Official Cavan GAA Thread

[mylestheslasher]

Hate to bring up the same argument again but it is surely time for keoghan to swallow his pride and bring Gaynor into the panel. I wasn't at the game but was talking to a few of my buddies and they tell me that it was very poor from us. They also claim that the ref had lost control and no one knew what he was at coming towards the end - maybe it was all the diving that Wexford were at that made it difficult for him. It seems that Gallagher doesn't have the balls to play for Cavan (I'm basing this on the games I was at too). I was also told that jason hardly touched the ball in open play - he doesn't seem to have the speed anymore - altough he is the only one with a real goal threat. Jason would make a good sub. We also learned that when a team targets our FB with high ball then we will be in trouble (Can't believe that no team really tried this on us to date) I'd be a but more radical than most on the team line up....

Miller
Hannon
Rabbitte
Fannin (one poor show doesn't takle him of my team)
Forde
gaynor
P Brady
McCabe
Mulvey
Cullivan
McKeever
Lyng
Pierson
Walshe
Johnstone

Bench: Jason, Cahill, Larry, S Brady, Gallagher, Cunningham (decent bench)

I think we need size at FB and FF. if Rabbitte isn't going to make it then the management need to act fast and get someone in to try out at least. The Forde experiment has failed. Maybe Colm Hannon. They need to do it now!!

I also think it is critical that we get some size in the FF line. It is too easy for teams to drop a sweeper back into  the pocket and stop the nice low ball going in. We need someone in there that can break the high balls. I think Walshe might do that but they'll have to start trying him out very soon.

I suppose we could look at this from the optimistic stance and say that we are learning our strengths and weaknesses - now all we need to do is act on that information

[cavan4ever]

I heard 2 weeks ago that the selectors were thinking of bringing in Colm Hannon.  Don't think gaynor will be back and DK should be ashamed of himself for not letting him back.

[The Bottom Brick]

Yeah we could have done with Gaynor, but then could you take the risk when he could easily go and do what he did at a similar stage two years ago when he got sent off at a vital time in that must win final league match against Meath.

On another note,

I was also told that jason hardly touched the ball in open play

Bit harsh, he skinned his man and fired a rocket over the bar to kickstart the revival just before half time, then he fisted a point at a crucial stage in the second half.

I've been a severe critic of Jayo in the past, but I think he's worth his place this year

[trim blue]

Gaynor is definately a big miss aswell and his temperment is no worse than mulvey's who let his county down last year aswel

Fair point, Mulvey would definitely want to lay off the "hard man" image.

I'm still laughing at that comment on here last week that some fella wouldn't have the same skill as Mulvey!! 

BB I'm glad I tickled your funny bone, I said that Mulvey would have more football in him than Walsh and as pathetic as it sounds you'd have to agree, while Mulvey is no Canavan you couldn't see Walsh scoring the sort of points he got against Derry in the McKenna Cup for example. Having said that I'd have Walsh in there but with Mulvey likely to be suspended its academic anyway. The more we go on the more McKenna's absence is being felt in midfield, does anyone know whether Paddy Brady will ever make himself available for Cavan again? BTW Jayo kept at it yesterday and I think he's worth his place, came more into it in the 2nd half and his fisted point was down to his determination and persistance.

[BallyhaiseMan]

Paddy Brady was playing for the Gowna Reserves in Division 4 against our Reserves yesterday morning.But He Must be trying to recover his fitness levels,
Because what im told from Club mates some who were there and some who were playing,He wasnt terribely impressive.
Next year is the earliest for a Paddy Brady comeback.

[The Bottom Brick]

I agree about Walsh/Mulvey, the sad thing is I remember seeing Walsh as an Under 16 bombing over five or six points from play regularly

[BallyhaiseMan]

Walsh can score,he has decent enough feet,hes just more interested in the physical exchanges nowadays than playing his own game,and is more likely to hand pass to another player when in scoring position rather than shoot.
Coleman/McElkennon got him into the mindset of being a destroyer at midfield.
Thats ruined his allround game in my opinion.

[trim blue]

Walsh can score,he has decent enough feet,hes just more interested in the physical exchanges nowadays than playing his own game,and is more likely to hand pass to another player when in scoring position rather than shoot.
Coleman/McElkennon got him into the mindset of being a destroyer at midfield.
Thats ruined his allround game in my opinion.

Fair enough point, its been a bit of a problem over the last 10 years that midfielders defer to McCabe at the expense of developing their own game, a combination of a spoiler and ball player is a good idea but we have never struck the balance right

[cavanmaniac]

Good submissions there by all observers!

I was initially just happy to finally get along to a game - perfect weather, decent crowd, sprinkling of big names on show, but what a disappointment the game was.

First off, I always realised Stampey Forde had nastiness in him but I didn't know Wexford in general played with such a sickening, snidey cynical edge in their play. I hope the f**kers are sick to have conceded the equaliser that effectively ends their promotion hopes, so deep in injury time, as it's the perfect poke in the eye for them after all the time wasting that went on. From the goalkeeper taking a week to kick out to every outfield player lying down for a week after a tackle, topped off by Forde going  over like a dying swan when no contact had been made and then taking Hannon out of it late on. Good riddance and enjoy Division 3 next year, I hope Armagh get ye and give ye some lessons. Really, really angry at the Wexford approach on Sunday, thank God the ref copped the antics and added the proper time on.

The Cavan performance highlighted some glaring weaknesses. Our only hope at midfield is spoiling the opposition and having attack teams pouncing on the breaks. McCabe and Co. weren't in the aerial battle on Sunday but most depressingly, neither were the half backs. It was notable that the late comeback came when Forde got more active around the sector, and also after the flashpoint with Mulvey which pissed the crowd off and riled our players. The element of panic also gave an urgency to our play that hadn't been there before. Keogan's minor sides and recently, his U21s v Monaghan, have a dreadfully frustrating tendency to dwell on the ball out the field. We were doing this yesterday too, with the first 15 minutes the prime example - having dominated possesson 70/30, we were 0-2 to 0-1 down! It was this that made our two man full-forward line look bad IMO, the ball took an eternity to come in and Wexford had ample time to get the supply lines choked. McCabe delaying over frees and Rory Gallagher and Co. tossing the ball around were the main culprits here. When the ball goes in quickly, Jayo and Pierson give you a chance of winning the ball, but the ball in has to be good.

Chesty and Brennan shouldn't be in the half back line with Gunner. Forde has to be moved back out and a solution found for full-back, somehow. As we all knew it would, Gaynor's isolation is now looking the foolhardy move it is. This game was made for him yesterday, only the late subs and our desperation stakes approach saved our bacon around the middle, but with the needle in the air I'd share reservations about his temperament holding up. Howlin cleaned McCabe out of it and their half back line made a show of us for long stretches in the vital aspects of fastening on to breaks and launching lightning attacks at pace, Cavan were much, much too laborious when they picked up the ball.

Free-taking from the hands is a 50-50 gamble at best for all bar Peter Canavan, I've always said it. Why lesser players persist with it, I'll never know. Putting it on the floor always gives you a better chance and we'd have had half the problems we did on Sunday if we had a reliable free taker from right and left or if the existing ones put it on the floor.

All things considered the season is going along expected lines. We should get promoted and with Johnston, Lyng, Sean Brady and Walsh to come back, if we can do some surgery in the problem areas and work on delivering better and quicker ball inside, we'll at least give a game to Down and maybe win a few qualifiers. So much depends on our ability to break the ball in the middle and pick up the crumbs but these were my ambitions at the turn of the year and I see no reason to scale them upwards or downwards just yet.

[cavan4ever]

Any of u heading down to Waterford for the game??

[trim blue]

Most of us will be at the mercy of Tynan....

[mylestheslasher]

Was thinking of going but couldn't get sign off from the missus!! My old buddy Tynan will keep me informed hopefully. Wouldn't it be some laugh if Cavan won and Weford beat Meath by 7 points, leaving Meath in Div 3 next year. Stranger things have happened (like Cavan losing to Waterford last yr)

[cavan4ever]

Yeah tynan will have to do me aswell i think or else look for a waterford station on the internet but they will prob cover the hurling.  I hope wexford get hammered because of the crap that they were at last weekend.  Also Grimley spent alot of time running onto the pitch last week, under new rules i believe that this isn't allowed anymore and only the runners are allowed on.  Will he get a touch line ban now?

[cavanmaniac]

It'd be a bit of a trek down alright but it'd be almost worth it in one sense. This game with Waterford really should bookend and bring closure to one of the most embarrassing chapters in Cavan football. It's something the players need to get out of their system and move on after reasserting their pride in the jersey. I'm confident we'll go at them bald-headed and after Meath stung them for 4-12 (Meath are scoring a serious amount of goals actually, and Waterford hadn't been conceding big tallies up to then) we can do likewise and score a fair bit.

In one way it'd be great to see a nasty enough Wexford beat out the gate with their tail between their legs, but come on lads...we could never shout for Meath! And besides there's the small matter of top spot in the group to be decided. I didn't realise a 7/8 point victory would do it for Wexford, was thinking they'd need to win by 14 but sure I wasn't at school the day we did the ould scoring differences in maths class...

[anglocelt39]

Dungarvan is well worth a weekend visit, the weathers up, the scenery is great, plenty of watering holes, night spots and golf. WLR is the local radio station but I reckon the hurling will take precedence. East Waterford sons of Breffni will be travelling, confidence in the local team would not be high. My one worry is, looking at their team pic from the local rag for the Meath match, they at least have fellas that sport the physical appearance of county players-so size will yet again be a challenge, but when was it ever any other way.


Anyway, on a related topic, maybe I'm the last person to see what follows, if so apologies. Certainly scored a few hits on me, and no doubt will do the same to some of the rest of you.



Choose pain, heartache, depression and ignorance....
choose to place your faith in false gods adorned with tight shorts, pashty skin and blue jerseys....
chose whether or not to wear your county colours for fear of ridicule should you be at the wrong end of another hammering...
choose false hope at the start of each McKenna Cup campaign

Choose Monaghan or Meath as the enemy, Armagh as an annoyance, Donegal
as soccer heads, Tyrone as the tormentors....
choose to wish Peter Canavan was born our side of the border....
choose Breffni as mecca, Omagh as a hay shed, Clones as a hell-hole....
choose to park in the half acre, stand under the score board,
watch the girls go by with fake tan dripping from the night before

Choose whether to travel up to Croker the day before or the morning of the big match...
choose whether or not to take home that meath girl you met in the imperial,
choose a big mighty fry before the match in your sisters place....
choose too many pints before the match.....
choose the Big Tree or Quinns after the match....
choose to go on the piss even though we lost again

Choose to hope that Keogan finally gets it right,
choose to forget McElkennon and his robbin of the county board
choose to dream about what it would have been like
if we had won in 1997, choose to forget about 2006 and waterford,


Choose to be a Garda, Civil Servant, plasterer, carpenter,
plumber, electrician, nurse....
choose a flat in Drumcondra, Phibsboro, Rathmines....
choose to buy a house in Ballyhaise, Virginia or Mullahoran
choose the Farnham, Imperial, Springs, Manor or Horseshoes for nights out.....

Choose to leave your place of birth at the tender age of 17....
choose to go to college in Galway, Sligo, DIT, UCD or get the start with
the big brother in Dublin....
chose only to return home every weekend to mammy, every club match, Ulster Championship fixtures....
choose whether or not to apply for a job in the one local factory
and accept half your current wage in the hope that life will be
better than the rat race in the big smoke

Choose Bud, Guiness, Miller and Carlsberg to drink....
Choose Pauwells, Kingspan, Boxmore to work.....
choose the Radisson, Cabra Castle,
Cavan Crystal, Slieve Russell, Kilmore Hotel to get married....
Choose Bundoran and the west for holidays....
choose the Crystal, The Anglo Celt
the Cavan Echo, Northern Sound Radio

Choose long summer days in the bog, driving a tractor at 12, going to
the local mart as a big day out....
choose your first car a souped up Jap import, on your mothers insurance, don't tax it until you are caught....
choose the site your father leaves you and to build
an unimaginatively designed mansion on it

Choose the two teacher school for primary education, the big
school in town for secondary....
choose to go down town for lunch, play pool in the
pub, hope the convent girls notice you....
Choose getting a pint in the local at 15,
choose seeing your father in the local disco,
choose thinking you scored because you kissed a girl....
choose to stand outside the church at Sunday mass,
choose to always be a mammys boy

Choose Cavan!