Fans' lack of faith in Cavan is fully justified
Two-and-a-half year old Cavan fan Ronan O'Hagan makes his way up the steps before the start of yesterday's Ulster championship match at Casement Park. ,6 MATT BROWNE / SPORTSFILE
Monday May 8th 2006
WHEN Cavan and Down were paired together in the draw for the Ulster championship last October, it was decided that Down would have to forego their home venue in Newry because it was believed it would not accommodate the huge crowd expected.
Well, the match could indeed have stayed in Newry because only 12,100 people turned up in Casement Park yesterday, surely the smallest crowd to view a Down-Cavan match over the past 50 years.
The lack of faith shown by both sets of followers, particularly Cavan's, was well justified. This was a deplorable game of football, so poor in fact that you would expect better quality in most club championships.
Neither side seemed to have any discernible tactics other than lashing the ball into their opponent's goal area and hoping for the best.
There was no sign of any combination play and time after time forwards found themselves shooting from impossible positions simply because there was no supporting player available to take a pass.
It is hard to know what value to place on Down's 1-13 to 0-11 victory when one considers that Cavan were missing several key players through injury and the hugely influential Anthony Forde because of a particularly harsh suspension dished out to him after a recent league game.
On the positive side, Down scored 1-11 from play which is certainly significant, but their failure to establish any midfield superiority and their often suicidal short passing in defence are matters that will surely prove very costly in future outings if manager Paddy O'Rourke doesn't come up with solutions.
For people raised on a diet of great Cavan-Down games in the 1960s and '70s, this was a pale imitation. The physical contact was minimal, but the greatest difference between now and then was the absence of quality players on both sides.
There was no shortage of effort and Cavan certainly fared better than their own supporters had hoped, but the whole atmosphere in Casement Park yesterday was totally out of character for any Ulster championship game, let alone a clash between these former great rivals who have won 10 All-Ireland finals between them.
The fact that Benny Coulter, an acknowledged class player, only managed a single score, albeit a marvellous goal, indicates that nearly every player on the field was caught up in the general mediocrity of this match.
At the other end, some of the wides recorded by Cavan were terrible and one wonders exactly what sort of coaching in the art of scoring some county teams undertake in all those training sessions they have nowadays.
It is a poor day when a Cavan forward line only manages five points from play in a championship game.
But when selectors recall players who had been banished for disciplinary reasons and have to use players who are not fully fit, then it is hardly surprising if they lose.
Despite these problems, the Cavan players did not lack fighting spirit with the standard here being set by defenders Michael Hannon, who marked Coulter very well, and Paul Brady who played like you would expect from a 'Gunner' Brady family member.
I have had the feeling for some time now that the Down senior team is going through a phase that comes to most counties who have tasted All-Ireland success. The reputation acquired by these All-Irelands sticks to a team like a leech and puts enormous pressure on each batch of young players who wear the county jersey.
Neither side seemed to have
any discernible tactics other
than lashing the ball into
their opponent's goal area
and hoping for the best
Down won All-Irelands in 1960, '61, '68, '91 and '94 with style and panache that we all admired and remember. This creates a mindset where GAA fans expect all Down teams to play like that even when personnel changes. But this is unreasonable and creates added pressure for those who inherit the jersey.
Many other counties have suffered a similar fate, such as Cavan themselves and Mayo. We expect Down to be always special, which is unreasonable.
This team, on the evidence of yesterday, is certainly not in that category at present despite all the fine young players the county has produced at minor level in recent years.
Their midfield was totally outclassed by Dermot McCabe and Cahal Collins, while their defence showed a serious disposition to overplay the ball and take unnecessary risks.
They got away with it yesterday, but they won't in future.