Former Down star Kevin McKernan says he is watching on with pangs of jealousy following early grounds for optimism under manager Conor Laverty.
The 2010 All-Ireland finalist stepped away last summer after a year to forget for the Mourne County, but ahead of their Ulster championship clash with Donegal, believes after some time in the doldrums, compounded by issues off the pitch, things are beginning to look up for his countymen.
After losing six of their seven league games in 2022, confidence was low entering the championship. Coach Paddy Tally had resigned a year previous, stating he didn't believe he had the backing of the clubs, while James McCartan’s second stint at the helm only began shortly before Christmas.
League form carried into the summer as Donegal swatted them away in an Ulster quarter-final, while Cavan eased past them in their only Tailteann Cup outing, with McCartan stepping down shortly after.
Little wonder McKernan regarded his last year as arguably the worst since joining the panel in 2007.
"James McCartan was left in a situation where he took the job on in November where every other county was back six weeks," he told RTÉ Radio 1’s The Championship.
"That was as a result of a vote that got rid of Paddy Tally who has gone to Kerry and won an All-Ireland. I worked with him at St Mary’s. Down were in a really good place with him.
"Hopefully the stability of having a manager for five, six, seven years - and I hope that is what happens with Conor because he can adapt and change his backroom team - will help.
"You look at the teams at the least decade or longer that have had reasonable success and it is due to the know-how of a management structure that is given a chance.
"Unfortunately for a couple of years with Down, as players, we had to pick up the pieces of difficult situations in management."
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Decorated forward Laverty, a key figure in Kilcoo’s recent success at club level, saw his team miss out on promotion to Division 2 on scoring difference with Cavan having picked up five wins out of seven, and now embark on an Ulster campaign against a Donegal side that succumbed to relegation from the top-flight and saw manager Paddy Carr tender his resignation before the conclusion of Division 1.
Having coached at under-15 level for the last couple of years, McKernan, also part of the Mourne County ladies management team, is well placed to critique the latest crop of player progressing through the underage ranks and believes former team-mate Laverty is just the man to guide Down football into the next chapter.
"He has this way of getting that togetherness. His track record speaks for itself. Even with Down, as a small player, he was so courageous in how he played.
"No team will be bigger than Down."
Watch Tyrone v Monaghan in the Ulster Football Championship on Sunday from 3.30pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player, follow a live blog on the RTÉ News app or RTÉ.ie/Sport or listen to live commentary on Sunday Sport on RTÉ Radio 1.
