Galligan's glass is half-full ahead of Cavan's Ulster campaign

By John Harrington

It was a funny old Allianz Football League Division Two campaign for Cavan.

They looked in serious bother and potential candidates for relegation when they lost their first two matches against Monaghan and Meath while conceding a hefty 5-43.

Then four wins in a row against Louth, Westmeath, Down, and Roscommon put them in the promotion picture before a defeat at home to Cork in the final round meant the League ended on a deflating note.

Team manager, Raymond Galligan, admits it was very disappointing to miss out on promotion because of that reverse to the Rebels, but is happy overall with the form they’re bringing into Sunday’s Ulster quarter-final against Tyrone after such a slow start to the season.

“We probably just found ourselves being a little bit standoffish, I suppose, to put it mildly, in the first two league games, whereby we kind of just didn't put a big emphasis on, you know, pressing out and getting contact on because both Monaghan and Meath hurt us with two-pointers and we kind of tried to narrow that area of our game down,” says Galligan.

“But, I suppose we just looked at ourselves and how we can improve as a forward unit.

“It was really the players just knuckled down and just really dug deep and we've seen that against Louth in Round 3 where we just, it was backs to the wall and we got that victory.

“And I think we knew we had a huge amount of positive work done in the pre-season and it was just about getting that first win to start building momentum.

“And from there then, you know, we started to see improvements week on week and look, as I say, yes it was disappointing but when we're making comparisons that we're disappointed, losing to Cork, I think it in itself shows we're moving in the right direction."

The condensed nature of the championship and the increased athletic demands placed on the players by the faster-paced football we’ve seen under the new FRC rules means having a deep panel is going to be a necessity if you want to have a long summer.

The aspect of Cavan’s League campaign that Galligan is most satisfied with is that they were able to give a lot of players game-time which should stand to them in the coming weeks.

“I think we've learned a lot about our players and we've got more depth in. we've had a number of injuries over the last number of weeks, so it's given lads opportunities,” he says.

“I think we've given 29, 30 players opportunities in the League. so we've definitely a better handled now on where we're at and who can be far better in certain areas.

“And we just feel as a whole package we can feel we're moving forward with the project and hopefully we'll see the fruits of that in both the Ulster Championship and the All-Ireland Series.”

One of the brightest sparks of Cavan’s League campaign was the form of veteran Gearóid McKiernan, who returned to the fold this year having taken a year out in 2024.

Now 35, the passing of years has done nothing to diminish his class, and Galligan believes his unique skill-set makes him all the more effective due to the impact the FRC rules have had on the game.

“Gearóid I suppose has given so much to Cavan football over the last 15, 20 years all through the ages,” says Galligan.

“Look, we were just delighted to have Gearóid to come back involved and I suppose that opportunity to kind of take time and re-evaluate where he was at with regards his body and making sure that he felt good.

“It probably gave him that hunger to come back and just really enjoy his football - no different than he always done. But yeah he's playing certainly with that bit of freedom now.

“I think the rules kind of suit him in the sense that he's a huge presence both on the field but his shooting ability from all angles, both left and right, gives him the capacity to be able to notch the two-pointers that we've seen over the last couple of weeks.

“So look it's great for Cavan people and it's great for the younger generation to be now coming through, younger players and rubbing shoulders with Gearoid because no doubt they would have looked up to him in their earlier part of the career.”

Cavan come into this Ulster Championship somewhat under the radar, but they’re certainly a team with considerable potential to disrupt the odds.

What would constitute a successful championship campaign for the Breffni County?

“Well I suppose in the Ulster Championship you can look no further than the first round,” says Galligan. “We have Tyrone and a result against Tyrone you have the winners of Armagh and AntrIm, so we're under no illusions, we have a difficult path to an Ulster final.

“We definitely just look no further than Tyrone. A victory against Tyrone would be a great step for this group and as I say we will give due respect to Tyrone because look they have obviously held themselves really well in Division 1 albeit unfortunately they got relegated on 7 points.

“So I think if they were told that at the beginning of the year they'd be very happy with their lot in the sense of the results they got. So we'll definitely do all we can to best prepare.

“I think a victory the first day would be a huge step and we'll see where it takes us in the Ulster Championship. But we'll be giving it our full focus.

“And when we finish the Ulster Championship, we’ll look at the All-Ireland Series because it's great to be back in the All-Ireland Series.

“It's great to be competing now with the top teams and we certainly felt we didn't give the best version of ourselves last year. So definitely we would aim to be making better strides in the All-Ireland Series as well.”