Downes ready to grasp golden opportunity

For a young man, Kevin Downes has chalked up one or two more regrets than he’d have hoped to. Missing out on a first team place with Limerick during last summer’s Munster hurling championship odyssey naturally rankled.

And from a club perspective the loss of the 2012 AIB All-Ireland Club semi-final to Loughgiel Shamrocks was tough to take.

But if there is one period of his burgeoning career he would happily take an eraser to and wipe out completely it is the autumn of 2009. And yet it was all shaping up so promisingly after qualifying for a rare minor and senior county final double back then with Na Piarsaigh.