RARELY HAS A Division 3 league final carried so much meaning as the meeting of Down and Westmeath this Saturday night.

The winners could play their summer in the Sam Maguire Cup. The losers will be heading for the Tailteann Cup. Nothing is certain until the provincial series is played out.

Clare have a strong chance and Kildare are potential provincial finalists. The places for Sam come at a high premium due to the existing structures.

Not that either are ‘above’ the Tailteann Cup of course. Westmeath won the first edition of it in 2022 and did the competition some service by openly enjoying the experience.

Down were in the final last year and while they were well beaten by Meath, there was a significant interest in the Mourne county with flags and bunting hung out beforehand.

For all that though, Down selector Mickey Donnelly would rather they were hunting the big fish this summer after securing promotion last Sunday with victory over promotion rivals Clare in Newry.

“They used to talk about the championship (play-off) in English soccer being the most lucrative game in the world because teams were trying to get into the Premiership,” said the Aghaloo O’Neills clubman.

“Listen, ourselves or Westmeath could get over the line on Saturday evening and still not get to play in the Sam Maguire.

“There is something ethically wrong about that and there is a question there; have we got the competitions right? We probably don’t, you know. Ultimately, a provincial series, followed by a league followed by a championship, there is absolute clarity then.

“Now, the timing of that would be difficult, of course, because then maybe you dilute the value of the Ulster championship which we all hold so dear but to have gone through the league unbeaten with 13 points and have to go toe-to-toe with a Westmeath team that ran Tyrone and Armagh really close last year, it is going to be a huge battle, it really is.”

To end up back in the Tailteann Cup would not exactly kill their season, but it goes without saying that on their current trajectory, having added former Derry coach Ciaran Meenagh to their backroom over the winter, they would prefer to test themselves against teams from a higher level.

“We would be exceptionally disappointed, just given the fact we had five league wins last year, six and a draw this year, in relative terms that is a decent return over two years,” Donnelly said.

“To not be in the Sam Maguire would be disappointing but as disappointing as it would be, it is in our hands and it is up to us to do something about it.

“We have to go a wee step closer on Saturday. That might be taken away from us depending on how the provincial series works but ultimately even if a Kildare and Clare get to their provincial finals that will take it away from the winners of Division 3.

“You still have a chance in your provincial series so that is why the timing is wrong.”