Cavan will be a tough task for Fermanagh
Sunday will be a very interesting game between two well drilled, fit and hungry sides. There is a lot to be gained for the winner as for the loser the very real question will arise as to whether or not they have true aspirations of making an impact in championship football this season. Hopefully a good crowd will go along to Brewster Park to see what team has what it takes to make that next jump up the ladder.
Upward curve
This is an important game for both sides as both have been showing clear signs that they are on a upward curve. From Fermanagh’s perspective this wont be about revenge for last season. The mugging they received at Brewster Park from Cavan in the qualifiers won’t be on their minds. Last season the Fermanagh management came to the party late in the day and didn’t have the time that other sides had to get the players in the correct physical shape. This season Fermanagh have demonstrated all along that they are very fit. Fitness won’t be a problem against Cavan so the winning of the game will come down to who performs better on the day. Peter Canavan will want to win this game to take his team to the next level. He has brought about consistency at league level and he will want to see his side take a championship win as the county has not enjoyed one since 2010.
Cavan meanwhile will be looking at Sunday as a chance to show that they are heading along the right path as well. Their victory over Armagh may have raised eyebrows outside their own county but supporters and indeed the team were quietly confident of victory. Sunday will see them as slight favourites and with the extra pressure of looking to add back to back championship wins to their cv. Terry Hyland will be hammering home the point that victory over Armagh is meaningless unless they follow it up with a win over Fermanagh.
Differing philosophies
Both counties have a different philosophy when it comes to the development of their young players. To be fair Cavan have a different philosophy to most counties. Their under 21 success over the past number of years has largely come about through excellent coaching but more importantly through the fact that their under 21 players train together right up to they exit the championship. In most other counties there is an overlap of under 21 players who play for the senior team and who give the lion share of their commitment to the senior team.
Cavan have quite deliberately gone for a development model that they hope will bring success at adult level. Having competed in the last four ulster under 21 finals and winning the last three Cavan will argue that it is a little early to see that success translated into senior level. But, there is a consensus of thought that believes that it should happen sooner rather than later and indeed if it doesn’t that there is little merit in doing what they are doing at youth level.
Personally I like what Cavan have tried to do but there is no guarantee that it will succeed and it is often the case that a young player who has plenty of experience at senior level will have a much greater impact than a contemporary who has played and trained much of county life as an underage player. So, there is nothing to say thatntheir approach is right and Fermanagh’s is wrong. In that respect it will be interesting to see how Fermanagh’s younger players get on today against their Cavan counterparts.
Life in the old dogs yet
Looking at the Fermanagh team on paper it is hard to discount the importance of some of their more elder statesmen. Barry Owens, Ryan McCluskey, Marty McGrath and Shane McCabe all remain vital to the cause. They all are over thirty too.
Owens may well be given the most difficult job of the day in shackling Eugene Keating. Keating has the potential to become one of the top forwards in Ulster, even if he is a rough diamond at present. Owens will have to be at his best to contain him. McCluskey will operate in defence and will no doubt take up a role as a sweeper and again how he performs will be vital to how Fermanagh contain the Cavan attack.
In midfield McGrath will need to be at his destructive best to break up and disrupt a Cavan middle third that a times looked very susceptible against Armagh. McCabe meanwhile will operate as playmaker and he will have to get his hands on a lot of ball and deliver it quickly inside to the front men. Cavan are sure to have a plan to curb his influence however and he will need to figure out a way of counteracting it quickly if Fermanagh are to win.
Chance of an Ulster final
There is no doubt that this side of the draw is the weaker of the two. Looking at the league it could be argued that the top four teams in the province were all in the other side of the draw. But that is the nature of championship football.
The reality of the draw means that Cavan and Fermanagh will fancy their chances of reaching a final. Monaghan were comfortable in beating Antrim but they were not impressive and nor were they playing an Antrim team that seemed to be comfortable in the type of football they were playing. Monagahn will probably be favourites against either Fermanagh or Cavan but both sides will know they have more than enough to match Monaghan. You don’t get to too many Ulster finals and even though players will say all the right things coming up to Sunay’s game there will be in the back of their heads the little nugget of knowledge that this year offers a real chance to reach the showpiece.