the entire All Ireland winning team of the previous September lined out. Unfortunately, several hadn't played competitively for just as long. The team looked rusty and unable to cope with a Donegal side that had just completed an exhausting League sequence of six matches in as many weeks.
This year, however, those not fit to play have been left on the bench or omitted completely. Is this the result of previous lessons, or better reserve strength?
"A combination of both," says selector John Murphy. "Our problems last year were that we had disastrous injuries and a substitute strength that was not up to beating Donegal in Clones on a pressure occasion. The thinking was we have these players who've been through it all before and can do it again. If they do, we'll have another four weeks to improve things for the Monaghan match. It didn't work. This year, we are able to call on players who can replace them.
Among the selection decisions made, the most controversial is the dropping of twice All Ireland medallist Neil Collins, whose saves on important occasions have been an integral part of the team's previous successes for instance, in the finals of 1991 (from Bernard Flynn) and 1994 (Charlie Redmond's penalty). Michael McVeigh (25) comes in.
"It was a difficult decision," says McGrath. "Both have worked extremely hard and we had great difficulty separating them. We know Neil's qualities, but Mickey's kick outs are more consistent and longer."
"McVeigh's kicks are up to 20 metres longer," according to Murphy, "and over a match that can mean approximately 20 kicks. That will maybe be a significant factor. Neil took it well, but he's disappointed of course."
There is also the selection of Greg Blaney, whose peerless centre forward orchestration has been such a feature of Down playing well, at corner forward. In his accustomed place on the 40 is John "Shorty" Treanor, who was discarded from the panel as along ago as a full year before the first All Ireland victory.
Murphy denies this is a commentary on Blaney's questionable fitness after a long lay off with injury. "With Gary Mason coming out of the forwards (he's named at left wing back), we had to look at who'd be most suitable in the positions available. We feel that Shorty has more to offer on the half forward line, whereas as long as Greg's in the forwards, it's not a problem."
A number of players, like Blaney, have been soldiering for a long time. Their contribution has pleased McGrath.
"They've been very positive, very committed. Last year there was fatigue in the panel, but when a team goes through a blank season, the older players realise that it's one they've missed out on. A championship defeat isn't a match, it's a year. They recognise that Sunday is a watershed. If they get over it, it's quite possible, the way we operate, what they could make a big impact.
. Despite the statement from GAA director general Liam Mulvihill that there would be no live broadcasts this weekend if an agreement with RTE wasn't formalised, no meeting took place yesterday, according to Croke Park press officer Danny Lynch. Last season's televised coverage was conducted on an ad hoc basis.
This year's schedule of matches - which has already been agreed - is due to start on Sunday and will include live second half coverage of the Down Donegal match from Clones.
