Official Cavan GAA Thread

[BallyhaiseMan]

Best of luck to Gaynor...he deserves his break...Hope he has a good time and a fair few sessions down under....
He was Cavans best player against Down in the championship,and i heard he played fairly well against Kildare aswell...
It wont make a hell of alot of difference him missing a few months...Id say hes a serious trainer and will be in the Gyms in Austrailia 4 or 5 days a week anyway.

[lynchbhoy]

Gaynor doesnt really need the gym

a natural athlete and naturally v strong - firey disposition also adds to his strength..

just need to harness him and get him to channel his aggression into CHB and teach him not to foul (well within scoring range of frees anyhow)

Cavan have the country's best CHB and dont realise it !

[The Bottom Brick]

just need to harness him and get him to channel his aggression into CHB and teach him not to foul

Is that all? 

Seriuosly, he needs to keep the head if he wants to be a county footballer. It's no good being the best player on the field for 60 minutes and being on the line for the last ten when the match is up for grabs.

Any player who gets himself sent off can't handle the heat - this is something 100% of sports psychologists agree on believe it or not.

[lynchbhoy]

just need to harness him and get him to channel his aggression into CHB and teach him not to foul

Is that all? 

Seriuosly, he needs to keep the head if he wants to be a county footballer. It's no good being the best player on the field for 60 minutes and being on the line for the last ten when the match is up for grabs.

Any player who gets himself sent off can't handle the heat - this is something 100% of sports psychologists agree on believe it or not.

it never hampered a lot of the 'great meath team'
if Gaynor gets a wee bit cuter, he neednt have to curb his natural tendencies...
imo of course

[lynchbhoy]

Will not accept that Brick
I know the case you are making
but not everyone is beyond educating and changing.
Some are lost causes.
I am delighted to hear that Cassidy was onto Gaynor.
All too often the wrong approach is taken with younger players and they revolt rather than reform.

As 'ball has stated, Gaynor is not THAT bad in a Cavan jersey, and I believe with the right mentor and tutoring, he can eradicate all potential rushes of blood to the head during the game from his play.
Its not just the red/yellow cards, its the giving of frees away in scorable positions, it is also the stigma that can be attached to him by ref's  - therefore they will give frees against him easier too.

My point is, he is not that bad, he can be educated and fine tuned into a top class hard nosed cuter CHB.
I dont accept he cannot.I have worked with players with similar bad temperment.OK younger, but they almost all can change.

[mylestheslasher]

Gaynor has made a bed for himself unfortunately. When we played Derry a few seasons ago in the back door Johnny McBride was on him and never let him alone for a second, thumping the head off him. Gaynor eventually started to lose it and then started to forget about ball and went down to the level Mcbride wanted him too. My point is, if Gaynor doesn't learn he will be constantly targeted by wind up merchants like McBride.
BTW, that game against Mayo he came back for after the long suspension he got from the U21 final was one he was very lucky not to get sent off in, as he jumped with his knees into a player on the ground.
I still reckon he is one of  our best players but he needs to find a balance between the nasty stuff and the proper level of aggression - sort of like Roy Keane had to do at one point in his career.

[Rollout]

If he hadn't gone off injured against Kildare he may have ended up being sent off. He was going in recklessly with some challenges after being put to the ground a few times.

[The Bottom Brick]

Fair play to him for not being sent off for seven league games and an amzing TWO chmapionship matches (he went off injured in one of these).  This reminds me of Eddie Murphys skit about black people being proud of stuff that other people wouldn't be, eg boasting:

"Hey man, I ain't never murdered nobody!!"

I see your point in fairness, but the jury's still out on whether he's the reformed character you seem to think he is.

We need his robust style on this team for sure, but any clown can go out and hatchet other teams. We need him to show some self control, and if we get the best out of him he'll be outstanding.

[cavan4ever]

He has a reputation for been hot heated now as well so im sure he is being wound up all the time which doesn't help him with his short fuse.  He seems to do alot of winding up other players aswell and if they react and don't get spotted by any officals he then dishes out his own punishment.

[Homer]

Looks like we could have nearly started an Anthony Gaynor thread here. But heres a few comments on him.

I'm almost positive he holds the record for most sendings off in a single year by any one player, 8 that was between trench cup, club and county u21 and Senior. Nothing to be proud of i know.

He was sent off once this year, in the League final for a harsh(IMHO of course) second yellow. This wasn't an instance of losing the head when things got tough either as the game was all but over at this stage. I'm not saying that he didn't get away with anything during the year but surely its a notable improvement.

The key to improving Gaynor is not to repress his aggression (you take the aggression out of Gaynor's game, you take the game out of Gaynor), but to channel it to better use.

The unfortunate thing is that for every team he goes out to play against he will be wound up, but he has made his bed and now he has no choice but to lie in it.

[cavan4ever]

He may have only been sent off once for his club this year but he got away with loads in the games in Breffini that i seen him play.  Referee's chickened out of sending him off in clubs games this year for some reason.  In 4 games i saw ballinagh play he had 3-4 red card offences at least which is about 1 a game.

[cavanmaniac]

I wouldn't disagree with alot of what's said here but although I haven't read the book in question and am definitely no psychologist, I'd say a tendency to 'cop out' is the last problem I'd associate with Gaynor.

If anything he's far too ballsy and gamey and attracts trouble with his robust style, as well as WUMs with his short fuse. Both combine to result in a fair few disciplinary problems (anyone recall Coleman absolutely going berserk on the sideline in that U21 final when he got the line?) but in a tight game when we need him most there's nobody I'd rather have bursting into tackles than Gaynor - provided there's otherwise been no niggle and he's concentrating fully on the game. A bit of maturity and he'll be a hell of an asset but he needs good, thoughful and imaginative management.

That replay against Down in his first season at senior, he was immense when the chips were down andwe looked buried. The number of times he busted up the play and marauded forward setting up those late attacks for McCabe, I simply lost count.

[The Bottom Brick]

Yeah he was unreal in both games against Down the first year, if he could hit those heights again we'd be flying

[BallyhaiseMan]

Cavan U-21 panel announced
14 December 2006


The Cavan U-21 panel selected to take part in the forthcoming Hastings Cup competition – which will include Roscommon, Leitrim and Longford – in preparation for the 2007 Ulster U-21 Championship includes many of the top young talent in the county at the present times.

Training for the Cavan senior and U-21 panels has been ongoing over the last few weeks with both in action in January, 2007.

Because of a recent decision from Central Council the months of November and December have been officially closed for county teams with regard to tournament and challenge games.
Permission has been refused from Croke Park for all tournament and challenge matches. As a result, Cavan's opening game in the U-21 Hastings Cup tournament against Roscommon which was to have been played this week-end has been deferred until Saturday, 6th January at a venue to be decided, probably in Our Lady of Lourdes Park, Mullahoran with a 2 o'clock start.

According to reports training has been going well for both these panels and there has been good turn-outs at all the sessions. Hopes are high that the Breffni side can make a strong challenge for U-21 honours in the coming season.

Cavan U-21 panel – Enda Gaffney (Crosserlough), Darragh Gaffney (Drumalee), Aaron Duignan (Kildallan), Adrian Taite (Cuchulainns), Andrew Smith (Cornafean), Colin Lynch (Crosserlough), Cormac Geoghegan (Cornafean), Dane O'Dowd (Drumlane), Declan Gallon (Killygarry), Dermot Sheridan (Mullahoran); Emmett Madden (Gowna), Enda McCormick (Drumalee), Fergal Slowey (Ballyhaise), Finbar Jordan (Lavey), Gearoid Collins (Cavan Gaels), John Cunningham (Swanlinbar), Cillian Lynch (Cuchulainns), Liam Duignan (Cornafean), Michael Mee-han (Cavan Gaels), Paraic Smith (Castlerahan), Ray Cullivan (Ballyhaise), R. Galligan (Lacken), Sean Higgins (Cavan Gaels), Sean McCormack (Ballyhaise), Simon Delaney (Killinkere), Thomas Brady (Mountnugent), Alan Clarke (Kingscourt), Anton Reilly (Ramor Utd.), Cian Mackey (Castlerahan), Declan Mc-Cabe (Crosserlough), Martin Reilly (Killygarry), Michael McDonald (Drumgoon), P. Reilly (Ballinagh) and R. Flanagan (Castlerahan).


strong panel.

[Homer]

Very strong team this year alright, our best chance of silverware, here's my stab at a team

1. ?
2. Fergal Slowey - (Ballyhaise)
3. Padraic O'Reilly - (Ballinagh)
4. Enda McCormack - (Drumalee)
5. Finbar Jordan - (Lavey)
6. Dermot Sheridan - (Mullahoran)
7. Gearoid Collins - (Cavan Gaels)
8. Ray Cullivan - (Ballyhaise)
9. Alan Clarke - (Kingscourt)
10.Raymond Galligan - (Lacken)
11.Darragh Gaffney - (Drumalee)
12.Cian Mackey - (Castlerahen)
13.Martin Reilly - (Killygarry)
14.Anton Reilly - (Ramor Utd)
15.Ronan Flanagan - (Castlerahen)

Don't know any decent keepers. Terry Smith not playing, Andrew Smith is not near the standard. Are Delaney and Taite keepers

I see Daragh Gunne(think he's still underage) and Ali Pickett are missing are they not going in this year?

Declan McCabe is suspended for first round he got a straight red against Armagh last year.

If Geroid Collins does regain match form in time I'd probably put Emmet Madden full-back and bring Podge out CHB.

Haven't seen Micheal McDonald play in a while but I hear he has came on a bit from the awkward fellow he was, could be an option for midfield if so.