Holders ready for a fight

For 23 long years all they knew in Terry Coyle Park was defeat and now that the good times are here for Cavan Gaels, they are desperate to keep on keeping on. How else can you explain the fact that, as you read this, the county champions are preparing for an astounding tenth successive county senior final? The secret, says manager Mick O'Dowd, to holding on to that hunger is an ever-evolving panel, fed by the conveyor belt coming from the Gaels' juvenile system. "There are always new players coming on stream, it's self-propagation," states the Clontibret clubman simply. "There are guys trying to keep their places, there are guys looking about their places and its a healthy way to be." Ominously ahead of Sunday's final, O'Dowd speaks contentedly of how he has a full hand of players to choose from after a summer disrupted by absences. "It's always a help to have a full panel," he says. "Cormac Nelligan was injured, Robert Maloney was away, Niall Murray was away and Micheal Lyng was away but they are all there now and it's all adding strength in depth to the panel and as you've seen in the last couple of games, we have needed that." Eyebrows were raised around the county last October when O'Dowd, in his first final as Gaels manager, opted to introduce three minors as subs. Making a statement, Mick, you ask? "Not at all," grins O'Dowd. "All games are different, some teams you may feel you can run around, sometimes you need power... Robert [Maloney-Derham], Niall Murray, Niall Smith, Martin Dunne, Levi Murphy, Conor McClarey are all there and I think they need to get games to see what senior football is like. "There is no point giving them meaningless games, they have to be brought on when the chips are down to see what they're like. That's just the way I feel about things. "And they are all talented players, they fit seamlessly into the whole thing and they push the more established players, which makes them up their workload as well." The 'establishment' to which O'Dowd refers is made up by a core of experienced players such as Eamon Reilly, Cathal Collins, Karol Crotty and Eoghan Elliott, who have played in the guts of 50 county senior finals between them. O'Dowd salutes them as "real leaders". "There are leaders right from the back," he says. "Eoghan in goals, great fella. Very rarely misses training, keeps the backilne in check. "Then you have Anthony and Eamon, two really aggressive, go-forward players that really want to do their best for Cavan Gaels and Cavan football in general. You have Micheal Lyng, Sean Johnston... "What better servant can any team have than Cathal Collins? The man is a doctor, he has no time! He hasn't even time for himself, yet he makes his way down here at least once a week to train. All in all, we have 30 training pushing each other and it's a healthy way to be." Sunday's opposition, says the manager, will provide the toughest test to date. "Denn by all accounts were brilliant, they beat Mullahoran by ten points which is something we've never come close to doing in my time here. "They have improved, they're very passionate with some very, very good footballers and they seem to be scoring more," he says. A final word for your panel? "The last couple of games, we were put to the pins of our collars but luckily at the start of the second half we have been able to step up to the plate with the challenges presented to us. And bring in talented players too, which helps." "Cormac Nelligan came in the last day and did well,' says O'Dowd by way of demonstrating the strength of the Gaels' panel, "he wants to start now but it's not starting, it's finishing that matters." How the Gaels finish this decade will be decided by 5.30 on Sunday evening.