Conor Laverty has revealed how he used an error on a RTÉ graphic as motivation for Down’s shock Ulster SFC quarter-final victory over Donegal.

The Mourne County boss told reporters after his side’s 3-21 to 1-21 win that he had saved the graphic – which presumed that Donegal would play either Armagh or Tyrone in the semi-finals – on his phone and showed it to the players on the eve of the game in Letterkenny.

“You just have to back your­self and know that you’re on a jour­ney and where you want to go. I showed the lads last night the screensaver on my phone,” he explained.

“It was RTÉ’s cham­pi­on­ship draw. I’ve saved that on my phone for three weeks and I’ve looked at it every day. I showed them that last night and I had said to them on Thursday night that ‘I don’t think you are just fully with me in the belief yet, but before Sunday morn­ing, you are going to believe in the way that this man­age­ment team believes in you’.

“I said at half-time, ‘Do you fully believe me now? Do you fully believe what this man­age­ment team believes?’ And you could see it boun­cing in their eyes.”

When Laverty raised the issue with RTÉ reporter Darren Frehill in a post-match interview, Frehill apologised on behalf of the broadcaster and congratulated Down on their superb win.

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