Down maintained their perfect start to their Allianz Football League Division 3 campaign thanks to a dramatic and hard-fought one-point victory over Limerick at a sun-drenched Mick Neville Park in Rathkeale on Saturday afternoon.
The Ulster side had a three-point lead at half-time – 0-09 to 0-06 – before holding on to a one-point – 0-18 to 1-14 - win with a late 74th-minute Shane Annett point ensuring Conor Laverty's side made it two wins from two in 2026.
The game’s only goal came nine minutes from time – a superbly taken Danny Neville effort before newly-promoted Limerick drew level in the 70th minute with a draw looking the likely result at the end of a game that Down looked the most likely winners throughout, holding a lead from the 21st minute until time added on at the end of the second half.
Up stepped Annett with the winner in stoppage time as Limerick were left to rue late missed opportunities to at least salvage a point.
A low-scoring opening quarter, with both sides attacking conservatively whilst defending well at the other end, Down led by the narrowest of margins – 0-02 to 0-01 midway through the opening 35 minutes.
However, after Limerick captain Barry Coleman pointed just shy of the 20-minute mark to draw the sides level for a second time, Down scored five without response, including a two-point free from Pat Havern, during a dominating seven-minute period which saw the visitors cruise into a six-point lead 10 minutes before the half-time break.
After Havern kicked over his two-point free in the 21st minute, efforts from play from Ceilum Doherty (two), Odhran Murdock and Ryan McEvoy gave Down an early foothold in the game.
A very young Limerick side, showing great character and resilience, responded to Down’s period of dominance with three scores of their own to make it a two-point game with a Robbie Childs two-pointer the pick of Jimmy Lee's side's mini-revival.
A late Daniel Guinness point put three between the sides at the interval.
Both sides exchanged points early on in the second half before substitute Shane Cross made a massive impact on the game, setting up Danny Neville as Limerick raised the game’s only green flag nine minutes from time to narrow the deficit to one – 0-15 to 1-11 in favour of the visitors.
Down responded well as Guinness kicked a superb two-pointer to edge Down back into a three-point lead with just two minutes of regular time left on the clock.
Limerick’s Eliah O’Riordan slotted over his second two-pointer before a late James Naughton free put both sides level for only the third time of the afternoon.
Limerick, in fact, had chances to win the game but it was Down who won it at the death as Annett kept his cool when it mattered the most.
Limerick: Jeffery Alferd; Jason Hassett, Colm McSweeney, Mark McCarthy; Barry Coleman (c) (0-01), Killian Ryan, Diarmuid Buckley; Jack McCarthy, Paul Maher (0-01); Eliah O’Riordan (0-05, 2tpf), Andrew Meade (0-01), Sean Clancy; Robbie Childs (0-02, 1tpf), James Naughton (0-04f), Danny Neville (1-00)
Subs: Rory O’Brien for Meade (HT), Shane Cross for McCarthy (55), Oran Collins for McSweeney (60), Brendan Carr for Maher (68)
Down: Rónán Burns; Peter Fegan; Pierce Laverty, Barry O’Hagan; Pearse McPolin (0-02), Ryan MaGill, Callum Rogers; Odhran Murdock (c) (0-01), Ryan McEvoy (0-01); Daniel Guinness (0-05, 1tp), Ceilum Doherty (0-03), Shane Annett (0-02); Adam Crimmins, Pat Havern (0-03, 1tpf) John McGeough
Subs: Jamie Doran (0-01) for O’Hagan (33), Donal Scullion for Crimmins (44), Tom Close for McEvoy (52), Patrick Brooks for Rogers (56), Gareth McKibben for McGeough (61)
Referee: Fergal Kelly (Longford)
