Gerard Monan expects Saturday's Christy Ring Cup clash against Meath in Newry to be a "big test" for his Down side.

Both teams made winning starts to their campaigns against Mayo and London respectively last weekend, and speaking to the Irish News, the Down manager said: "Whenever we go down to Meath, we can't reach the coat hooks.

"There's a lot of big men about Meath. So they will be a big, physically strong team and they have a lot of good hurlers. It will be a big test. We have a big task ahead, but the victory in Mayo will lift the mood in the camp a lot. The players will maybe get a bit more credit for the work they are doing.

"When you are working hard and not getting the results, it is hard so the win will do them a lot of good. Last year, it was a tough match (Down won courtesy of two late goals). It was not until the last 10 minutes that we pulled away.

"I expect just as tough a match this time. Against Mayo, there was a fair spread of scorers. A lot of the boys stood up and played well. I was happy with that aspect of it." Tweet

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