The Official Cavan GAA Discussion thread.

Frankie Lee

I've watched all the Ulster Championship games on BBC this year, while there coverage is not perfect it is a brilliant in comparison to RTE. McConville is an excellent analyst while the commentator(Niblock?) is competent and a non-irritant unlike Canning and Morrissey.

Another decent performance from Cavan even if they could well have been beaten in the end. I'd fancy them to beat Monaghan now before giving a good account of themselves against Donegal(They'd have a great chance if Down can cause an upset). If Cavan manage to keep a good set-up in place for the next few years they will surely make a breakthrough into the top 8 teams in the country.

Fermanagh will beat any below average teams in the qualifiers.

tayto lover

What did you think of the referee today lads?
I thought he could have sent a Fermanagh man or two off for late and reckless tackles. They tried to take Mackey out of the game.
I also thought he got it hard to award Cavan frees at times.

Lemlin

tayto lover wrote: »

What did you think of the referee today lads?
I thought he could have sent a Fermanagh man or two off for late and reckless tackles. They tried to take Mackey out of the game.
I also thought he got it hard to award Cavan frees at times.

I thought he did okay. Fermanagh were more cynical in the second half. Quigley should have gone for that shoulder to the face on Mackey.

I also think Cavan should of had at least a free in the first half when Keating was blocked running in for Givney's skyward effort. One of the Fermanagh lads got a yellow so why a free wasn't given is beyond me.

I also thought Martin Reilly was fouled by three men but no free was given. When the same had happened a few minutes earlier down the Cavan end, a free was given to Corrigan.

Pete_Cavan

Good win and I think Cavan are a far more accomplished team than Fermanagh. Some of the tackling by Cavan players was excellent, while we packed the defence, many times Cavan defenders were able to dispossess Fermanagh men in one on one situations. Mackey was excellent today and DJ, Toasty, Dunne and McLoughlin were also very good. McEnroe going off was a big blow to us because he was winning breaks around the middle and they started to dominate midfield when he went off.

Perhaps it was not possible to see on tv but being at the match I thought Fermanagh were a very dirty team - lots of body checks off the ball and that kind of thing. Most of this went unnoticed by the ref, although twice he booked/ticked Fermanagh men after the incident on the advice of his umpire or linesman. Anyway, I think this gave Fermanagh a big advantage because Cavan defenders were literally prevented from tackling the ball carrier at times. With a more vigilant ref, Cavan would have won a lot more comfortably.

Tom Joad

tayto lover wrote: »

What did you think of the referee today lads?
I thought he could have sent a Fermanagh man or two off for late and reckless tackles. They tried to take Mackey out of the game.
I also thought he got it hard to award Cavan frees at times.

He done alright all in all - that't the most free flowing game I've seen him referee. I too thought Sean Quigley could have walked for the challenge on Mackey. I was expecting the worst from him but it seemed to me to be an easy enough game to referee.

Tom Joad

dxhound2005 wrote: »

I left Dundalk at 11 oclock and was at the pitch, where I had a parking pass, shortly after 12.30. Three policemen at the roundabout in the middle of Lisnaskea and just a few police vehicles in traffic from Maguiresbridge into Enniskillen is all I saw. Nobody directing traffic in the town. No sign of any protestors.

Timed my passage from the pitch to the Belfast road after the match 35 minutes. I was surprised that there were no police at the junctions directing traffic, this would have speeded things up significantly. Maybe the GAA didn't want them involved.

Anyway the whole thing went off without a hitch from my point of view and the ones that stayed away needn't have done so. And Cavan won so it was all good.

Haven't spoken to anyone who was at the game yet but tv said attendance was less than 10k :eek: which helped congestion wise I'm sure. Would I be right in saying that you would be avoiding any match traffic coming in that way. Yesterday out my there was a procession of garda vans heading for the border - even seen a UN truck - thought it might have been carrying Cormac Reilly:D:D

Lemlin

Tom Joad wrote: »

Haven't spoken to anyone who was at the game yet but tv said attendance was less than 10k :eek: which helped congestion wise I'm sure. Would I be right in saying that you would be avoiding any match traffic coming in that way. Yesterday out my there was a procession of garda vans heading for the border - even seen a UN truck - thought it might have been carrying Cormac Reilly:D:D

That's it exactly. Alot didn't travel or travelled on buses. There'll be a huge crowd in Clones in two weeks I'd say.

It's going to be a good fortnight for the county with the Donegal vs Down game in Breffni next weekend too.

Tom Joad

Anyone know what happened Rory Dunne that left his nose in a mess at the end?

cavan4sam

A big well done to all yesterday , another game we quite possibly should have lost when fermanagh gained the momentum , but the lads dug deep and pulled it out of the bag

great performances in most sectors though midfield is still a concern

looking forward to the monaghan game now and think we have a real chance a beating an ageing monaghan team

does anyone know if the minor game is on before it on the 29th ?

Tom Joad

cavan4sam wrote: »

A big well done to all yesterday , another game we quite possibly should have lost when fermanagh gained the momentum , but the lads dug deep and pulled it out of the bag

great performances in most sectors though midfield is still a concern

looking forward to the monaghan game now and think we have a real chance a beating an ageing monaghan team

does anyone know if the minor game is on before it on the 29th ?

Minor game is on before senior.

Wouldn't underestimate Monaghan and they will fancy their chances against us - again we should go in under the radar.

AFAIK Dick Clerkin will still be out injured which will help Cavan.

Lemlin

cavan4sam wrote: »

A big well done to all yesterday , another game we quite possibly should have lost when fermanagh gained the momentum , but the lads dug deep and pulled it out of the bag

great performances in most sectors though midfield is still a concern

looking forward to the monaghan game now and think we have a real chance a beating an ageing monaghan team

does anyone know if the minor game is on before it on the 29th ?

To be honest, we seem happy enough to allow teams to win the ball and carry it at us. We're very good at breaking down play.

Yesterday Fermanagh were taking short kick outs quickly and we never tried to stop them once.

cavan4sam

Really looking forward to this sat !!

nothing beats a local derby with monaghan memories of the mid 80's early 90's coming back the crack and banter surrounding these games is second to none
i've a good feeling about this game and hope we can pull it off
i think if we can hold mc manus and finlay we have a really good chance , i think we will have the legs on them at midfield which could be crucial in the last 15 mins

also looking forward to the minor game its a good sign that both teams are in the semi final

these lads have a never say die attitude and really fight tooth and nail and lets hope minor captain tom hayes gets one up on his team mates from st macartans

good luck to all involved and bring on the farney !!! lets hope the journey home involves trips to newbliss and rockcorry !!!

cavan4sam !!!!!!

Lemlin

Word has it Jack Brady and James McEnroe will both be missing.

I'm not too worried about Jack because I think he hasn't been at full capacity having played the U21 campaign through injury. I also think we have players like Martin Reilly and McKeever on the bench who can play just as well as Jack has in recent games.

McEnroe is a worry though. He's been a big player for us and is a loss. With our first choice league midfield pairing of Corr and McKiernan both missing, McEnroe would have been a big asset at midfield.

We'll know more tomorrow when the team is announced but I wouldn't expect too many changes.

I think Monaghan have to be strong favourites but we have nothing to lose.

cournioni

Lemlin wrote: »

Word has it Jack Brady and James McEnroe will both be missing.

I'm not too worried about Jack because I think he hasn't been at full capacity having played the U21 campaign through injury. I also think we have players like Martin Reilly and McKeever on the bench who can play just as well as Jack has in recent games.

McEnroe is a worry though. He's been a big player for us and is a loss. With our first choice league midfield pairing of Corr and McKiernan both missing, McEnroe would have been a big asset at midfield.

We'll know more tomorrow when the team is announced but I wouldn't expect too many changes.

I think Monaghan have to be strong favourites but we have nothing to lose.

Would say McCutcheon, Gunner Brady or Hayes would be decent options if McEnroe is out. He is a big loss, but we do have very good players with reasonable experience that can come in.

Lemlin

No changes to the announced team. I expect two on Saturday though unless the lads make it back:

Cavan manager Terry Hyland has named his starting fifteen for the Ulster GAA Football Senior Championship semi-final against Monaghan on Saturday evening in Clones (throw-in 7pm).
Hyland has announced the same starting fifteen as he did for the Breffni County's quarter-final win over Fermanagh in Brewster Park.
Cavan (SF v Monaghan): C Gilsenan; J McLoughlin, R Dunne, K Clarke; J McEnroe, A Clarke, R Flanagan; D O’Reilly, D Givney; C Mackey, J Brady, F Flanagan; N McDermott, M Dunne, E Keating.

Tom Joad

Am on holidays these week so away from all the build up and banter but already starting to get excited about Saturday evening..

tayto lover

Best of luck to the Cavan teams on Saturday.

cavan4sam

cournioni wrote: »

Would say McCutcheon, Gunner Brady or Hayes would be decent options if McEnroe is out. He is a big loss, but we do have very good players with reasonable experience that can come in.

MC cutcheon is injured ,hip injury afaik , not sure bout the other two

Can't wait now

Lemlin

cavan4sam wrote: »

MC cutcheon is injured ,hip injury afaik , not sure bout the other two

Can't wait now

I've heard on the grapevine that Killian Brady will play in place of Jack.

McEnroe still touch and go.

Tom Joad

Hope McEnroe makes it as he is becoming a key player and the least disruption to the defensive unit the better but we do have good back-up options.

If we get a good start tomorrow night and convert a higher percentage off our chances than in past two games I can see us winning a tight game by a point or two.

Would also be great to see the minors overcome Monaghan.

ElChe32

Disappointing result, could and probably should have had a last second free when the keeper fouled the ball. Silly errors cost Cavan the game. Two big errors, both by the keeper, cost 1-1. Eyes on the draw now. Good effort lads, but Cavan didn't have the killer edge up front. Both corner forwards kept quiet all game. Onwards and upwards.

Tom Joad

Not overly disappointed with the performance tonight and it shows how far we have come with this team. Monaghan had the toughness and cuteness it takes to win a game like this and fair play to them for it but it's another huge lesson for this Cavan team and it will stand to them. Some great performances again from the likes of Mackey, Givney and Killian Clarke in particular but they all gave their all and can be immensely proud of what they have done for the jersey this year.

Lets hope they can stay together and give the qualifiers a real lash.

Minors gave a great display as well against a very good Monaghan team and there are some quality footballers on that them Ryan Connolly and the no.22 from Denn (can't think of his name) in particular looked like serious footballers.

Lemlin

The qualifiers have never been particularly kind to us, drawing the likes of Cork, Mayo and Kildare through the years, so a couple of games in them would be nice for a change.

I don't think any team will fancy drawing us.

It's a pity that we couldn't push onto the Ulster final this year when the draw was good but, as Tom Joad says, Monaghan had that extra bit of cuteness, and indeed physicality, from years on the road.

Hopefully the journey of our team is just starting.

celt262

Tom Joad wrote: »

Not overly disappointed with the performance tonight and it shows how far we have come with this team. Monaghan had the toughness and cuteness it takes to win a game like this and fair play to them for it but it's another huge lesson for this Cavan team and it will stand to them. Some great performances again from the likes of Mackey, Givney and Killian Clarke in particular but they all gave their all and can be immensely proud of what they have done for the jersey this year.

Lets hope they can stay together and give the qualifiers a real lash.

Minors gave a great display as well against a very good Monaghan team and there are some quality footballers on that them Ryan Connolly and the no.22 from Denn (can't think of his name) in particular looked like serious footballers.

Number 22 was Greg McGovern from Swad a first cousin of big Gearoid.

Pete_Cavan

Disappointing result and some awful football played by both teams. I think the goal we gave them was key, we were building nicely in the openening quarter but then a very soft goal allowed them to go in level at half time. This gave them more belief and they came out more fired up and determined after the break than we did. A lot of big calls went against us (the point the ref gave but umpire waved wide, the last free they scored from was questionable and their keeper must have fouled the ball twice at the end). Monaghan will get hockied in the final now and if we get a kind draw in the qualifiers, avoiding that might not be the worst outcome.

Tom Joad

celt262 wrote: »

Number 22 was Greg McGovern from Swad a first cousin of big Gearoid.

That makes a lot of sense - he's the cut of him - they were both chiselled out of the same bit of the cuilcagh's.

Tom Joad

Pete_Cavan wrote: »

Disappointing result and some awful football played by both teams. I think the goal we gave them was key, we were building nicely in the openening quarter but then a very soft goal allowed them to go in level at half time. This gave them more belief and they came out more fired up and determined after the break than we did. A lot of big calls went against us (the point the ref gave but umpire waved wide, the last free they scored from was questionable and their keeper must have fouled the ball twice at the end). Monaghan will get hockied in the final now and if we get a kind draw in the qualifiers, avoiding that might not be the worst outcome.

The goal was obviously massive but for me a key turning point was the free Dunne had which for him was very scorable near the end of the first half - we would have gone in 2 points up if he got that and that would have been a fair reflection of how things were going at half time but instead they got a score and it was level. You could see that they got a big lift from that walking off.

I'd say the Monaghan boys were in the dressing room at half time saying that they had played shíte but were still level at half time and that Cavan were there to be taken.

Lemlin

Tom Joad wrote: »

The goal was obviously massive but for me a key turning point was the free Dunne had which for him was very scorable near the end of the first half - we would have gone in 2 points up if he got that and that would have been a fair reflection of how things were going at half time but instead they got a score and it was level. You could see that they got a big lift from that walking off.

I'd say the Monaghan boys were in the dressing room at half time saying that they had played shíte but were still level at half time and that Cavan were there to be taken.

That was a key score to miss alright but the most frustrating one was Damien Reilly's which hit the crossbar in the second half.

We also missed a good few score able chances before Keating eventually scored in the 9th minute, David Givney's being the most glaring.

tayto lover

I think the GAA have organised some crowd pullers with this draw.
Cavan v Fermanagh Mk2 and Derry v Down Mk2.
Stinks of a bit of a fix to be honest.

Frankie Lee

tayto lover wrote: »

I think the GAA have organised some crowd pullers with this draw.
Cavan v Fermanagh Mk2 and Derry v Down Mk2.
Stinks of a bit of a fix to be honest.

I looked at the draw when eating my breakfast this morning, there was barely enough room in the small baking bowls used to hold the names of the teams let alone mix them around a bit but I doubt it was a fix.

Lemlin

tayto lover wrote: »

I think the GAA have organised some crowd pullers with this draw.
Cavan v Fermanagh Mk2 and Derry v Down Mk2.
Stinks of a bit of a fix to be honest.

3rd time for us to play Fermanagh this year and 4th time in two years. It's a joke of a draw.

The last thing we wanted was either of the teams we've already played. Their backs will be up after losing to us and both had good wins in the qualifiers so confidence will be on a high.

We really could have done without this. It's infuriating to be honest.

Tom Joad

Lemlin wrote: »

3rd time for us to play Fermanagh this year and 4th time in two years. It's a joke of a draw.

The last thing we wanted was either of the teams we've already played. Their backs will be up after losing to us and both had good wins in the qualifiers so confidence will be on a high.

We really could have done without this. It's infuriating to be honest.

Yeah I groaned when that was pulled out - but it could have been worse - we could have got Tyrone or Derry. Look I'm sick of the sight of that Fermanagh jersey and they won't fear coming to Breffni plus won't start as poor as the last day. But it's a team we know we can beat and it's another tough challenge that will bring the team on - let's see if they can bounce back from the Monaghan game. We should have Mossy Corr, Jack Brady. McKeever and Barry Reilly closer to fitness too which should help.

On another note nice to see Lorcan Mulvey do so well with London.

celt262

Tom Joad wrote: »

Yeah I groaned when that was pulled out - but it could have been worse - we could have got Tyrone or Derry. Look I'm sick of the sight of that Fermanagh jersey and they won't fear coming to Breffni plus won't start as poor as the last day. But it's a team we know we can beat and it's another tough challenge that will bring the team on - let's see if they can bounce back from the Monaghan game. We should have Mossy Corr, Jack Brady. McKeever and Barry Reilly closer to fitness too which should help.

On another note nice to see Lorcan Mulvey do so well with London.

Is he injured?

Lemlin

@CavanCoBoardGaa: Cavan v Fermanagh Sat 13th July at 7pm in Kingspan Breffni Park. #cavan #16thman #gotl

Lemlin

celt262 wrote: »

Is he injured?

Over rated is his problem I think. I thought two years ago he was but then he improved earlier this year and looked decent in the league.

He appears to have gone backwards again though. I'd like to see Corr back above others.

tayto lover

Lemlin wrote: »

Over rated is his problem I think. I thought two years ago he was but then he improved earlier this year and looked decent in the league.

He appears to have gone backwards again though. I'd like to see Corr back above others.

I saw him in the junior game against us and he didn't strike me as outstanding at all. Not a patch on his uncle Jim.
He is very good at the frees though.

KeepTheFaith

Barry Reilly is a quality player but his development this far has been hampered by injury. In 2010 he came into the U21 team as an 18 year old and was probably our best player in the Ulster Final. 2011 he was outstanding in the Ulster campaign but faded in the final two games. 2012 when he was Captain of the U21s he got virtually no game time, had he stayed injury free that year I think he would have progressed as a player and I think we could have taken Roscommon.
I don't think it's a case of being over rated though. The lads who have broken into the Senior team from the U21s all came off the back of having a great campaign, Barry didn't have that luxury and it's difficult to break into Hyland's side. He'll need to adopt to the mold of what Terry wants, massive work rate and discipline. If he can develop in those regards he has a footballing brain and ability to make it at the highest level. He's still only 21, stupid to be comparing him to Jim Reilly!

Tom Joad

Don't forget he had a serious injury earlier this year too so he has had a frustrating time off it. I've changed my mind on the young lad a few times - he can be a real game changer but sometimes he can be bullied out of games. I'd see him as a good lad to bring in with 20 mins to go.

What we really need to see is some of the Under 21s like Enda Reilly or Conroy make the step up to senior and to see Jack Brady get fit and a run of game time to bolster the attack.

Lemlin

Tom Joad wrote: »

Don't forget he had a serious injury earlier this year too so he has had a frustrating time off it. I've changed my mind on the young lad a few times - he can be a real game changer but sometimes he can be bullied out of games. I'd see him as a good lad to bring in with 20 mins to go.

What we really need to see is some of the Under 21s like Enda Reilly or Conroy make the step up to senior and to see Jack Brady get fit and a run of game time to bolster the attack.

Enda Reilly is in New York. He got clearance to go.

Conroy is out of the country at his brother's wedding. He was also given clearance to go and was away for the Monaghan game. He hasn't made the panel of 24 for either of the games so I'd think he's a long way from starting or even coming on.

I'll reserve my judgement on Barry for now but I do feel sorry for some of these young lads that get rushed back. It happened him with the U21s last year and I think the same happened Jack this year. He clearly isn't playing to his potential and I think he's long overdue a rest.

We're very much on a hiding to nothing against Fermanagh. Lose and the year hasn't been a success. Win and sure we're just beating a team we've already beaten and who are in the same division as us.

Tom Joad

Lemlin wrote: »

Enda Reilly is in New York. He got clearance to go.

Conroy is out of the country at his brother's wedding. He was also given clearance to go and was away for the Monaghan game.

He hasn't made the panel of 24 for either of the games so I'd think he's a long way from starting.

We're very much on a hiding to nothing against Fermanagh. Lose and the year hasn't been a success. Win and sure we're just beating a team we've already beaten and who are in the same division as us.

I meant for next year re Conroy and Reilly..

Yeah it would be seen as a damp squib kind of end to the year if we lost to Fermanagh.

Lemlin

Tom Joad wrote: »

I meant for next year re Conroy and Reilly..

Yeah it would be seen as a damp squib kind of end to the year if we lost to Fermanagh.

I don't know even about next year for them. I think they'd be involved more this year if that was the plan.

I would of liked to see a new county at Breffni or even a trip to a new county for a bit of novelty as well.

cavan4sam

one very disappointed blue here !!!

yeah a trip down the country would have been nice !! but a trip to clones on the 21st would have been much nicer

bitterly disappointed with the result on saturday night
fuming with that sh1tebag marty duffy what a bottler ,

unfortunately my fears around our keeper became reality but we were found out all over the field so its not all down to him

we can take some positives from the game like the never say die attitude but we seriously lack a plan B

i have my doubts about beating Fermanagh but once again we will go to breffni full of hope and expectation

why will we do this you may well ask ??

Because we are cavan and thats just the way we roll !!!

AnCabhanAbu

KeepTheFaith

cavan4sam wrote: »

one very disappointed blue here !!!

yeah a trip down the country would have been nice !! but a trip to clones on the 21st would have been much nicer

bitterly disappointed with the result on saturday night
fuming with that sh1tebag marty duffy what a bottler ,

unfortunately my fears around our keeper became reality but we were found out all over the field so its not all down to him

we can take some positives from the game like the never say die attitude but we seriously lack a plan B

i have my doubts about beating Fermanagh but once again we will go to breffni full of hope and expectation

why will we do this you may well ask ??

Because we are cavan and thats just the way we roll !!!

AnCabhanAbu

Why did we need a plan B? We were right in the game up to the final whistle and were perhaps unlucky not to get a draw. Surely plan B would only be implemented when Plan A isn't working. We were right in the mix to win the game so that wasn't the case.

Tom Joad

cavan4sam wrote: »

one very disappointed blue here !!!

bitterly disappointed with the result on saturday night
fuming with that sh1tebag marty duffy what a bottler ,

unfortunately my fears around our keeper became reality but we were found out all over the field so its not all down to him

Think this is a bit OTT to be honest - we were the kick of a ball away from an Ulster final.

then on one hand you blame the ref, then the keeper and then we were found out all over the field

1. Ref also didn't give Monaghan a goal/ penalty so blaming the ref is not on and I think Duffy is a clown of a ref. But I do think that the ref had his wrong decision in mind and was never going to give us the traditional soft free (or in this case legitimate free) to level the game.

2. Keeper made a silly mistake - he'll learn from it. He also nailed a free-kick - its between himself and O'Mara for number 1 spot for me.

3. We weren't found out all over the field - we lost by a point and baring the goal we were battering them in the first half and could have been out of sight.

cavan4sam

Tom Joad wrote: »

Think this is a bit OTT to be honest - we were the kick of a ball away from an Ulster final.

then on one hand you blame the ref, then the keeper and then we were found out all over the field

1. Ref also didn't give Monaghan a goal/ penalty so blaming the ref is not on and I think Duffy is a clown of a ref. But I do think that the ref had his wrong decision in mind and was never going to give us the traditional soft free (or in this case legitimate free) to level the game.

2. Keeper made a silly mistake - he'll learn from it. He also nailed a free-kick - its between himself and O'Mara for number 1 spot for me.

3. We weren't found out all over the field - we lost by a point and baring the goal we were battering them in the first half and could have been out of sight.

The monaghan goal\peno was in the 1st 5 mins so it wasn't a game changer in my opinion the last free was !

it's getting to be a habit for the keeper o'meara is the better keeper and should be in goals .we needed to bring on a bit of muscle to match monaghan we didn't have it !

We need to start to be more clinical and build on leads rather than surrender them .

We have a young squad and hopefully we learn from it

Lemlin

cavan4sam wrote: »

The monaghan goal\peno was in the 1st 5 mins so it wasn't a game changer in my opinion the last free was !

it's getting to be a habit for the keeper o'meara is the better keeper and should be in goals .we needed to bring on a bit of muscle to match monaghan we didn't have it !

We need to start to be more clinical and build on leads rather than surrender them .

We have a young squad and hopefully we learn from it

Corr isn't fit. He would have provided some of the muscle. The same goes for McKiernan. People forget we are missing our two first choice midfielders. Givney is playing there but he wasn't first choice in the league.

I also think Niall Smith is a big loss. He'd be fantastic to have to throw on for the last twenty minutes to run at the opposition. Mackey was doing it but he was easy for Monaghan to target and block out. If we had two lads doing it, it would have helped.

As for the two 'keepers, I very much think its neck and neck. O'Meara had the jersey and lost it so it's Gilsenen's now to keep. I can't see it being changed for the next game.

In fairness, if we want to use short kick outs, I think the backs have to be prepared for them and looking for the possession. There wasn't exactly a huge amount of players calling for the ball each time Gilsenan was taking a kick out. Compare that to the Fermanagh players in the Fermanagh game. The ball was straight back out to a Fermanagh player each time.

I think the bottom line is that Monaghan's experience won out on the day. You can't compare like for like with Monaghan and Cavan. Cavan are a team who hadn't won two ties in the Ulster championship in twelve years. Monaghan are a team going into their third Ulster final in six years. For us, it's a novelty just to actually play 4 championship games this year. It's the first time since 2005.

I do rate the U21s but I think people are getting a bit carried away after the wins. I see over on the Hogan Stand (which I should probably ignore) the usual culprits are out blaming the management and calling for change. Yes lads, because we're onto our fifth manager since 2005 changing the manager is definitely the right tactic!

Crash Bang Wall

Tom Joad wrote: »

Think this is a bit OTT to be honest - we were the kick of a ball away from an Ulster final.

then on one hand you blame the ref, then the keeper and then we were found out all over the field

1. Ref also didn't give Monaghan a goal/ penalty so blaming the ref is not on and I think Duffy is a clown of a ref. But I do think that the ref had his wrong decision in mind and was never going to give us the traditional soft free (or in this case legitimate free) to level the game.

2. Keeper made a silly mistake - he'll learn from it. He also nailed a free-kick - its between himself and O'Mara for number 1 spot for me.

3. We weren't found out all over the field - we lost by a point and baring the goal we were battering them in the first half and could have been out of sight.

Marty Duffy was terrible. Dessie Mone should have been yellow carded in the first half. Mackey was blocked of so many times its not funny. He should have given Monaghan a penalty. He should have sent off that sub who hit Rory Dunne. Oh, and in the second half he pulled Mackey for over carrying when he took 2 steps, yet the keeper took at least 8 steps and it was play on.

Monaghan to their credit defended well......Dunne didnt get a sniff, and Keating had to work very hard to get any possession. Then, IMO, he ruined it by aimless shooting. Was impressed with Clarke and McDermott, and thought Dunne should have been replaced earlier. Tierney couldnt have done any worse.

We missed scoreable chances also, so there is plenty to improve on. Its just a pity that so many times going forward it was corner backs instaed of attackers who were given loads of room. I noticed a few times McLoughlin went on solo runs with nobody near him until the 45m line. Id like to think if it was McDermott or Mackey running it may have forced the defence out leaving a bit more space for the inside forwards.

Hopefully home advantage will swing it for us but Fermanagh will be flying after an impressive win against Westmeath

Lemlin

Crash Bang Wall wrote: »

Marty Duffy was terrible. Dessie Mone should have been yellow carded in the first half. Mackey was blocked of so many times its not funny. He should have given Monaghan a penalty. He should have sent off that sub who hit Rory Dunne. Oh, and in the second half he pulled Mackey for over carrying when he took 2 steps, yet the keeper took at least 8 steps and it was play on.

Monaghan to their credit defended well......Dunne didnt get a sniff, and Keating had to work very hard to get any possession. Then, IMO, he ruined it by aimless shooting. Was impressed with Clarke and McDermott, and thought Dunne should have been replaced earlier. Tierney couldnt have done any worse.

We missed scoreable chances also, so there is plenty to improve on. Its just a pity that so many times going forward it was corner backs instaed of attackers who were given loads of room. I noticed a few times McLoughlin went on solo runs with nobody near him until the 45m line. Id like to think if it was McDermott or Mackey running it may have forced the defence out leaving a bit more space for the inside forwards.

Hopefully home advantage will swing it for us but Fermanagh will be flying after an impressive win against Westmeath

I've seen a few people make the point re Dunne but I'm not sure taking off your most in-form forward is the way to go personally.

Joe Brolly recently told a story how Jim McGuinness said he could have taken McFadden off in every league game but would never sub him. Why? Because he's their main scorer.

Dunne is the big name for Cavan this year and going into the weekend was second top scorer in the championship. Pulling him off early would have given Monaghan a huge boost to see they had foiled Cavan's "star" forward (the view of the media, not my own).

Dunne could also have been pulled in either of the past games but he came good in both so I'm sure Terry said he'd continue to give him a chance. He didn't have a good day at the office but it's his debut season let's not forget.

Crash Bang Wall

Lemlin wrote: »

I've seen a few people make the point re Dunne but I'm not sure taking off your most in-form forward is the way to go personally.

Joe Brolly recently told a story how Jim McGuinness said he could have taken McFadden off in every league game but would never sub him. Why? Because he's their main scorer.

Dunne is the big name for Cavan this year and going into the weekend was second top scorer in the championship. Pulling him off early would have given Monaghan a huge boost to see they had foiled Cavan's "star" forward (the view of the media, not my own).

Dunne could also have been pulled in either of the past games but he came good in both so I'm sure Terry said he'd continue to give him a chance. He didn't have a good day at the office but it's his debut season let's not forget.

The way I see it with Dunne is this. Hes small and light and there will be days were he will be physically bullied and you have to accept that. Add that to the fact that he generally scores a few but misses a few. The way I seen it last Sat was he wasnt getting on the ball. If he was on the ball a lot and was missing chances I would more than likely have left him on....strange as that may seem because he is always likely to get one and then the confidence kicks in. But he wasnt getting on the ball, so I would have liked to have seen Tierney given 15 mins or so. He would have brought something else to the table, definitely wouldnt have been bullied, and in terms of Monaghan, he would be a relative unknown quantity to them.

Talking to one of the players this week, he was more disappointed that Cavan let Monaghan into the game, than anything else, although it was pretty obvious he was upset with the last minute decision to let the keeper take a mini hike with the ball.

Anyway, lets home we can regroup and make home advantage count against Fermanagh

Tom Joad

Crash Bang Wall wrote: »

The way I see it with Dunne is this. Hes small and light and there will be days were he will be physically bullied and you have to accept that. Add that to the fact that he generally scores a few but misses a few. The way I seen it last Sat was he wasnt getting on the ball. If he was on the ball a lot and was missing chances I would more than likely have left him on....strange as that may seem because he is always likely to get one and then the confidence kicks in. But he wasnt getting on the ball, so I would have liked to have seen Tierney given 15 mins or so. He would have brought something else to the table, definitely wouldnt have been bullied, and in terms of Monaghan, he would be a relative unknown quantity to them.

Would agree with all of that