Official Cavan GAA Thread

[The Bottom Brick]

I wouldnt rate Sheridan highly at all

Mackey is a one trick pony but he's only 19, he still has time and he could develop yet

McDonald had a superb first half but wasn't in the match after the break

I like your idea about Mulvey/McDonald/McCabe...I'd love to see McCabe in a full forward line with Jason and Jelly, I'm not convinced by Pierson since he has come back from injury

What about giving Mulvey a chance on the edge of the square??

[BallyhaiseMan]

Mulvey as a targetman could definetely work,
i just wonder does McCabe have the legs for midfield when the ground gets harder come May.
I think Gallagaher has cemented his place in the full forward line now,with his free taking abilities and all, and it will be a 3 way battle between Jelly/Jayo and Pierson for the other corner forward position.

[Homer]

Absolutely deplorable second-half display from our u21s on Saturday. Would have to blame some bad decisions on the line for a lot of this. I'll go for BallyhaiseMan style report for those that couldn't make it.

1. Simon Delaney - Not much he could do about the goal made a good save late on, decent kickouts..... 8

2. Declan McCabe - Had the task of picking up Bernard O'Brien (anyone who went to St. Pats would remember his namesake and father, aka Bob). Done well in the first half but was a mile of him in the second..... 5

3. Dermot Sheridan - Tried hard to contain the massive full-forward, broke most high balls..... 7

4. Fergal Slowey - Had his hands full trying to stop Monaghan's speed merchant. Like McCabe, he lost this battle in the second half...... 7

5. Finbar Jordan - One of our better backs but should have drove forward a bit more..... 7

6. Padriac O'Reilly - Not one of Podges better games. Tactic in the first half seemed to involve podge dropping back of his man and covering the space in front of the FF and Slowey's man with Flanagan playing a third midfielder and covering in front of CHF. This worked well but for some strange reason they moved Flano up front in the second half. Podge looked sluggish, I presume he wasn't 100%...... 6

7. Cormac Geoghan - Very poor, let his man through on a couple of occasions and didn't offer us anything regards attacking. Replaced early in second-half should have been earlier...... 5

8. Micheal McDonald - Good in Patches, scored a fine point but should have had another. Monaghan had a horse of a fella midfield and he even towered over McDonald. Struggled to compete with him and lost the aerial battle...... 7

9. Micheal Cunningham - Needed to perform better considering McDonald had his hands full. Great speed to him when he wants to use it..... 6

10. Martin Reilly - Our best player worked tirelessly and constantly tackled back. Made two great blocks in the second half inside our own 21 but he played to deep to be a danger to the mushroom pickers..... 8

11. Raymond Galligan - How the fella lasted the 60 minutes is beyond me. Scored a couple of early frees but then he missed an easy one and the confidence went, that was it for Ray and he continued to put them wide all through the game. Moved to FF after 15 minutes. Had some great ball played into him in the first half but he was to slow to win it. He spent the second half hiding behind his man...... 4

12. Cian Mackey - Did NOTHING, gave a one-two in the second-half, that was his first and last bit of possession. Taken off with ten minutes to go but don't know how Keoghan & co even looked at him for that long...... 1

13. Geroid Collins - Played in more of WHF role and worked hard with majority of Cavan attacks coming up his wing. Totally mystified as to why he was replaced by Liam Duignan at HT...... 7

14. Raymond Cullivan - Played very well especially considering the injury. Fielded a few great balls when moved to CHF, should have had more high balls played into him when at FF..... 8

15. Ronan Flanagan - Played well in first half as a third midfielder. Puzzled as to why the management moved him up front. Worked hard throughout the game one of our better players. Sent off in injury time, by the reaction of his man he didn't seem to have done much.... 8

Subs

Liam Duignan - Came on for Collins at HT, played in on the square. A bit slow and was unable to get any possession...... 5

Enda McCormack - Replaced Geoghan ten minutes into second half. Didn't show any signs of an injury and played quite well...... 7

Aaron Duignan - For Mackey. Not on long enough to rate.

Another year and another disappointment. Would have to put a lot of the blame on the management, made some bad decisions and failed to make the right ones in time.

On another note our home game to Gowna was called off yesterday due to the pitch being unplayable (it actually wasn't too bad). Probably for the best as there was a few sore heads about the dressing room after Trevor Crowe's wedding.

[trim blue]

Homer, any truth in the rumour on Hoganstand that Gaynor started back with the county last week?

[Homer]

Homer, any truth in the rumour on Hoganstand that Gaynor started back with the county last week?

I'm afraid not. Gaynor is flying at training BTW.

You can pretty much take it for sure that Miller hasn't quit, and Elliot is not back either.

Some results from the weekend (Disclaimer: according to Aertel!!).

Division 1
Cuchullains 0-06 1-11 Mullahoran
Denn        1-11 1-10 Kingscourt
Ballyhaise   0-02 3-13 Cavan Gaels

Division 2
Drung       3-02 0-05 Lavey
Cootehill    0-11 1-07 Killygarry
Redhills      2-07 0-07 Laragh
Drumgoon 1-08 0-05 Swad

[cavanmaniac]

Was at Clones on Saturday and given that I also had high hopes for our U21s this year, I have to say I was embarrassed leaving.

It was the worst performance and defeat I've ever witnessed from a Cavan underage side and that's saying something when you consider the large corpus of disasters they've been involved in over the years. If there's any small bitter consolation it's that this game didn't follow the familiar pattern of playing well for 55 minutes before losing by a point to less deserving or less skilled opponents; instead we were beaten out the gate fair and square from 1 to 15. Well done to Monaghan, not nice to have your colours lowered so mercilessly by the neighbours but you have to lift your cap to the better team. How good they are can't be gauged by this game though, so utterly wretched were Cavan, but credit where it's due and best of luck to the Farney men later on. The world really doesn't need another Tyrone/Derry U21 success in Ulster and it'd be nice to see someone different win it for a change.

Physique played a big role in this defeat. Monaghan were huge in comparison to Cavan and with the genius of hindsight this Cavan side was apparently great among the lighter ranks of minor but simply haven't grown enough to compete at U21. Man to man, each Monaghan player had three to four inches in height and at least a half stone advantage over the Cavan man, with the exception of the two lads we had in midfield and Cullivan. Everywhere else we were getting skittled out of it in 50-50s. The Parnells team that contested the U21 final in Cavan were all big men - should some of them not have been involved here, no? A moot point now anyway.

Tactically we were totally inept. Anyone with a passing interest in gaelic football will know that your best hope of beating a strong, big physical side is to run them around the pitch with quick, snappy ball and use the spaces. Instead Cavan attacked laterally and ponderously like men in hob nailed boots running through a field of freshly-laid tar. Our hand passes from short distance weren't even finding their mark, the odd occasion when we kick passed, the efforts were risible. It totally played into Monaghan's hands.

We started with Cullivan and Mackey inside and presumably were supposed to hit them with early ball after having belatedly worked the ball into some sort of space around the midfield. It never came in properly, not once, and if it did, weeks too late and only after Monaghan had assembled the mass ranks. Both lads were moved out after about 20 minutes and the men we left inside in their stead never won a single ball all day - although in fairness to them it either came in far too slow, or inaccurately, on the odd occasion we did manage to engineer some sort of an opening.

From 0-4 apeice at the break to 1-10 to 0-4 down after approx 15 mins of the second half tells its own story. Monaghan brought on a few subs at the break, small, nippy fast lads and suddenly they started picking out the corner forwards with low diagonal ball, which brought the other forwards, who had threatened only in flashes in first half, very firmly into the game. This may have been due to the move of our covering defender as someone noted above. Either way the floodgates opened and there was no response from the line. I can only assume that Keogan was there on his own with no Grimley, else I'd be very worried for the seniors too.

Very deflating all things told. Not a scrap of anything positive could you take from it, apart from maybe Flanagan and the number 10. A better sideline team might have got more out of the team but I still think Monaghan's size would have counted in the end. It's all finished for another year now anyway.

Just on Mackey - this guy will never be a gaelic footballer IMO. Total luxury, total waste of space. If other guys aren't doing the dirty work for him and handing him the ball in space, he just doesn't want to know. All hype and no substance and a dreadful disappointment in a Cavan shirt from day one.

[Homer]

I can only assume that Keogan was there on his own with no Grimley, else I'd be very worried for the seniors too.

I thought the same myself and it was only in the dying stages did I spot Keoghan talking to Grimley in the dugouts. He obviously took a much more relaxed role with the u21s than he does with the seniors (where he runs the whole operation imo).

[cavan4ever]

Anyone know who the Lavey manager is.  A small heavy fella with glasses who spends most of his time trying to  wind up the opposition players?

[BallyhaiseMan]

Brian Comesky(spelling probably wrong)?

[BallyhaiseMan]

For the under 21's its time i think to have seperate managers for the senior and Under 21's,Let one man concentrate fully on each job.

[cavan4ever]

what happened against the gaels ballyhaiseman?

[BallyhaiseMan]

One of those days,where nothing went right.
we have all had them
Only not many teams punish you like the Gaels.
Good win for Drung against Lavey 3-2 to 0-5.
Ciaran Galligan scored two goals at full forward? hed be a handful in there alright.

[cavan4ever]

yeah he was good along side barry watters.  He played there when we were playing with the wind and then came out to midfield for the second half i think he is still growing if thats possible!!. 

[BallyhaiseMan]

He hasnt got a shot at claiming a place in the national league so far, Hopefully,Keoghan/Grimley were at the game.
id prefer him at midfield,but hed be some option at full forward,
Still growing 
jaysus he must be 6'5 or 6'6 now so.

[cavan4ever]

Yeah id like to see him get a chance but i don't think he will because the managment seem to have a good idea of the  team picked from positions 1-12.  Will Flanagan get a month or 3 months ?  what he do?