Bellew: Cavan hurlers treading carefully

By Shaun Casey

WHILE Cavan are the in-form team in the Lory Meagher Cup to date, they won’t be easing off the case says Ollie Bellew. A win this Saturday away to Longford will send the Breffni Blues into the final.

They have picked up three victories on the trot so far in the group stages, beating Warwickshire, Monaghan and Lancashire to sit at the top of the table with just two games remaining.

But having been the underdogs on so many occasions in the past, Cavan are well aware of the battle they face this weekend.

“This competition is traditionally a graveyard for favourites,” said Cavan boss Bellew.

“There’s always an upset. We’ve been on the end of that a few times but we’ve also caused the upsets too, so nobody treads more carefully than a manager who has been through the Lory Meagher a few times.

“Longford literally put us out of the competition last year and it’s a very difficult place to go to so there’s a bit of unfinished business to be dealt with and if we win, we’re guaranteed Croke Park for the final so there’s a massive carrot there for us.”

Having earned three wins on the bounce after three impressive performances, Bellew has been happy with his side’s progress, despite their relegation from Division Three. The squad depth they have developed has been key to their recent success.

“We couldn’t be anything but happy and satisfied with the points on the board,” he added. “It’s obviously a case of getting the game over and done with and analysing what went well and what went wrong and fixing that and improving that.

“From that point of view, it’s good. The panel has really been tested now and there’s serious competition for places. If someone picks up an injury or is maybe left out, once the new man is in, it’s very difficult for someone to get back in again.

“It’s creating a real positive environment, and we haven’t always had the depth of talent that we do at the minute.

“That is pretty difficult to manage but now that we have a full and healthy panel, where anyone is capable of getting in, it makes the whole thing so much easier.”

A feature of their play so far in the Lory Meagher Cup has been their ability to raise green flags. In just three games, Cavan have hit the net nine times, but Bellew believes there is still more to come from his side in the coming weeks.

“I still think there’s a big performance coming to be perfectly honest with you,” he continued. “We’ve put some pretty impressive scores together, but we’ve left a lot behind as well so that’s where we are at the minute.

“We’re striving for a perfect performance that we haven’t reached yet but we’ve come pretty close.

“We know there’s still a wee bit more in the tank so that’s what we’re working towards at the minute,” he added.