BY RYAN FERRY
THE Donegal senior hurlers face a gruelling test this Sunday when they head to Ballycran to face Down but young defender Oisin Kelly isn’t one to shirk a challenge.
Mickey McCann’s team are operating at Division 2 level this year and it’s a high standard of play.
Donegal won the Nickey Rackard Cup in 2024 and that’s booked their spot in the Christy Ring Cup this year.
However, the likes of Down, Kildare, and Kerry are all operating in the second tier of hurling, the Joe McDonagh Cup.
It’s good for the Donegal hurlers to get the opportunity to rub shoulders with players from those counties but they will be difficult assignments.
Down defeated Kildare by three points in Round 1 and then had 16 points to spare over Derry last week.
Donegal had an impressive win over Tyrone in Letterkenny but there is a realisation within the camp that Sunday’s meeting with the Mourne county will be a step up in class.
“It definitely was a big win for us last week,” said Kelly.
“Playing against the teams who are going to be in the Christy Ring Cup are the ones we are realistically targeting.
“Those are teams that we feel we can take points off.
“Then you’d be hoping to perform well against the teams from the Joe McDonagh, and hopefully you might get a result there as well.
“We would be hoping to put in a good shift against Down but it will definitely be a step up again.
“We are going to have to get our hurling and everything up to speed quickly.
“We know they are a good team but it’s definitely a game that we can look forward to.”
Donegal have had some close duels with Tyrone in recent years but they proved much too strong for their neighbours last week.
It was undoubtedly an important match as two teams will be relegated from Division 2.
After losing by 2-12 to 1-14 against Meath the previous week, there was little room for error.
Kelly said: “It’s a good result to get us started in the league.
“We had a tight one last week against Meath when we lost by a point. We maybe could have got over the line in that one.
“It’s always going to be a tough battle when you’re up against Tyrone.
“They beat us last year in the league semi-final.
“I’m sure they will come back at us again when we meet them in the Christy Ring.
“We will get back into training now and get ready for the next game.”
Oisin Kelly was named at corner-back but lined out at number six where he picked up Tyrone dangerman Aidy Kelly.
The Red Hands were keen to land puck-outs down on top of their ace attacker, but the determined Burt man stopped him winning anything clean.
“I was on Aidy and it wasn’t easy.
“He’s a serious player and if he gets the ball in his hand, he’s dangerous.
“I think I did alright on him. I tried just to stick tight as best I could.
“All that matters really is getting the win. It was a far better performance and it was good to see the bite from boys.
“You need that edge and it helped us to get over the line.”
Kelly’s rise to form is timely as his Burt clubmate Ciaran Curran is currently out with a cruciate injury.
The 23-year-old had to be patient in 2024 and was mainly an unused sub but he feels that experience has stood to him.
“This is my second year on the panel now,” said Kelly, who has recently qualified as an Engineer.
“I would have come off the bench last year once or twice.
“I’m enjoying it now and getting good and stuck into it.
“I knew I had to be patient. A few of the other lads would have said to me that it takes you a year to get up to the pace of it.
“So I was aware that it would take time to get bedded in and settled in the panel.
“It is a step up but I’m getting used to it.”
Kelly’s involvement with Burt in the Ulster Intermediate Hurling Championship helped his cause and he was ready to hit the ground running when the team were allowed to return to collective training.
“We were still going late into the season with the club so we were tipping away with that.
“We just took a week or two off and then we were straight back into training.
“It was good that you didn’t have that long break and feel you have a lot to catch up on.
“We had a good pre-season as well then and it’s just about getting as sharp as you can now.”
Kelly has developed his body physically and his stickwork is also improving.
However, it’s his role as a man-marking defender that really adds value to the team.
That can be tricky when up against speedy forwards but the dual star brings huge honesty and effort to the role.
“I do enjoy it.
“I like to get stuck in and try and stop my man and just try and help the team as best as I can.
“You just have to keep going. They might get the odd point but it’s just about minimising it as much as you can.
“You just have to try and keep the foot down and stop the man as best as you can.”
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