Write a commentEven without Benny Coulter, Down are massive favourites to beat Fermanagh on Sunday in the Ulster Senior Football Championship quarter-final at Clones.
Down enjoyed a good season in Division One of the National Football League – beating Dublin, Mayo, Donegal and Laois and warmed up for this weekend's game by trouncing Armagh in a recent challenge match.
But Peter Canavan's Fermanagh have also become used to winning. They were unbeaten in their Divison Four campaign, clinching promotion before losing the final against Wicklow.
Down coach Aidan O’Rourke believes the Ernemen are a much better team than their results in recent seasons suggest.
“Promotion to Division Three was as far as they could go in one year – but realistically they’re a Division Two team with the players they have,” said the Dromintee man who won the All-Ireland with Armagh in 2002.
“They can be very dangerous to have to deal with.”
O’Rourke praised the job that former Tyrone star Canavan has done in his first season with Fermanagh.
Canavan inherited a team in disarray – last season many established stars refused to play for manager John O'Neill and the county suffered an ignominious defeat against London in the Qualifiers.
“There are good players in every county, it’s a matter of if you can harness them,” said O’Rourke.
“Outside influences sometimes mean that the best players don’t play for their county.
“Peter has done a very good job in making sure that the best players in Fermanagh are all playing for them.
“They all seem to be pulling in the same direction, the results and performances this year indicate that they’re much improved on their starting point at the beginning of January.”
