Scoring 8-16 in a facile 22-point win over Laois didn’t quite reach the threshold of a perfect performance for Down.
It is perhaps a sign of the high standards set by Conor Laverty and his management team that they were annoyed at conceding 2-12 against the O’Moore County in their Tailteann Cup semi-final.
Laverty’s Kilcoo clubmate Ceilum Doherty chipped in with two points from centre-back and can be absolved of blame for the two Laois goals as he took a bang to the head and was replaced as a precaution.
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He has fully recovered and is expecting an altogether tougher assignment against Meath in Saturday’s decider at Croke Park.
“It was definitely a good performance against Laois. We’d a massive start, which was something we didn’t get a lot during the year,” said Doherty
“At the same time, there’s a lot of things we need to improve on. I thought there were things in the first half we could have done better. In the fourth quarter we probably took our foot off the gas and that can’t happen the next day.
"A Division Two team like Meath will definitely punish us. There’s a lot we can still work on.
He added: “It is something we’ve worked on, getting more goals. I think during the year, our final pass let us down a lot of times. It was one of those days when the final pass came good and we could have had more goals.
“I think we can push on in that regard and it would make us even stronger.”
The finalists have already met in the Tailteann Cup with Meath claiming a 1-11 to 1-9 win over the Mournemen to top Group Two and avoid the preliminary quarter-finals.
Despite registering 17 wides in last month's clash, Doherty doesn’t agree with the assessment that the better team lost in Parnell Park.
“I thought Meath’s defending that day was absolutely excellent,” reflected Doherty.
“We did have a lot of wides, but they were pressurised shots from areas where the scoring percentages were minimal. That was full credit to them. There weren’t many shots that we got away uncontested.
“We know we’ll have to work that bit harder to get into the shooting zone.
“I thought watching the four All-Ireland quarter-finals, the team that didn’t have the extra week, it didn’t help them. I thought it definitely helped us - momentum was massive for us.
“Playing games week after week - as a footballer, all you want to do is play games. There’s nothing better. I thought that was a really positive thing.”
The prize on offer for Saturday’s winners is a place in the group stages of the Sam Maguire Cup next season.
Last year’s inaugural Tailteann Cup winners Westmeath matched strides with Ulster heavyweights Armagh and Tyrone in this year’s All-Ireland series - drawing with the Red Hands in Kingspan Breffni and narrowly losing by a point away to the Orchard County.
The progress of Dessie Dolan’s side is an example of what is possible for the Tailteann Cup winners according to Doherty.
“We played Westmeath in the League and I thought they were a very impressive team. We just won by the skin of our teeth in Newry that night,” stated the Kilcoo defender.
“Westmeath are a quality team and they were a shining light in the Tailteann Cup last year.
“They had a positive season - they were a free-kick away from beating Tyrone in Kingspan Breffni and getting out of the group.
“The gap is getting smaller between the teams. The Tailteann Cup is a great platform and we’ve used that as a stepping stone on our journey.
“Meath will have that same goal as well. They were a Division Two team this year and will be in Division Two next year. Their best way of securing Sam Maguire football is by winning the Tailteann Cup and it is the same for us.”
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