Portaferry faces Dunloy in the Ulster Club SHC semi-final on Sunday at 15:30 GMT in Armagh, with a place in the 29 November decider against Slaughtneil at stake.
The fixture arrives as the Ards peninsula town comes to terms with the death of former European 1500m champion and Portaferry native Ciara Mageean, who passed away at age 34.
Corner-forward Daithi Sands, who scored four points as Portaferry secured a fifth-straight Down title on 18 October, acknowledged the heavy atmosphere surrounding the squad in recent weeks.
“It’s still surreal, still a shock – it doesn’t seem real or right,” Sands told BBC Sport NI.
“It’s been really difficult in one sense as she is so linked and everyone in the town was behind her, so you can’t get away from it. At the same time, when it comes to training, it’s almost a nice way to focus on just training and getting yourself right,” Sands added.
Mageean had worked with the Portaferry hurling squad in recent years. Sands said that the hurlers won’t have to look too far for inspiration as they prepare for Sunday’s provincial clash.
“As sombre as it’s been, it’s still a chance to reflect and think, ‘she gave it everything, so we need to do the same’,” Sands said.
On the provincial stage, Portaferry is looking to push past recent heartbreak after falling to Slaughtneil at the semi-final stage last year. In the 2024 final, an eight-point lead turned into a three-point defeat after late goals from Se McGuigan and Shea Cassidy. In 2023, Cushendall forced extra time through a late free from Neil McManus.
