Official Cavan GAA Thread

[Denn Forever]

Hopefully going to the Ramor v Lacken game at the weekend.  Saw Lacken against Belturbet and the played what was in front of them.  So don't know what they will be like if it is put upto them.

Who should I look out for and what position will they be playing.

[Denn Forever]

Oh never mind.

[boojangles]

Great win this evening Hollow.Ramor 0-15 Lacken 0-9.Have to say young Ado Cole was the best footballer on show.A fine prospect.Ramor played the more direct football and had the better balanced team.

[mylestheslasher]

Why no mention of Pillar Caffrey? Isn't his mother one of Duignans from Cornafean and some relation of the Bradys of the garage. He may want a while away but I think he's as good a choice as there's out there who might actually want the job. Was at the Killeshandra match Myles and the Leaguers badly need their two men back from the States, which I believe is imminent. A late goal flattered them against a 14 man Ballymachugh.

I am hearing a lot of rumour about Caffrey. What would he be like I wonder. He certainly is a bigish name in GAA circles now and might be as close to the like of Big name that we can hope for.

[boojangles]

Paul Caffrey has Cavan blood coarsing through his veins.His mother is from Cornafen and his father was from Mullahoran.I severley doubt if that would b enough to tempt him into going for the Cavan job.He seems like a very honest decent man,would probably b very good with the players especially the younger ones.He would b a high enough profile name to bring a bit of a buzz about the scene but whether he'd have the full backing of the clubs I dont know.
Cootehill had a fine win against Killinkere last nite-2-14 to 0-9.Colm Smith while very selfish kicked some great scores.
Castlerahan bet Ballinagh easy enough I believe 0-12 to 0-6.Mackey and Mulvey causing alot of problems.
That leaves Ramor V Castlerahan in the Senior Qualifier and Cootehill V Killeshandra in the Intermediate Qualifier

[Hollow Man]

Cheers Boojangles

We're going very well at the right time, Ado in particular is flying as you say.

Bring on Castlerahan...

[Babe Ruth 47]

It has been a very frustrating year for Cavan football. We have arguably as good as, if not better footballers than Monaghan, Down, Kildare, Fermannagh and Wexford yet we remain in the abyss having only managed to beat Antrim. Hopefully now we can get a decent man, both a leader and a disciplinarian.

Personally, I don't feel Pillar Caffrey is the man for the job. He has achieved very little with Dublin that any other manager wouldn't have achieved. Four Lenister titles against poor opposition, and championship defeats against any team of note that they have come up against in Championship isn't a great. He has the Dubs in great shape physically but when it came to the crunch he offered very little tactically or otherwise. I do admire the intensity he has them working at though.

Throughout his reign Dublin have also been prone to loosing convincing leads in matches - Tyrone '05, Mayo'06 etc. This unfortunately has also become a trait of Cavan and I feel we need a manager who has the know how, to have a team mentally strong enough to be able to finish a game off. He also seemed to have a discipline problem in his early days with Dublin, although it seems he has rectified this. Declan Bonner usually being the main culprit but McKeever, Pierson etc would give Bonner a run for his money.

Corrigan on the other hand while not being perfect, I feel, is a better option. It seemed he was in 'no win' situation in Sligo without the support of the county board from the outset, so it might be harsh to judge him on this. With Fermanagh he got a fairly standard team to an All Ireland Quarter Final. In Cavan we most definitely have better footballers than Fermnnagh both then and now. At this point in time we would be extremely content with a place in the Quarter finals. With that Fermanagh team Corrigan also laid  the foundations for Charlie Mulgrew's Semi Final run in '04.

Corrigan has a good record at Ulster Club football. He won the Tyrone title in his first term with Carrickmore and was unlucky not to repeat the feat in his second term. He would have a good knowledge of Cavan club football too, having been over Killygarry for a year or so. I know lads from both Carrickmore and Killygarry and all hold him in very high regard.

Another good option would be the aforementioned Charlie Mulgrew but he is probably holding out for the Donegal job. I feel Letrim have made a very shrewd move in appointing Moran and Morrison. They have a great pedigree.

[mylestheslasher]

Paddy Crozier is also available now, Talk of Cassidy getting the Derry job.

[Homer]

Castlerahen fully deserved there win on Sunday as once again Ballinagh failed to get out of the blocks. I was another very poor game for the neutral with both sides showing very poor precision in front of the posts. The 'rahen dominated the breaks throughout the game and I felt we got a few things wrong along the line. Mackey showed some brilliance in patches giving Derek Hatchett an awful roasting before Patrick Carroll moved over on him and coped a little better, Enda Mulvey also proved very troublesome up front and the full-back Barry Cusack didn't give Gaynor an inch. Not too many stand-out performances for Ballinagh, Damien McInerney probably being the pick of the lot, and handled Ronan Flanagan quite well.

Although much the better team on the day Castlerahen will ready need to improve if they are going to go any further. I can't see Ramor letting them away with it if they are as wasteful the next day.

With the seniors suspended from their last two league games the defeat brings the year to an end, a very disappointing campaign but at least we have Senior football to look forward to next year which is more than could be said a month ago.


As for the search for a new manager I'm really not filled with too much confidence by the short-list. I'd be very close to Babe Ruth's line of thinking (Good post btw). Pillar completely under-achieved with the Dubs and I wouldn't go near him. Crozier would fall into the same category for me. Corrigan is possibly the best of the bunch so far but I still wait in hope for more adept candidates.

[Lawrence of Knockbride]

A little harsh on Caffrey lads I think. I agree that maybe he needed to play a slightly less orthodox game at times which he failed to do but he still got the Dubs to within a whisker of beating Kerry last year which would have been a great achievement giving the attacking style he deployed. He also kept that Dublin team together for his term which is something we could welcome. Maybe if Cavan were looking to a little further down the line I'd agree we need a manager with a plan b but if he could instill a the same fight  and workrate in us I'd have him. Or we could appoint King.

[cavanmaniac]

Homer more or less said it for me, that shortlist would want to get a little longer as far as I'm concerned.

What worries me is that the names currently in the shakeup are just that - names. Just tossed in there because they've been about or are easily recognisable, some of them not even that. Where is the evidence that a man with the necessary skills, particular to the unique challenge in Cavan, is being actively analysed and headhunted for the role. Because anything less than that and we are just throwing rice through a keyhole and hoping some of it gets through.

Anyway, don't want to say too much as it's obviously early days but I'd hope for more considered candidates than what's there for the time being.

[boojangles]

Damien McInerney probably being the pick of the lot, and handled Ronan Flanagan quite well.

Am I the only person who thinks Damien McInerney has to get a long overdue call up to the County Seniors.I know he is not the tallest but the lad rarely seems to have a bad game.I have played with and against him and he is one of the most fiercely competitive footballers I know.IMO he should have been called into the Seniors after 2005 when we were beaten in the U-21 Ulster final.If he had been called in then he would be an established Inter-County footballer now.I know Podge Reilly and Anthony Gaynor have done it at the highest level(because they got the chance) but I really feel Damien is every bit a good a footballer as these 2.Homer what do you think?

[mylestheslasher]

Damien McInerney probably being the pick of the lot, and handled Ronan Flanagan quite well.

Am I the only person who thinks Damien McInerney has to get a long overdue call up to the County Seniors.I know he is not the tallest but the lad rarely seems to have a bad game.I have played with and against him and he is one of the most fiercely competitive footballers I know.IMO he should have been called into the Seniors after 2005 when we were beaten in the U-21 Ulster final.If he had been called in then he would be an established Inter-County footballer now.I know Podge Reilly and Anthony Gaynor have done it at the highest level(because they got the chance) but I really feel Damien is every bit a good a footballer as these 2.Homer what do you think?

Was he not asked in and wouldn't do it?

[Hollow Man]

Damien McInerny?

You must be joking. We have far too many small handy players there as it is.

He is no better than, say, Martin Cahill, Keith Fannin, Ronan Flanagan, Barry Watters, Michael Brides etc in my opinion. In fact, he isn't as good as the first three I named.

Nothing against him, he is a good player, but Cavan need to be looking for big fellas at this stage.

A good big one, as they say, is better than a good small one.

How about this for a team

James Reilly

Hannon
Rabbitt
Sheridan


McKeever
Podge O'Reilly
Gunner

Walsh
Paddy Brady (?)

Sean Brady
John Tierney
Flanagan

Johnston
McCabe
Sean Maguire (third midfielder)

Just throwing it out there. A predominantly young, mobile and more importantly physically strong team.

Forget Pierson, Gaynor etc. Get a panel who want to play and are willing to put in the effort. I dn't know what the story is with Paddy Brady or Sean Maguire, just threw them in there as good club footballers who have the size to offer something...

[BallyhaiseMan]

Games i will be at this weekend

Saturday, 30th August 2008 @ 5.30pm
Hotel Kilmore Intermediate Championship Qualifier Final
Killeshandra v Cootehill
Venue: Annalee Park, Ballyhaise
Referee: Oliver O'Reilly
Linesmen: Harry Conaty & Phil Devine

Sunday, 31st August 2008 @ 1pm
Hotel Kilmore Senior Championship Quarter Final
Denn v Cuchullains
Venue: Kingspan Breffni Park
Referee: Mickey Lee
Linesmen: Paddy Carroll & Brian Seagrave

Sunday, 31st August 2008 @ 6.30pm
Hotel Kilmore Intermediate Championship Quarter Final
Drumlane v Drumgoon
Venue: Kingspan Breffni Park
Referee: Packie Smith
Linesmen: Ollie Henry & Jim Giblin

looking forward to see Cuchullains whom ive been so impressed with this year.id expecgt them to beat Denn,


We meet the winners of Cootehill and Leaguers,should be a good game Saturday, I think Cootehill might pip a young and somewhat inexperienced but very talented Killeshandra team.

Drumgoon by at least 5 on Sunday evening.