Minors rue letting Monaghan game slip

REACTION

Cavan minor manager Gary Farrelly was naturally disappointed after the match, having seen his side caught at the finish line after holding a commanding six-point lead at the halfway point.

“We just probably hadn’t done enough. We had chances early on, we were a little bit sloppy. We got penalised maybe harshly a couple of times when we had worked hard on the press,” stated the Ramor United clubman.

“I just thought there were a couple of soft frees and I think it probably sucked the life out of the lads a little bit, we went out of it for a period. At the end there we looked to have the legs again and we were pushing forward trying to get that score.

“We had a bit of trouble round the middle after Caoláin O’Reilly came off. He was on a yellow and they were targeting him quite a bit and we were just afraid we might lose him.

“We got Ryan [Brady] out and that worked for that period but we just didn’t capitalise on it with scores.”

Cavan, who went into the game minus the services of a couple of important players, were a little bit flat at times, he said, and when Monaghan got on a run on them, it looked ominous.

“I just thought we were a little bit heavy-legged at times, we just didn’t seem to have the energy. Maybe the day got to them. It’s disappointing, it’s excuses again from a Cavan set-up but unfortunately we were just short.

“You could see it coming, they got the momentum and belief. They kept in the game and then there was never going to be much in it, they got their chance and they took it.

“It’s experience, they have won a couple of Ulsters and we are just striving to get to somewhere like that. It’s very tough for the lads.”

Cavan lost Alex Sweeney and Cormac Brady to cards which hindered their chances.

“I was beside it. I thought it was harsh, Alex was actually down on the ground, it was momentum. I didn’t think it was a black card. It was a big hit for us that time.

“Cormac Brady was a big loss because he was getting on the ball and he was driving out of defence.

“We could have had more out of [the spell of dominance]. They got a couple of soft frees at the right time I felt and that hurt us a bit because we felt we should have got more out of the press.

“Now we did drop a couple of shots short in the first half, I think there were four, which was telling as we went on because we just didn’t put them away at any stage. And I think we left them in the game moreso than them getting back into it.”

Cavan’s preparation was disrupted by the lockdown which possibly left them a little under-cooked on the day.

“We lost out on two challenge games that we had arranged when they postponed all challenge games so that was a bit of a downer. We played in-house games and played well and looked good in them but it’s still quite a bit away from something like this.”

Asked if he would stay on next year, Gary said: “I would have said goodbye to the fellas. I just feel we’ve invested an awful lot. I’m very disappointed because we don’t really have anything to show for it. I thought we went out tamely enough last year. I thought this year we had better ammunition… I’m just disappointed for the fellas that probably didn’t put their best foot forward.

“I thought we could have got on top of them, go for the jugular and drive on but it didn’t happen. It’s disappointing.

“It’s up to Cavan to see that these guys are brought forward. We have an awful lot of work put into them in the last two years, strength and conditioning, tactical work, fitness work. It’s a pity to waste it because I think it is an investment and it’s easier to keep it going than lose it and try to gain it again.”