Ciarán Brady of Cavan leads his side out for the team photograph before the Ulster GAA Football Senior Championship quarter-final match between Cavan and Tyrone at Kingspan Breffni in Cavan. Photo by Seb Daly/Sportsfile.
By John Harrington
Cavan joint-captain, Ciarán Brady, is expecting a very different sort of Ulster Senior Football Championship this year.
With well-honed defensive systems dominant in recent times, no team broke the 20-point barrier in normal time of an Ulster Final in the last five years.
This year, though, there’s a very good chance that at least one team in every Ulster SFC match will score over 20 points such has been the impact the FRC rules have had on the game.
The successful teams are likely to be those best equipped to win a shoot-out rather than successfully implement a defensive shut-out.
“It definitely is different,” says Brady. “There's more space. Attacks are normally ending with a shot.
“That's one stat that's hugely different. Most attacks, teams are getting between 30 and 40 attacks. They're getting 28 to 32 shots, which wouldn't have been the case beforehand. Definitely the shots to attack ratio is up.
“That's due to the more space, which I think is great. Some defenders mightn't like it, but then deep down there's nothing better than going toe to toe with a forward as well.
“It's bringing back that bit of honesty where it's you against your man, which probably hadn't been in the game the last few years. It was tough in at corner forward.
“I would have seen it myself. Out around the middle, you're watching the cornerbacks are getting a lot of help. The ball's turned over and never went into the full forward.
“Then they (the inside forwards) need to legs to get up the other end of the field. It's been monotonous running for the large part of things.
“I know some fullbacks and cornerbacks ended up with goals but, for large parts, they're just running to the other end of the field just to take the legs of the forward. I think they’re (the FRC rules) better for the game.
“I think they'll continue to be a big success. It gives teams that might fall behind early on in the game a chance to reel back in a team and maybe it's just adding the solo and go is leaving far more momentum to go.
“I suppose even the hooter I think is a great one because often games went on.
“Some of our Championship games last year went well into the 70, nearly hitting the 80 minutes. So I think all in all, the new rules are taking great shape.”
Ciarán Brady of Cavan in action against Michael McKernan of Tyrone during the 2024 Ulster GAA Football Senior Championship quarter-final match between Cavan and Tyrone at Kingspan Breffni in Cavan. Photo by Seb Daly/Sportsfile
Brady believes that Cavan were a little slow to grasp how best to play under the new rules, but overall was happy with how they adapted as the League progressed.
Narrowly missing out on promotion from Division Two was a disappointment, but they come into Sunday’s Ulster SFC clash against Tyrone feeling pretty good about themselves.
When these two teams met at the same juncture of last year's championship the match went to extra-time before Tyrone just about came out on top, and Brady is expecting another tough test on Sunday.
“Yeah, we had a good battle with them,” he says.
“They had a very strong end to the league and albeit they got relegated. I think they were probably missing their Errigal Ciaran guys, the Canavans and Peter Harte for the early stages of the league. They're a massive loss to any team in the country.
“So Tyrone, they'll be hard pushed over. They finished very strong in the League and we'll be under no illusions at the task ahead of us on April 13.”
