very disappointed to hear Oisin Brady is gone off the panel. I really thought that he would have been one of our top forwards this year.
I agree, but he hasn't played much there at a county level. Is it a fitness thing?
James Smith would be a option in midfield.
I know we don't know for certain who is fit but based on the WAC pod, anyone want to guess the starting 15? Not sure where Sigerson Cup has an impact or not or whether the Arva players are getting a rest.
Anways, here's my guess:
O Rourke, O'Connell, Gunner, Carolan, Faulkner, McVeety, Holla, Clarke, Molloy, Oisin Kiernan, Gerry Smith, Oisin Brady, Mc Evoy, James Smith, Lovett.
I agree with Cavan King that James Smith is not a full forward by any means but that's where he lines out mostly these days for Cavan. If we are going for space in the forward line Mc Evoy and Lovett seem like obvious runners with pace for one on ones.
I still think we are light in midfield but not sure what options there are. Wonder will the likes of Crowe start or come off the bench?
Wasn't he on the panel in 2022 and started a lot of games in division four but was dropped for some reason. I don't think he featured much in 2023 and may not have been on the panel but when he was back in 2024 I thought he showed well and always had an impact coming off the bench. I felt he could have as easily been a starter in some games so maybe like Hoffman he got frustrated.
My understanding is that he was asked in but didn't go back for some reason. It's a shame as I saw him play for Mullahorn before he got injured and he looked like he could nail down a county spot.
In fairness to Cormac he has been in and around there a few years and never become a mainstay. There has to be a reason for that.
I’m not saying it’s applicable to Cormac but I can think of at least one other forward who had bundles of talent but just didn’t seem to have the drive and determination needed to be an intercounty player.
That’s fair enough. Even club football is a big commitment at this stage.
Looking forward to the podcast with Kevin Egan as he had a fairly good reading on things last year and offers an unbiased opinion.
Pod yesterday was interesting on who is available, and who is going well for this weekend. GMac is injured. That's a pity, he went injury free last year so hoped that'd run on, but ah well. Cian Madden injured too. Cormac O'Reilly has left the panel which I find very frustrating. Just as he was showing to be one of the top forwards in the county last summer. Think he'd have pushed on again, so that one is annoying
Well between no McKenna Cup, the first chance to see the new rules in action, and it being a local derby, if we can’t get a crowd to Breffni this weekend, I don’t know when we will!
Hed want to get over himself that fella! FFS its January. I suppose the 150k has to be justified with this sort of mystique.
Game week. Finally. Cannot wait for Saturday evening. Monaghan will be tough, as always in the derby. McManus has retired (what a career by the way, we saw more than most what he can do on his day) but he likely wouldn't have had an impact this early league anyway. Challenges have seemingly gone well, I hope we've a grasp on the new rules and we get a great start here
Ill tell ya for all the soakings and freezing cold nights I have endured at the McKenna cup games, it was sorely missed this year.
From reading bits here and there it seems we are adapting to the new rules. We will know a lot more this time next week.
Monaghan and Meath to start so two local derbys and should get decent crowds out. I think we will be in the hunt to go up and should definitely be looking at the top table come championship.
Very hard to get any info on it. McGuinness demanded it be behind closed doors and very few allowed in.
Any news from the game between Donegal and Cavan last night?
The problem with Cavan is one thing which last season showed in spades - the one consistent thing about Cavan is our inconsistency.
Excellent wins against Kildare, Cork & Louth last year, plus a close loss to what championship showed to be a very good Donegal side, were mixed with a hammering by Armagh, a loss to an eventually relegated Fermanagh and, worse of all, a tepid draw in a terrible match against a useless Meath team.
It’s hard to know what the season will bring because it’s so difficult to predict what Cavan we’ll get on any given day. I think Roscommon will be promoted and then the rest of us are vying for second place. We’ll know a lot after the Monaghan game. Anything but a win against Meath the following week if week 1 doesn’t go well and we’re looking at relegation.
There’s not going to be anything easy about that second promotion slot. Louth & Cork showed very good form in championship last year. Louth played Armagh in a behind closed doors game at the weekend.
The teams that can innovate the best to these new rules will get a head start. The rules I fear will wreck the game. I know change is needed but this amount of change in one go seems daft, especially when they have not been tried in a pre-season competition.
Sounds like Cavan have made a good start with the rules so hopefully we get a good start. Beat Monaghan and Meath puts us in a good position to push for promotion. Lose them and we are in big trouble. I think we can win them.
I love this time of year. Before the ball is thrown-in, anything is possible (good or bad, and I tend towards optimism). And starting at home agains the old enemy under floodlights on a Saturday, what more could you ask for?
How are people feeling about this year? Last year was an unusual division two. Two teams way ahead of the pack,and one team that was completely hopeless. I predict this year will be cut-throat, and don't see anyone pulling away, and teams will take points of each other. Could be as nasty as 2020 when any number of teams could have gone up or gone down right at the end. Hopefully we get some luck this year.
Almost always a team that is relegated from division one goes back up, and given the Rossies experience, I think they will be the ones. Louth are the next team to watch, and they will be close to impossible to beat at home. Cork could as easily blitz teams as not show up and get tanked the next week. Monaghan usually start the league well but it's a different story getting fired up to play the Dubs in Croker. We've all being saying their panel is aging and has to decline, surely now is the time?
Meath are no great shakes and even with a new manager bounce, Westmeath are down bodies. I can't stand this Down team so I refuse to be objective and hope they are in a relegation fight.
I think we are good enough to be top half, and given that there are no stand out teams like last year with a bit of luck we could be one of the two going up.
I hadn’t realised the Monaghan game was a Saturday evening game, that is excellent. My favourite time for a match.
The U20s apparently took a good beating off Meath in Knockbride on Sunday gone.
Minors had their final cut of players at the weekend and are now down to their final panel for the year I understand.
Yeah, at least we are creating them. Need to take more. And seems we're getting 2 pointers as well. Also cannot wait for next weekend. No January pre-season football has made this post Christmas period very long.
Cheers for that tazman. Good report .I know it's only a challenge but one of the things we need to improve on is creating goal chances (and obviously taking them too!!!)
Cannot wait for Saturday week.
I had heard Galway too, but seems it was Derry. Very decent summary here in the Celt
Anyone know where and when the challenge against Galway is on?
Not directly, but you could say something after the fact when there's been a dispute that could lead to a constructive dismissal case, so any legal advice would be to keep schtum as much as possible.
I dont think employment law precludes details being discussed but either party involved could make that a stipulation in any agreement. It does show the tricky (and expensive) situations that can develop when you want to part ways and maybe for something like S&C is should remain a contract position rather than a full time role with Cavan GAA as the employer.
Oh absolutely it is not their fault. I was commending them/management for the matches we've got so far
WAC lads made a good point. If the senior team didn’t need him, why not put him working with the development squads? It’d be much more advantageous for all parties than paying him to sit at home.
Last I heard he’s now in Japan working with a professional rugby team.
He was there a good few years they must have tried to get rid of him without going through due process and he got his solicitor onto it.
Andre Quinn. He was a direct employee, otherwise they could have just cut him providing services immediately.
I gather a direct employee. Again, no direct knowledge but I do know something about being an employer and when there is an issue, including a change in personel, change in contract or where someone is being moved on, there usually is a cost and often it precludes making any sort of public annoucement about it in case it implies blame or wrong-doing which could lead to legal implications.
It's a funny one alright i wonder was he a Employee of the County board or a contractor.
According to WAC, it went un-noticed by delegates until one of them (who is a delegate) asked for clarification. Yes, it is about the former S&C coach. I am assumming that due to the lack of elaboration it must relate to some sort of falling out which when you factor in employment law, precludes much detail in discussing the ins and outs. I am not privvy to anything but just reading between the lines.
