The Official Cavan GAA Discussion thread.

So, they've beaten Fermanagh and Wicklow, lost to Limerick and drawn with Laois. Big swing.

You have less than ten posts but I can see that glass you’re drinking from is definitely half empty!

I think any Cavan fan re-watching the Wicklow game would qualify as an elite-level masochist. I think barring one point by Conor Madden there wasn't anything to write home about, and there was a lot of horror-show moments as well. My abiding memory was Wicklow players collapsing all over the field from cramp and exhaustion over the last ten minutes as they had emptied the tank.

Ultimate salt in the wounds was that Paul Fitz said on We Are Cavan that the Wicklow players post-game felt that it wasn't a shock result and that Cavan were rubbish. We had just won Ulster. They haven't won a game since. And we let them beat us.

Right, that's it. One of the mods can ban me if i bring that game up again. Like the Waterford game in 2006 and the Tipp game in 2017 i probably just need to let it go...

Remember Connor madden taking on his man and scoring two brilliant goals against Roscommon in the league a few years ago, it’s a pity he isn’t showing that kind of form.

It's a must win Game, Murphy, Carabine and Hughes the biggest threats, this could be the game for us to score goals because from what I've seen both of Sligos keepers are only average so a good push on kick outs will be vital! I think we'll have too much all over for them but McEntee is a good coach and knows Ulster football so we won't have it all our own way

A big 2 weeks for us 2 wins and we're laughing

For me, it's Clarke to the middle and keep Gearoid on the 40. He's flying there, scoring for fun and asking him to come out to the middle cuts our nose off to spite our face.

Clarke more or less played in the middle against Tryone and Wexford and was our best player in the latter game. Ideally Jason is back and the Gunner, Faulkner and Jason in the full back line works for me.

I would be concerned about how our half back line gave Carlow enough time to pick passes into the inside line. Moynagh and Conroy are too similiar in that regard. Brilliant ball players with an eye for a forward pass but neither are blessed with pace. I would have Fortune in there. I would go for (if fit):

Ray, Jason, Podge, Gunner, Fortune, Conroy, Kiernan, Clarke, Smith, Cian Madden, Gearoid, Martin Reilly, Cormac O'Reilly, Lynch, Caoimhin.

If Martin Reilly isn't fit, then Conor Madden or Oisin Brady to come in.

Are you dropping Gerry Smith or just assuming he isn't fit? I agree Moynagh should be dropped. I think management are chasing getting him back to 2019 levels, when he was an All Star nominee, but I don't think it's going to happen. He was almost two years out of the game.

There's no reason Gearoid couldn't float out to midfield to support kick outs and then move back inside. It's not as if we play a blistering, counter attacking game that wouldn't allow him time to jog back in after the kick out!

I mentioned it earlier in the thread. The treatment of Fortune since we won Ulster mystifies me. I had presumed he was injured through the League last year but then he's thrown on after 29 minutes against Tyrone for Cian Reilly. I always felt Cavan had a fairly settled starting 15 after Ulster and the positions up for grabs were 2 forward positions.

The next two weeks are going to tell us alot about where exactly this Cavan team are.

I know you don't always agree with me seeking the opinion of others but my sources in Mullagh tell me he is a nephew.

How did Damien Donohoe get that job anyway, what managerial experience has he up to this?

Yes the Minors have been poor for a few years. At schools College level St Pats Cavan haven't pushed from when they won the MacRory Cup in 2015. Some of that management is no longer involved and standards slipped.

But there was probaly too much emphasis put into Pats also.

Cavan are in Division 4 but they need some good under age teams to emerge, because in a few years Gearoid McKiernan, Ray Galligan, won't be around .

Donohoe managed Drumalee, Killinkere & was a coach with Mullahoran. He was run out of Drumalee - which actually resulted in Mickey Brennan upping sticks and heading back to Meath. He got Killinkere to an intermediate final one year and relegated the year after. Then he changed to coaching Mullahoran.

I thought giving him the U20 job was to keep him on the county board’s side re his media influence and profile. Others have said it’s because he’s cheaper.

Whatever the reason, it’s hard to believe that the county board passed over Daragh McCarthy for this, particularly given I understand McCarthy works with young people in his day job.

I think the biggest issue with Donohoe as u20 manager is his favouritism towards Mullahoran lads. Players who couldn't make their club team last year getting picked ahead of far more talented players.

The favouritism towards Killinkere and Mullahoran, to an even worse extent, is difficult to listen to in the podcast at times.

My main issue with Donohoe is from listening to the podcast I think he can be a poor judge of player. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy We Are Cavan but I still would feel he and Fitzpatrick paint players as above their level at times. Paul also has a clear bias towards anyone shows even a passing interest in handball - Stephen Smith being a classic example.

Its unfortunate because the U20 lads are working hard - they trained 3 times this week, including a night in Athlone - but, unlike the minors who have a superb management team IMO, the county board haven’t given them the one basic thing they should have: a manager who gets the best out of them.

If there were any brains in the county board theyd be asking Terry Hyland to get involved in our underage again. Maybe U20 next year.

I dont know anything about Damien Donohoe as a manager, seems like a sound fella on the podcast. However if he is light in experience then the fault lies squarely with those who put him in there. If he were an inexperienced fella with potential why not ask him in as a no2 to someone else like Hyland or McCarthy?