The Official Cavan GAA Discussion thread.

rrs

Yeah it probaly is. It would be good to see Hoffman give it another go but probaly busy enough running his own gym.

Cavan_King

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122966211#Comment_122966211

I was asking about Donnelly and if he was a player our development squads hadn’t picked up.

mogue77

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122967794#Comment_122967794

oh sorry , I misunderstood your question, yes I don’t remember him playing for the county before 20s,I think they are missing players young lad from a Cavan club u 16 marked a Roscommon u 20 player out of it in a schools match in the dome in mayo lately and isn’t on development squads, he was playing centre back.

baconsarnie

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122967998#Comment_122967998

Good piece by Damien Donohoe in the Celt last week. With the last WAC podcast and this piece, hopefully it will provoke some level of public debate in clubs and then at a county board level about our player development.

I've heard plenty said in pubs or in the stands at Breffni Park and yet it looks like yet another convention has gone and passed without anyone raising the elephant in the room: what the hell has happened to games development in our county?

https://www.anglocelt.ie/2024/12/17/opinion-what-is-being-done-to-improve-schools-football-in-cavan/

baconsarnie

I think both walked due to lack of game time. I know we aren't privy to training, but given our absence of any sort of midfield throughout last year, Hoffman was given next to no time as far as I can see. I think he got a few minutes against Kildare but I don't remember him getting other chances. Anytime I see him for Arva he looks impressive and in Croke Park, all the Kerry fans he was Arva's best player over the 60 minutes.

rrs

Hoffman came on in extra time against Tyrone. He featured very little over al,l but takes a couple of years to get up to the speed of things at County level with training and games. He wouldn't have played under age county, as he was playing soccer and only came back to gaelic 3 years ago.Though it's not easy to be patient and wait around for a chance.

baconsarnie

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122970993#Comment_122970993

He definitely was in the panel last year with Mickey Graham, I remember him coming on against Offaly in Longford. Was that his debut?

tazman06

McKiernan is back in folks. Brilliant to hear, do think he has more to give and could fit well with the new rules

https://www.anglocelt.ie/2024/12/19/boost-for-cavan-as-mckiernan-returns-to-the-fold/

rrs

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122973179#Comment_122973179

Yeah he was on the panel in 23. Think he made his debut against Antrim in mckenna Cup.

I remember he done an interview saying it took a while adjusting back to Gaelic, as the dimensions of a soccer pitch are a lot smaller then a standard Gaelic pitch. He impressed with Arva but maybe not having played county underage has held him back at senior county.

mogue77

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122973761#Comment_122973761

great to see him back, he was very good for the Gaels this year.

baconsarnie

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122973761#Comment_122973761

YES! Early Christmas present for all Cavan suporters. Never appreciated in his time if you ask me, and as soon as he moved off the panel a lot of naysayers realised how good he was.

celt262

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122969603#Comment_122969603

….

rrs

That's good scoring power with McEvoy also back. McKiernan is the best longe range shooter in the County outside of lynch, and could be a real asset with the 2 pointers.

cavan4sam

Great news to hear of Gearoid return. Hopefully it doesn't take long for him to reach inter County fitness again

Cavan_King

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122969603#Comment_122969603

Player development has been an issue for a long time now and it’s at the stage where people are afraid to comment. There very much seems to be a mantra now that, if you’re not with us, you’re against us. People are afraid to open their mouths as any form of criticism, even positive, is chastised.

And we’re no heroes here either posting on anonymous messaging boards, I’m well aware of that. In no way is it easy to raise items at meetings because you are there representing your club and the people at the top table control so many variables - scheduling, referees, venues etc

I find it amazing though that McCabe was thanked in Jody Clarke’s speech, going by WAC, yet nobody questioned how the man being paid to be directly responsible for the development of players in our county is now managing a League rival.

He’s now, what, a decade in the position, and all we’ve seen is the imitation of systems that other counties are already using - and then we wonder why we are behind.

It’s a farcical situation to be honest and will get alot of national media attention around the time of the League match.

Is our Games Development Manager now going to be denied access to all Senior training sessions? With his own office being in Breffni? How is he going to monitor U20 lads involved with the senior county panel?

There are a lot of questions this leads to.

mylestheslasher

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122984990#Comment_122984990

It is some mess alright the McCabe situation. I am not sure what the Co Board can do as he is an employee doing something else in his spare time. Any future GDO should have something in their contracts to prevent this happening - no working with a competitor! And really its a poor reflection on Dermot, if he had any respect for Cavan GAA he would step down from his role and avoid this becoming the circus its about to become.

rrs

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122984990#Comment_122984990

It's more schools and development panels McCabe had a role on. The U20s would be training evenings so he's unlikely to be there when with Westmeath are training.

Why would he need to be at cavan senior training ?

Cavan_King

McCabe has absolutely no input to schools panels so you seem to have poor knowledge on this topic and how player development squads etc work. Given you have a clear lack of understanding of his role, I’m not sure what you aim to add with your post other than if it is from a club affiliation.

There are alot of conflicts of interest, some of which I outlined previously on a post so won’t go through the list again. In his present role, for example, he has access to the Veo footage and stats from every Cavan game last year, including those not televised. Do you know many rival intercounty managers with that on an opponent?

His office is in around Breffni and that is where senior training and meetings generally happen. As I’ve already said, should he not be monitoring players that are progressing to the senior panel? That’s the main aim of his role is it not - develop players for Cavan senior team. I would have thought monitoring how they are performing in senior training and games when brought into the panel is a key part of that. Why else would he have access to video footage and stats last season of games?

The minors trained four days a week last year, the development squads are Saturdays, sometimes Wednesday evenings. At the minute next years minor panel are on one week evening and Saturday morning.

If he’s busy training Westmeath and putting in all the time an intercounty job entails, how is he concentrating on a job he has already underperformed at?

rrs

I worded it wrong above. Obviously he has no input on schools panels. I meant he's responsible for the coaching at schools and primary.

Why didn't you put forward a motion with your club at the county meeting? Its done now. Im not from Gowna and no affiliation.

Cavan_King

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122986041#Comment_122986041

[quote]
There very much seems to be a mantra now that, if you’re not with us, you’re against us. People are afraid to open their mouths as any form of criticism, even positive, is chastised. 

And we’re no heroes here either posting on anonymous messaging boards, I’m well aware of that. In no way is it easy to raise items at meetings because you are there representing your club and the people at the top table control so many variables - scheduling, referees, venues etc
[/quote]

Coaching at schools and primary is pretty much non existent from a county board perspective. A coach might go in to a primary school once a week for a six week stretch. Then there’s the odd after school programme for sixth class boys. That’s why a lot of clubs are employing people from their own clubs to go into primary schools. McCabe’s own club Gowna had one of the Maddens doing it at one stage - they had no college on a Friday so were coaching in the school and the club paid. Nothing to do with CB.

McCabe’s main focus is the development squads and, other than the odd Gerry Reilly Cup win, we haven’t won anything of note in the last decade. He came into the role ten years ago when the successful teams of then had already been developed by others. The county has been barren of underage success since.

Another poster mentioned writing something into the contract of the next GDM. Our present man has sat in there for a decade now on a handy number. What makes people think he’ll leave anytime soon?

rrs

Yeah schools and development Squads. Its why i asked why he would need to be at Cavan Senior training. It's underage that his role involves. Showing his face at senior training isn't necessary.

Cavan_King

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122994160#Comment_122994160

And I answered the question re Cavan senior training already. Monitoring players moving from the minor and U20 development teams to the senior team is part of his role. Why else would he have had access to the stats and Veo footage from Cavan’s league games last year?

That’s my second time asking that question. You also conveniently missed some others.

rrs

Sorry you're reply was a long worded rant i didn't read it all. Merry Christmas.

Cavan_King

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122994410#Comment_122994410

That’s actually a very apt example of why people won’t speak up. If you disagree with the point, debate it. Don’t take the easy route and attempt to label it a “rant”. The simple fact is it’s impossible to defend the indefensible like you are attempting, particularly when it’s quite apparent your knowledge of what the role actually entails is limited.

I have said in the past I don’t always feel the WAC lads are critical enough but they really caught the mood of the county this week when they described the outrageous situation we now have where the person charged with developing our players has chosen to manage a direct intercounty rival and could be in the position of managing a team who cost us promotion, relegate us or beat us again in Championship/Tailteann Cup. Credit where it is due to them. Their piece described it better than I could as that point really hit home.

mylestheslasher

There's not much the county board can do about McCabe taking what is an unpaid role on paper in his own time outside of his work (I know it's not that in reality). However what they should start doing is holding performance related meetings with him and start turning the screw on his own performance in the role that he is employed in. By any measure it's been a failure and he is not getting results. That's what can be done legally as an employer. A new contract for any future person in that role should clearly state that working for a competitor, either paid or voluntary, is not allowed.

celt262

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123007468#Comment_123007468

I don't see how they can turn the screw on him seen as they let go all the coaches and have players parents managing development squads. Thats on them and not him.

mylestheslasher

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123007718#Comment_123007718

You could be right and I don't know enough of the details but if that is the case you would really have to consider the competence of the people running the county board.

celt262

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123008230#Comment_123008230

According to CavanKing thats what's going on with the Development squads anyway. It's all about making and saving money in there now.

mylestheslasher

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123008359#Comment_123008359

Its mad in a small country like Sligo there is a full time paid GDO running each of the Development squads, yet in Cavan they rely on volunteers?

tazman06

Just looking to renew the season ticket. Can anyone explain the logic in a season ticket for €150, while each individual game is €20 x 7 games for €140 total? Like aren't they meant to give a saving on the 7 games? Don't particularly care for the club finals etc, and only 2 out of 8 teams make the final. This is hardly a great draw and value for the ticket