Lory Meagher Cup round one

Monaghan v Cavan

Sunday, Inniskeen, 2pm

Cavan’s poor league form doesn’t offer much hope heading into the championship and a lack of numbers has posed the biggest stumbling block this year, according to boss Neil Cole.

The Breffni men lost all four of their league outings to finish bottom of Division 3B and kick-start their Lory Meagher Cup campaign against Monaghan on Sunday.

“The league wasn’t the best now. We’ve struggled with numbers. We played Leitrim up in Abbottstown, we’d only 16 players,” he said.

“We played Longford and we had about 18 players, but we actually played decent in the first half against Longford but we’d a lad sent off just before half time.

“We brought it back to two points and then we’d a second lad sent off so after that it was downhill. Those two lads are actually missing now on Sunday as well, so it doesn’t look a pretty picture.”

Cavan enjoyed a positive 2021 as they reached the Lory Meagher decider losing out to Fermanagh in the end. Ten players that were part of the match day panel have since stepped away, leaving a huge dent in the squad.

“I only took over at the start of January and from all accounts, from what I heard on where they were at and that, it had good potential. Unfortunately, out of the 24 of a panel that played in last year’s Lory Meagher final, ten of them are gone.

“So, you’re cut big time in selection. It’s like a rebuilding, there’s a lot of young lads there now and we’re kind of looking at a few u-20s there, depending on young lads as well as some of the older lads. The loss of players is huge and in a small pool you can’t afford to be missing that many.”

Cole is hoping to help Cavan rebuild by bringing a few of those younger lads into the panel and plan for the future. They will be up against it this weekend as they travel to Inniskeen to face Monaghan, the team that Cole labels favourites to win the competition.

“In any county, whatever county you’re in, when things are at its lowest the only way it can go is up. We’re rebuilding and getting a foundation going again.

“We have good numbers at minors and good numbers at u-20s and that so with them coming through in the future we’ll certainly have more selection of players.

“We have the panel built back up again. We had those two lads who were sent off, we’re missing them and we’ve a couple of injuries as well.

“Look, we’re not going to be as strong as we’d like to be and facing into Monaghan, who are probably favourites to win the Lory Meagher outright, it’s straight into the fire.

“It’ll be hell for leather and coming off a poor league campaign as well, coming up against the favourites in the first game, it’ll be interesting.”

REBUILD… Cavan have lost ten panel members from the squad that reached last year’s Lory Meagher final