ALL-IRELAND PREMIER JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIP GROUP TWO ROUND FOUR

Cavan v Clare

Saturday, Kingspan Breffni, 2pm

By Niall Gartland

TO say that the Cavan camogs are making steady strides would be an understatement.

Barring an Ulster semi-final defeat to Antrim, they’re unbeaten all season in League and Championship, and whatever happens against Clare this weekend, they’ve already qualified for the Junior Championship semi-finals.

It hasn’t always been this way – just a few short years ago they didn’t even field a team at intercounty level – but their re-emergence since 2020 has been a roaring success.

Their vice-captain Josephine Maguire was around before the Cavan camogs went their separate ways nearly a decade ago, and she’s enjoying every minute of their revival. Not only that, but the future looks bright with a glut of young talent starting to filter through the ranks as well.

“It started back up again in 2020 and we beat Tyrone in the Nancy Murray final before losing to Armagh in the Premier Junior decider.

“Then in 2021 we won the Division Four league and this year we won the Division Three final, so we’re progressing every year and getting up the ladder.

“This year we’ve had a couple of minors come through and they’re keeping me and the older girls on our toes. The u-14 team has started back up, we want them to have girls to look up to and hopefully we’re role models for those girls.”

The highlight of the season to date was a tremendous two-point victory over raging hot favourites Wexford in the Division Three final. The consensus in the press seemed to be that Wexford only had to show up, but the Breffni girls, managed by Philip ‘Gunner’ Brady this season, upset all the odds and have brought their good form into the championship campaign.

“We were massive underdogs that day and everyone had us written off to be honest,” said the Ballinagh club camog. “We hadn’t really looked into Wexford that much, that’s the way Philip is, we just take every game as it comes. We didn’t really focus on the fact it was a final so it was a brilliant boost to us.”

The only blip this year was an Ulster semi-final defeat to Antrim seconds, who have been something of a revelation themselves this year.

Perhaps it was good for Cavan to get a rude awakening ahead of the championship, however, and they’ve qualified for the semi-finals with a game to spare (they play Clare in their final group stage match this weekend, who have also already made the last four).

Maguire said: “We’re still hurting after Antrim beat us but it’s only made us more determined to make sure something like that doesn’t happen again. It brought us back down to earth and maybe that loss helped us re-focus. We’re unbeaten in the championship and we’re just trying to keep the momentum going.”