Mark Poland: 2015 qualifier defeat was my lowest ebb

Mark Poland has revealed he wanted to retire after Down’s surprise defeat to Wexford in last year’s All-Ireland SFC qualifiers.

The shock result, which came hot on the heels of an Ulster championship defeat by Derry, led to the departure of Jim McCorry as manager and Poland, one of the team’s most committed servants, admits he almost quit at the age of just 29.

“Wexford was one of the worst moments I’ve had in football but it was a knee-jerk reaction of my own (to consider retiring).