Cavan vs Antrim - what date?

Lemlin

I was just wondering if anyone knew on what date the Cavan vs Antrim game is this year?

I've read that it's on the 29th May but my mate swears he read in The Star the other day that its a week later on June the 5th or something. I can't find a fixtures list anywhere on the web.

Does anybody know?

cournioni

Its on on the 29th of May in Breffni Park. Cavan should win it, even though something like 21 of the players on the panel are injured. But you'd never know...

Lemlin

I think 21 is a bit of an exaggeration. I know Pierson is injured but I don't think any of the other major players are.

cournioni

Nope, no exaggeration. I know one of the lads on the panel and he said that, that was the figure. Some not as serious as others but I know for a fact that alot of the Gaels (Lyng, Johnston, Forde, Collins etc.) players, the Knockbride (Larry Reilly, John Tierney) players are injured for sure.

Lemlin

Well Larry Reilly, Peter Reilly and John Tierney all played for Knockbride against Lavey last week so that can't be true.

I imagine what you're hearing is the psychological crap that Coleman always uses coming up to matches. Remember running into the Armagh huddle last year!

Lyng may be out but we won't need him, Forde or Johnston against Antrim.

The Rooster

This is the Cavan team that lost to Dublin by 4-15 to 0-7 on May 1st

E Elliott;
M Hannon, D Robert, K Fannin;
K Crotty, C Hannon, M Cahill;
D McCabe, S Maguire;
F O'Reilly, P McKenna, C Galligan;
J Reilly, M Graham, L Reilly.
Subs used: G Pierson, P Monahan, S Cole, P Brady, P Reilly, E Smith.

As you are aware Pierson suffered a bad injury in that game, shortly after coming on.

Cavan had a challenge away to Kildare the following week, but as only 11 Cavan players turned up, a number of lillies had to don the Cavan jersey!

I hear Coleman is also quite sick - pneumonia?

You would think that it all bodes badly for Cavan, but hopefully they can produce the goods on May 29.

cournioni

Lemlin wrote:

Well Larry Reilly, Peter Reilly and John Tierney all played for Knockbride against Lavey last week so that can't be true.

I imagine what you're hearing is the psychological crap that Coleman always uses coming up to matches. Remember running into the Armagh huddle last year!

Lyng may be out but we won't need him, Forde or Johnston against Antrim.

Maybe so, but Tierney is holding back from an operation to play in the championship. He is pretty badly injured but is playing through the pain. I'm not quite sure what the name of the injury is but it is a groin injury anyway.

Also, Anthony Gaynor seems to have fecked off. He hasn't shown up for either club or county training recently after his red card in the U21 Ulster final. The lad a good player but his discipline is dodgy to say the least.

I'd say Cahill from Denn could be our find of the year. He's been playing very well recently.

Yeah Rooster, it doesn't look good at all for us. Hopefully we'll survive the first test against Antrim and get some players back very quickly. We'll need everyone fit for the semi-final, likely to be against Tyrone. Three Drumgoon players in the backline tells its own story!

I reckon this team would be the best Cavan could hope for all injuries and suspensions aside...

1. James Reilly (Drung)
2. Keith Fannin (Drumgoon)
3. Darren Rabbit (Cavan Gaels)
4. Paul Brady (Mullahoran)
5. Anthony Forde (Cavan Gaels)
6. Trevor Crowe (Lacken)
7. Anthony Gaynor (Ballinagh)
8. Paddy Brady (Gowna)
9. Pierce McKenna (Kill)
10. Mark McKeever (Gowna)
11. Michael Lyng (Cavan Gaels)
12. John Tierney (Knockbride)
13. Larry Reilly (Knockbride)
14. Dermot McCabe (Gowna)
15. Gerald Pierson (Gowna)

Subs: E Elliott; C Hannon, E Jackson, E Reilly (CG); C Crotty, M Cahill, Peter Reilly; N Walsh, S Maguire; F O'Reilly, Philip Brady, S Brady; J Reilly, S Johnston, M Graham.

When you look at that, you can see what I mean by players missing! :eek:

Lemlin

I think Trevor Crowe has left the panel. Pity because he was pretty good last year.

Gaynor was a great wee player but you're right about his temperament.

All in all, alot of Cavan footballers seem to be a bit too big for their boots. They need to start acting like a team and stop trying to be prima donnas.

cournioni

I agree with you, in a way. I think that some of the Gaels players are seen as prima donnas. Alot of the players from around the county seem to have a dislike for Cavan Gaels players attitude whenever I've spoken to them. I wouldn't know myself because to be honest I've only ever met Eoghan Elliott, but he seemed to be a sound enough guy.

I know Tierney and Fannin pretty well too and they are dead on, and level headed guys. My cousin used to work with Larry Reilly and he says he's very level headed when it comes to football.

All in all I think that its more to do with players from around the county just not getting on with the Cavan Gaels players which is why Coleman probably cut down on the amount of Gaels players in the squad.

Lemlin

I think what not only the players, but people around the county resent, is the transfer of players to the Gaels.

Anthony Forde (from Shannon Gaels) and Mickey Lyng (Crosserlough) are just two county players who have transferred to the Gaels in recent years, leaving behind the club sides that they played for through their youth.

I think alot of players also grew up hating the Gaels becaus they swept the underage categories through the past few years when it came to everything, simple because of the pick they have from the town. One only has to look at how they've won the minor championship for the last five years running.

As well as this, they tend to get some of the best players from the surrounding areas to the town (e.g. Killygarry, Drumalee) simply because when kids are young they want to win, and that often means playing for the Gaels.

Its only now though that towns like Virginia and Ballyjamesduff are growing and teams like Lurgan and Castlerahan are beginning to have the population that allows them to compete with the Gaels.

cournioni

You've pretty much hit the nail on the head there. I'd say the third paragraph is what Cavan's problem is to be honest. I think alot of players on the county panel have a them (Gaels) and us (other clubs) attitude and vice versa. What Cavan needs is a panel that is team orientated, which is something Derry teach us every time we play them.

They always work the ball well up the pitch and support each other when on the ball. And defend in numbers when they don't have the ball. Cavan seem to always lack this sort of team work.

Lemlin

Last year's big problem was our inability to kill off Armagh and that fool Pearse McKenna undertaking what I would imagine was the fastest sending off in Gaelic football ever. I even missed it because we were still looking for somewhere to watch the match from in the stand!

This year hopefully things will improve. The Dublin match was a big downer but it was only a friendly and, as pointed out, Coleman has been missing. I think the psychological games he plays can be a tad stupid but they seem to motivate the players. The trainer he brought in from Fermanagh has also been working wonders.

Let's not forget that Cavan weren't terrible last year. We played a great game against and beat a very good Down team, should of won against Armagh and lost focus against a Derry team that we could of beat who went on to reach the semi finals.

Let's hope the lads can improve this year. The truth is we won't know what is going on in the camp or who's available until the 28th against Antrim. I've always heard rumours like that other players resent McCabe, because he's big headed, and stuff like that but I know a girl who was working as a physio and she reckons he is anything but.

I think we may go out against Tyrone in the next round but hopefully we can have a good run at the qualifiers for once. Winning one qualifier game, against Louth, in three years is simply not good enough.

We had a much better league campaign this year, albeit in a lower division against weaker teams, but at least the lads have learned how to win matches, especially the younger players.

cournioni

I totally agree, I think the best we can hope for is a decent run in the qualifiers where a few players can get a bit of experience under their belts. Hopefully we'll make the All Ireland quarter finals (which I think is a fair expectation) through the qualifiers and get a bit of big game experience and maybe get a few players back that can challenge the bigger teams. What we don't want is a return to the days of Mattie Kerrigan.

We have a number of very good players coming through who were very unlucky against Down in the U21 final (where nearly half of our senior team's injuries occurred!). So if they can get a bit of a run together the future will be looking good for Cavan.

Lemlin

I'd love to make the quarter finals, and a game in Croker, but I think its a bridge too far. I'd be happy if the team just wins a few matches and gives us a few days out.

All this trouble with Coleman's health and all the injuries doesn't look the best at all. Cavan is one of the sleeping giants of football though and with all the constant interest in the county and young players coming through, it can only be so long before we've a team ready for a good crack at the Championship.

Flukey

Cavan may be sleeping giants, but they have been asleep for a very long time. Their last All-Ireland was in 1952. They have 38 Ulster titles, way ahed of anyone else, with Monaghan being second on 13, but they've only won Ulster 7 times since 1952 and the 6th of those was in 1969, meaning they've only one it once in 36 years. So they are not just sleeping giants, they are just about comatose. Antrim have no All-Ireland's and have not won Ulster since 1951, and Cavan should beat them, but neither county are going to go far this year. Tyrone or Down will see to that, and some other team in the qualifiers when they get there.

Lemlin

Think maybe Tyrone will but Cavan would beat Down. We beat them last year and, barring injuries, we've a far better team than last year due to some great U21 players coming through.

This year our U21 team beat the reigning champions Armagh and then only lost to Down after extra time in the Ulster final. That was a Down team who went on to substantially beat Dublin in the semi and only lose marginally to a fantastic Galway display in the final.

Nobody thought Cavan would do anything last year but then we beat Down and ran Armagh very close. Hopefully we can surprise everyone again this year!

Waylander

So what you are saying is nobody thought Cavan would do anything last year, and as it turns out, they were right, Cavan did nothing. You are just as guilty as any of the Dublin fans you mentioned in the other thread, as are most supporters. That is part of being a fan, you set high expectations for the teams you support. Why should Dublin fans be any different?

cournioni

Waylander wrote:

So what you are saying is nobody thought Cavan would do anything last year, and as it turns out, they were right, Cavan did nothing.

Sorry Waylander, I think what Lemlin was saying was that the general opinion of people across the country thought Cavan wouldn't beat Down, and would be hammered by 12 or so points to Armagh. Cavan proved alot of people wrong with these games. Alirght we didn't beat Armagh but with 14 players for the whole game, alot of key injuries and a very young inexperienced team out.

I think the general feeling around Cavan is one of hope after last year. It is something that we can build on. It is going to be tough again this year though with the amount of injuries on the Cavan panel. I think we will beat Antrim by about 4 points, and we'll probably lose to Tyrone. But if Down beat Tyrone I think we'll definately beat Down.

Lemlin

Pornapster has got my opinion exactly. Cavan people were overjoyed last year just to have beaten Down.

This year we'd be glad again just to get three or four games out of the Championship. Which is exactly what I said above. And, we're guaranteed at least two, so how is that setting high expectations!?

Lemlin

Just heard some bad news. Was reading in the Anglo Celt, Cavan's local paper that Eamonn Coleman tip[ped Cavan to beat Antrim and then lose to Tyrone.

Was wondring why a county manager would tip his team to lose but apparently Coleman's sickness isn't all its meant to be and he wants to distance himself from the team.

My friend heard this from a very reliable source and I'm beginning to believe it could be true.

cournioni

Coleman is a bit of a looper either way. But I'd say he's just trying to get the players to prove him wrong and what not. He always does it. It was the same against Armagh last year.

Lemlin

He's very much into his psychological games. Don't know why he'd be playing them coming up to the Antrim game though. Maybe he's getting them primed for the Tyrone match.

cournioni

I'd say it was just Coleman trying to influence the Tyrone vs. Down game actually. He was probably trying to do his best to make Tyrone think that they are guaranteed a place in the semi-final and then the final.

He shouldn't be dismissing Antrim like that though, we all know what happened just a couple of years ago against them. No one in Cavan wants a repeat of that result.

Flukey

Hey Lemlin, I am sure you will be delighted to see the survivors of the 1947 teams were honoured this week by the sports writers. When it comes to honouring the 2005 finalists, I don't think there will be a Cavan player amongst them. Tyrone are on a mission, as are Armagh. I think they are destined to meet in the Ulster final, possibly in Croke Park again. I'd still tip Armagh in that one.

Flukey

The Cavan team was named tonight. I haven't got the listing but apparently there are 4 debutantes.

cournioni

Yep... You're spot on Flukey. Here is the report from hoganstand.com.

Four debutants in Cavan team
Wednesday, May 25, 2005


Injury-hit Cavan have included four newcomers in their team for Sunday’s Ulster SFC quarter-final against Antrim at Kingspan/Breffni Park.

With key men such as Gerald Pierson, Michael Lyng and Anthony Forde ruled out through injury, the management have been forced to name a new-look side. Making their championship debuts are goalkeeper James Reilly (Drung), corner backs Michael Hannon and Keith Fannin (both Drumgoon) and Denn’s Mark Cahill at left half back.

Former All-Star Dermot McCabe has put his injury problems behind him and will partner Pierce McKenna at midfield.

Of course, manager Eamon Coleman and team trainer Martin McElkennon will also be missing from the sidelines on Sunday. Coleman is recovering from pneumonia, while his right-hand man McElkennon is serving a one-match suspension arising from the recent Ulster under 21 final between Cavan and Down.

Cavan (SF v Antrim): J Reilly; M Hannon, D Rabbitte, K Fannin; K Crotty, P Reilly, M Cahill; D McCabe, P McKenna; M McKeever, N Walsh, F O’Reilly; J O’Reilly, J Tierney, L Reilly.

Flukey

I'll be in Croke Park. As usual I will have my walkman with me, keeping an ear on other fixtures around the country. I'll be surprised to hear of a Cavan defeat, but fairly sure that that would be their last Ulster Championship victory this year.

cournioni

I dunno Flukey. Don't count your chickens just yet, Tyrone struggled past a poor Down team, IMO. Cavan are a better team than Down and last year proved this.

We'll definatly be the underdogs if we make it to the semi-final, but I wouldn't write us off against a Tyrone team who in my opinion aren't what they were a few years ago.

Flukey

They had a bad year last year, both on and off the field. They seem more focussed this year. Equally, you are judging Cavan by last year's performance. We don't know how they will play on Sunday and after. I don't think the Anglo Celt Cup will be resting in the Breffni county this coming winter!

Lemlin

It's great to see McCabe back and I'm pleased to see that Cavan Gaels aren't ruling the entire back line again this year.

The forward line looks pretty good as well, very capable of getting scores.

Maybe we will only get one victory Flukey but we are in the toughest province of all after all. Fermanagh have never won an Ulster championship yet they went to the semis last year.

Most Cavan fans would be well happy with a good run in the qualifiers, or even to beat Derry for once.

Either way I can't wait for the buzz around the town on Sunday and the atmosphere in Breffni.

Waylander

Didn't see the game today but was surprised by the result. And Cavan just scraped the draw I believe?