Official Cavan GAA Thread

[gortnaleck]

I don't see the doom and gloom after Sunday's performance.I have to add that I only saw it on Setanta.Midfield was on top throughout and we got the majority of the breaks there as well. The forwards won nearly all the ball that was played in early to them.They took too many shots from bad positions but at least they took it upon themselves to shoot and they will not be as unlucky the next day.I didn't think the Down goalie made as big of a mistake as everyone seems to think for the last goal,but you probably saw more replays than I did.The defence did not play with enough confidence and so always let the Down player out in front to get the ball and then they would try and contain the damage.This never works unless the other team can't score at all. It is not that they are bad players but someone needs to step up and say  "I'll go out on Sunday and get shoulder to shoulder with Coulter and make sure he does not get as easy a time as he did on Sunday" he does not even have to get the ball himself just keep it away from him and frustrate him as much as he can.The Down forwards were given time on Sunday to collect the ball and then turn and pick up a head of steam before they even met a defender.As I say we have as good a footballers it's just a matter of confidence or belief.I'm just pissed we won't get to see it out here and I'll have to watch Tyrone and Fermanagh

[C-na-G]

What was the idea of bringing on Mackey on Sunday? The lad was a good minor but doesnt cut it at this level. He disrupted what was a reasonably successful full forward line. At one stage Mc Cabe had a free at about 60 Yards. Jason and Pierson made a run to one corner and Mackey just followed them disrupting their space and leaving acres the other side of the field where he should have been.

I know he won one crucial free but he has no ability to win ball either and any ball he did get beside the aforementioned he wasted.

[cavan4ever]

Mackey is living on his reputation as a minor which was a long time ago.  Is there any hope for us atall if grimley is as hot as people say he should come up with a plan to stop the Down half-backs waltzing up the field and opening up our defence.  Someone that might track back with them would be a start.

[The Bottom Brick]

Happened to say to someone beside me that Mackey has a habit of putting the head down, getting bottled up and kicking the ball straight up in the air.

30 seconds later and he did one of his best ever, the ball must have gone 50 yards up and landed about five yards away from him!

[BallyhaiseMan]

Cavan minor team-manager Jody Clarke has stepped down from the position after Cavan's defeat by Down in the Ulster MFC preliminary round on Sunday, 13th of May.

The Shercock clubman handed in his resignation on Monday last, 24 hours after his side went under to the Mourne side on a scoreline of 1-10 to 2-5 in Kingspan/Breffni Park, Cavan.

Clarke resignation comes after two years at the helm of the county minor side. Last season he guided the Cavan side to a preliminary round win over Down – the reigning All-Ireland champions in Casement Park – but his side were defeated by eventual Ulster minor champions, Donegal in the next round at Brewster Park, Enniskillen after going into the game with high hopes of success.

Clarke said that he intended to bow out this season irrespective of how far Cavan progressed in the championship.

"We put a tremendous effort in preparing the team this season and I must put on record the commitment and dedication not alone of the squad of players, but also my management and back-up team. We had high hopes of doing well this season, but it just wasn't to be,'' added Clarke.

The former Shercock star forward made no excuses for their defeat last Sunday against Down. "We literally kicked ourselves out of the game – had 17 wides over the duration of the match – and that in itself tells its own story.''

Interestingly, Cavan lost only two competitive games all season – in league and championship – and both by Down in Kingspan-Breffni Park. "You could say that Down had the 'edge on us' although in both games we had enough chances and play to win the games''.

Jody said despite the disappointment result last Sunday, he really enjoyed his stay as manager of the county minor side. "I met many sincere football people during my time in charge, and was very appreciative of the support I got not alone from my own family and club, but also the Cavan Youth Board.

"Hopefully, I have contributed something positive to the development of Cavan football in the future, and I take this opportunity to wish the players under my guidance over the past two seasons at minor level every success in their football careers in the future.

"I believe despite that defeat by Down on Sunday last there is a lot of potential in the present minor squad. Hopefully, they will continue to work at their game and always have a positive attitude. These young players are the future of Cavan football, and they should be given every encouragement in the future,'' he concluded.


Read something i actually agreed with on Hoganstand just there,I think Mickie Graham should get the job for next year.

[cavanmaniac]

Cavan minor football is in the grip of a psychological paralysis if you ask me. I'm no Freud now, but that's my tuppence worth.

Time and time again we're beaten between for the lack of what's between our two ears and not what's on the field in pound for pound playing terms. In the last five years alone I'd say we've been beaten by either an inferior or at worst equal team every time, getting caught late, lack of composure in front of the posts when the fat is in the fire, easy chances missed, mistakes made. And then we bemoan 'bad luck'. What a f**king cop out that is.

It needs a hugely respected figure to come in and lift the whole thing out of the morass it's in right now, otherwise we'll always struggle and will rely on alot of luck. The last two managers, with respect, wouldn't have had a hell of alot of gravitas in the dressing room, it was a case of 'more of the same' and the results followed suit.

[anglocelt39]

f**k it Maniac I think you may have some fair points there. Now there was a bit of material to work on this year based on Virginia Vocational, the fact the Bailieborough gave them a closer run than anybody else in winning their All Ireland. The Cavan Gaels side that contested the Ulster Club final tournament last Xmas was supposed to be really good and gave a few lads to the side, so where did it go wrong.

Bringing on young Keating, who we were told had seriously busted his ankle in the Vocational Schools final of course gives a depressing sense of Deja vu (think John Tierney anybody). Whatever loss he would have been to the county team, you would imagine he would have been a much bigger loss to his school. He got injured early on in the final, instead of bottling it Virginia regrouped and won the thing well.

So there we have it, the material was there to make some sort of impression, preparation would appear to have failed.

[The Bottom Brick]

Good points Anglo, completely agree

On the Keating issue, i was told by one of the players a few days before hand that he would definitely be coming on, and judging by his movement he was fine. Have to give the management credit here, they could have started the lad (should have in hindsight) but didnt chance it.

They had psychologists in and all, can't figure it out. You rightly mention the Virginia and Gaels - my theory:

Virginia only really had two SUPERB players this year, one was Keating and the other Conor Smith who had a stinker v Down. The rest of the Virginia crew were solid, committed types, gutsy and honest but not classy if you know what i mean

The Gaels had a couple of stars as well (M Dunne and D graham) and it appears they were both over hyped in the extreme. Niall Murray is a brilliant talent but he missed out injured, althought the lad that came in (Minagh) did a great job. Their other good players would be overage by now...

[mylestheslasher]

From todays Indo, always new mcCabe was the "real" Cavan manager
Taking the 'credit' for Cavan


     Go  Friday May 18 2007


GREAT was the shock among Cavan supporters on Monday morning when they were informed that Donal Keogan had been replaced as manager of the county team.


Not content with producing a man-of-the-match performance in their drawn game against Down, veteran midfielder Dermot McCabe apparently staged a sensational overnight coup to overthrow Keoghan after the Breffni Park battle.

Well, that's according to one national newspaper anyway, whose front-page report credited the following quote "In years gone by we conceded two early goals and were five or 10 points down at half-time and lost by a big margin. So it is tremendous to come back from that and still be in the game" to the Cavan manager, one Dermot McCabe. Oops.

[cavanmaniac]

They had psychologists in and all, can't figure it out...

Hold the front page, Cavan minors are now confounding even best medical and psychological practice!

Will it ever bloody end?

10 years ago, when you consider the set up in each county, the fact we'd just won an Ulster senior, finances available especially etc. if you'd been asked to pick the more likely winner of a minor All-Ireland in the next decade, Cavan or Roscommon, who in their right mind wouldn't have said Cavan? It's enough to give you a pain in your face.

I'm so sick to the back teeth of our minor and U21 flops I get physically angry and want to kick defenceless animals.

[cavanmaniac]

I was speaking to Jody about it and he said that they were all superb in training, kicking over good scores and not being wasteful. He said it was all just on the day. I suppose the pressure just got to a few of their heads.

Yep, and therein lies the problem. This sort of thing seems to happen to Cavan minor teams year after year and then we shrug our shoulders and go 'bad luck' or as you say acceptingly enough above, 'pressure got to them'. This just isn't good enough any more. Other sides and six-county ones in particular are generally much more confident and better prepared upstairs than the jittery chokers we produce, who undoubtedly always have talent to go further but beat themselves year on year. This isn't an accident. We're overlooking something in preparation that would help us break the cycle, there's something we're not doing right.

I know the minors are hyped every year too which doesn't help but we're not such a bad judge of footballers to perenially seduce ourselves into thinking that 15 suspect donkeys are world beaters every year - there has to be some substabnce to the hype, i.e. they're at the vert least quite decent teams if still some way short of the hype. So why are they still floundering so miserably every year?

For the record, Down managed to score 2-1 against Monaghan in the QF at Crossmaglen last night. Monaghan won 1-6 to 2-1. Puts it all in perspective a bit.

[BallyhaiseMan]

Heres a thought,
we have Under 14
Under 15
Under 16 and
Under 17 Development squads, all leading up to Minor level
Each team with different coaches every year they move up.
I think it would be better if one coaching team took a team at Under 14 all the way up to Under 17/Minor.
at least bring a bit of consistency in Training etc.I could be clutching at straws here though.

[Blue06]

Does anyone know what the plans would be now re the qualifiers? 7 weeks away.

Will there be any club championship played?

Does the county training stop for a few weeks to let the players back to the clubs?

[cavanmaniac]

There's no reason why two rounds of the senior championship shouldn't be played between now and the qualifiers but we don't have a good track record with these things.

There was only league matches played between league semi defeat to Roscommon and SFC match v Down I think. It's June, it's time to get the club championships underway at home. There's been alot in national media earlier this year about counties leaving their clubs idle to faciliate their county sides so let's see has the message filtered through to the head honchos in Cavan. I doubt it somehow but there's no reason why two rounds of the championships and one round of the senior league can't be played off now, that's three weekends out of six or seven available and would leave a fallow weekend ahead of the qualifiers to boot for resting up.

It'd keep the majority of club players happy and keep the county players sharp as well, we'd just have to live with whatever injuries if any accrue and get on with it.

[BallyhaiseMan]

Lads theres going to be no club Championship until July  because of the wisdom of the county board.