Cavan review – Memorable season for the Breffni

1: Cavan win Ulster

The list could almost stop there, couldn’t it? Mickey Graham’s merry men defied all known expectations by overcoming Donegal in the Ulster Senior Championship final, claiming their first Anglo Celt title in 23 years (and it’s only their second in the last 50). It was truly a heroic performance and a reminder of the value of the provincial championships as they tore into Donegal from the very opening whistle. Some dubious refereeing decisions didn’t take them off their stride as they kept on plugging away and got the game’s killer score when Conor Madden found the net in injury time (even neutrals must’ve been jumping off their seats). There were emotional post-match interviews from Mickey Graham and captain Raymond Galligan, but the game will be forever associated with a Roy of the Rovers performance from Thomas Galligan, who put his head where other people wouldn’t put their fists. A day that will never be forgotten in Cavan, closed doors or not.

2: Galligan’s point

Which point? Go on, have a wild guess – we’re obviously referring to his unbelievable winning score in extra-time of their preliminary round contest against rivals Monaghan. Cavan looked dead and buried at half-time, but for some reason Monaghan decided to sit back, and the gap narrowed and narrowed until we were looking at extra-time. The Oriel got their noses in front but Cavan never threw in the towel and were handed a late, speculative chance of avoiding penalties when they were handed a free from about 200 yards out right at the death. Up stepped Raymond Galligan, and his effort on goal sailed between the posts much to the obvious disappointment of Sky Sports pundit Dick Clerkin, who still had to acknowledge what a spectacular winner it was. Galligan was the hero in the aftermath of the game, and you have to remember that they’d been relegated to Division Three just a week beforehand.

3: The end of a drought

Crosserlough won their first Cavan SFC final in 48 years when they defeated Kingscourt in the replay by 0-13 to 0-8. They came from two points down in injury time of the drawn encounter to force a replay, and perhaps sensing their luck, they made no mistake on their second day out. It was a cagey enough affair in the replay but their five-point margin of victory wasn’t flattering as they secured the Oliver Plunkett Cup. While it had been a long time since their previous triumph, it was only two years ago that they basically blew it against Castlerahan in the final, so redemption was at stake as well. They have a young and talented team so they aren’t going to go away in a hurry as long as their motivation stays intact.

4: The Camogs exceed all

expectations

CAVAN fielded a camogie team for the first time in nearly a decade this year, and they’re probably wondering why they didn’t do so earlier. They gave an absolutely brilliant account of themselves, winning the Nancy Murray Cup in style with victory over Tyrone. That was their main ambition but they also ended up qualifying for the Premier Junior Championship final, where they came up against a talented Armagh side. They fought to the bitter end but fell slightly short against a Ciara Donnelly-inspired Armagh, but they’ll know they have the potential to make amends in the coming years with so many talented players in their ranks like captain Errin Galligan, Roisin O’Keefe and Shanise Fitzsimons.

5: Back from the brink

COMEBACKS were a recurring theme in Cavan’s run to the Ulster title, and their match against Down saw them come from ten points down to claim a remarkable one-point victory. They trailed 1-9 to 0-2 just before half-time, but they were a different animal entirely in the second-half with Thomas Galligan, Padraig Faulkner and Conor Madden all outstanding. Down poured forward at their leisure in the first-half, but they struggled big time after the break as Cavan pushed up on their kick-outs, and while opposition manager Paddy Tally was annoyed by a controversial penalty decision, Cavan probably felt like they earned their luck. Inconsistency was still a problem but they sorted it out in the Ulster final as they played well from the first whistle to the last.