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It was always going to come down to the game with Roscommon, for Cavan, and that hasn't and won't change, but the hope was we'd arrive there without too many scars and some confidence remaining. Who knows now what to expect from them on any given day? We're hideously inconsistent, often within games never mind from one to another, very mentally fragile and too content with moral victories, as shown by leaving a win behind us versus Tyrone. Any small degree of momentum from that is now in shreds. Mayo might not turn out to even be all that good, that's the scary thing, with Dublin waiting to annihilate us in second gear at Breffni - a game supporters will now understandably stay away from in droves? You try not to lapse into too much negativity and I know we've a new manager etc. but with all the gurus and back room geniuses we have, how in the hell did Cavan go out and turn in a dreadful display like that?

Cavan can put it up to a lot of teams but Mayo, Dublin, Kerry - big physical athletic teams, we will not compete with them. Most worrying for us is the total lack of quality coming through at underage (if you go by our results). One win for our U20s this year v Antrim (who were dire) and 2 wins for our Minors against Antrim and Fermanagh. When the Cillian Clarkes, Padraig Faulkners, Gerry Smiths hand up their boots we will be back slumming it in Div 3.

I hope you're wrong but couldn't make a convincing case right now. Underage has gone to shite altogether but isn't helped by honorary/name recognition appointments like Larry at U20, who anyone could see from his club management efforts would bring little bar an outdated, infuriating blanket defence and the usual robotic over-thinking. He'll be still there next year, I presume? If Damien Donohoe did reasonably well there the years before, why not leave him at it? Or at least make a considered choice instead of just lazily going for the ex-county legend.

Minors fared marginally better this year but as always the good news of a very commendable display against Tyrone is tainted by the age-old failing of not being able to take the win that was there to be taken, and losing composure when victory beckoned. It doesn't happen with such regularity to other counties; these moral victories all speak to ingrained mental fragility in our players but at least Seanie Smith seemed to be aware of as much in his post match comments - the first step to fixing a problem being awareness it exists and all that, which is not something you see a lot of acknowledgement of from other county board figures.

It was always going to come down to the game with Roscommon, for Cavan, and that hasn't and won't change, but the hope was we'd arrive there without too many scars and some confidence remaining. Who knows now what to expect from them on any given day? We're hideously inconsistent, often within games never mind from one to another, very mentally fragile and too content with moral victories, as shown by leaving a win behind us versus Tyrone. Any small degree of momentum from that is now in shreds. Mayo might not turn out to even be all that good, that's the scary thing, with Dublin waiting to annihilate us in second gear at Breffni - a game supporters will now understandably stay away from in droves? You try not to lapse into too much negativity and I know we've a new manager etc. but with all the gurus and back room geniuses we have, how in the hell did Cavan go out and turn in a dreadful display like that?

If Cavan bring the intensity they brought in the 2 Ulster games at times they'll give any of the Connacht teams a good rattle. Lynch is some loss though, was sorry to hear that.
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Years of ingrained tactical baggage seem to still inhibit this team, until a game is slipping away. Then, when there is literally no reason left standing not to throw caution to the wind and just have a right cut off it, instinct and skills are given their head and apparently we can give a game to a good many teams. It's maddening stuff at times and we keep repeating the dose.

Has Gearoid McKernan retired?

Not part of the panel this year. Either wasn't asked or decided not to. His last few seasons his form had dropped off significantly, to be fair, but he had big mileage clocked up.

Not a brutal draw from Cavan's perspective - absolutely delighted there's no other Ulster team in there, but perhaps it's all moot anyway with the news that Paddy Lynch is gone for the season after doing the cruciate.

You'd imagine Galway or Mayo will be good enough for second place behind the Dubs and Cavan and Roscommon will renew their modern day B-lister rivalry for the third spot. Roscommon wouldn't be overly fearful in that one either.

Thought the ref did OK until extra time when he seemed to give Tyrone frees for things he'd subsequently ignore when the same thing happened a Cavan player.

Hell of an effort by our boys. A shame they had to indulge in "tactics" and nauseatingly shite football until the game seemed gone and they could actually try a leg - and then look what happened.

All is not lost. Could still be a decent season for Cavan as long as the Sam Maguire groups don't turn into a rerun of an ulster sfc.

Handing the soft goals to Donegal aside, Derry shooting has been junior standard to really cut off any sort of developing comeback. They've way more in them than this, surely?

Fair play Donegal though. Full of the fire.

That was a very soft penalty, I thought. The Derry man barely wiped his hands on the Donegal fella. Reflexive refereeing there.

Couldn't tell you who plays who now, but think the commentators referred to the pairings, so I think it might be predetermined, yes (definitely no repeat pairings, they said).

Caught a few minutes of Derry v Cavan u20 qf. Anyone who missed it, didn't miss much.

Cavan were putting on a clinic in the ills of the game, going through the greatest hits of mind-numbingly awful attacking play. It's hard to understand any team being coached to take the field these days with such predictable, clichéd tactics. Might be a poor crop, I dunno, but Larry Reilly shouldn't be near that team next year.

Edit: FT 1-14 to 0-7.

If Monaghan can constantly put it up to Tyrone than why can't Cavan.

We've a awful inferiority complex when it comes to Tyrone beaten before we hit the field.

Let's hope it's changed under this management.

As that Tyrone side can be vulnerable.

Our contemporary record against Tyrone in Ulster SFC is absolutely deplorable. What few draws we managed when catching them on the hop the first day were routinely followed by chastening hammerings in the replays. You'd think the underage successes would have changed the mindset but nope. No victory in SFC over Tyrone since 1983! If we pull it off this year there'll be some surge of self belief.

Handy win for Monaghan tomorrow?

If Cavan are as poor as they finished the league it will be handy win for Monaghan. However this is championship playing the neighbours and live on BBC and RTE if no kick and competitive showing from Cavan it will speak volumes about them.

Best value bet is Monaghan ahead at HT but Cavan by a couple at the end.

I hope you go ahead and put a shít load of money on that one.

 

Absolutely made up Cavan bagged the two points there. So much the better we had to dig it out, too often we wilt when the fat's in the fire.

If we keep the heads in the next few weeks it could end up a great league for the relegation favourites.

Didn't see it but reading between the lines of comments and reports, key takeaways are that we're trying to attack a bit instead of the listless metronomic shuffleball we'd resorted to under Graham; by all accounts we defended resolutely away from home; we've two points banked at the first time of asking under a rookie manager, in a division where round one results suggest the going will be very hot and heavy betimes.

The team was always likely to be amped up for the first game and Donegal next weekend at Breffni is a huge step up, but you'd happily go along to support any team that gives it a lash and dies with its boots on. I think that's the minimum requirement for fans.

Well done to the players and management, something we can build on and a small bit of positivity about the place at last is a refreshing change of outlook.

Well lads, any news leaking out about the new county setup yet? Any additions, subtraction, losses, gains or new developments?