By Niall Gartland

FOR the Cavan hurlers, this is like the Super Bowl and Champions League final rolled into one. A chance at national silverware – no different in that respect than the All-Ireland Senior Championship final. It’s just a matter of perspective.

Jack Barry has been here before. He played in the 2021 Lory Meagher Cup final and it didn’t quite go according to plan. The Fermanagh hurlers romped to a 3-26 to 1-17 victory, youngster Tom Keenan bagging a hat-trick.

Four years later, they’re back again, primed for another shot at getting up the steps of the Hogan Stand.

After a year’s absence in 2022, Belfast man Ollie Bellew returned to the managerial hotseat and they’re indisputably stronger than four years back.

The elephant in the room is their opponents this Saturday – New York. They were parachuted into the competition at the semi-final stage, overcoming Monaghan by 13 points last weekend, and both Bellew and his Monaghan counterpart Arthur Hughes have gone on the record querying New York’s inclusion in the competition. But anyway, there’s no going back now.

So Jack Barry, a mainstay of this Cavan team, is looking forward to Saturday and he’s hoping to make amends for their ill-fated appearance in the Lory Meagher final in 2021.

“I know it’s a big occasion but at least seven or eight of our lads were in Croke Park playing the last time, so we know what it’s like to lose, and lose badly.

“So for us it’s less about the occasion and more about trying to win the Lory Meagher. It feels like a long time coming for us – we feel like we’ve had a strong team for the last two or three seasons and haven’t been fit to make that last step.

“I was very young when we got to the final in 2021. It was unreal to play in Croke Park, though we didn’t perform at all on the day. I try not to think about that element of it too much. At the same time, as a youngster you want to grow up and play for Cavan in Croke Park so it was a dream come true to get that really.”

Captained by Galway All-Ireland winner Johnny Glynn, New York hurlers are unbackable favourites for the Lory Meagher.

Speaking with the42.ie prior to their semi-final win over Monaghan, New York manager Richie Hartnett acknowledged that their inclusion didn’t sit well with their Cavan and Monaghan counterparts.

“I get the side of those who are objecting to it,” he said.

“These teams are playing a round robin and they have put in a lot of work as well. And to see us coming in at the semi-final stage, having not played a round robin is tough on them.”

Their win over Monaghan wasn’t a total farce – the final scoreline of 1-29 to 2-13 was fairly reflective – and Cavan can take heart of how they fared in the heady heights of Division Two this year.

They were desperately unlucky to be relegated on the head-to-head rule, won two matches and were competitive throughout.

Barry said: “In the league this year, we played teams like Wicklow and London. We beat Wicklow and were leading London at half-time.

“A lot of those teams are playing two levels above us in the championship and we held our own. We’d love to get out of the Lory Meagher and prove that we’re able to play at that level in the championship as well.”

“Cavan hurling has come a long way, the standard seems to be rising across the board and this Cavan team is definitely a lot stronger than three or four years ago. It’s great to see that improvement.”

On the club front, Barry lines out for East Cavan Gaels, a conglomeration of the Bailieborough, Kingscourt, Shercock, Mullagh and Virginia (Barry himself is from Bailieborough, and he’s just recently finished up a Civil Engineering degree at UCD).

His mother was one of the co-founders of the East Cavan Gaels club back in 2009, and last year Barry played a key role in their historic first ever Cavan Senior Championship final triumph, preceding their run to an Ulster Junior final appearance.

He says their provincial semi-final win over Rasharkin was the highlight of his hurling career to date – though that may change if Cavan defy the odds this Saturday and finish the season as Lory Meagher champions.

“My mother is from Cork and was one of the founders of the club, and she got us involved. I’d have started off at u-10 level and we worked our way up to senior level.

“We’ve had a senior team since 2018 and it’s great that the kids playing at u-10 and u-12 level now know that there’s a senior team to come into when they’re older. I didn’t know if there’d still be a team when I was that age.

“We’d a brilliant year last year, we’d such a great run, and beating Rasharkin in the semi-final would be the highlight of my hurling career to date.”