'Anything can happen in a final' - Greville

Camogie

Kevin Óg Carney

It’s the calm before the storm and Jimmy Greville is pretty confident he has practically all his ducks in a row although he confesses that “things can always go wrong in matches.”

The Cavan senior county camogie manager begins to top and tail preparations as he stands on the cusp of leading his players into an historic all-Ireland final appearance this Saturday evening in Kingspan Breffni.

The final will go ahead at 1.45pm. It’s unchartered territory for Cavan. Past winners Armagh are the clear favourites to get their hands on the All-Ireland Premier Junior Championship trophy once again.

Cavan have a huge window of opportunity this weekend though with the county’s finest camogs planning to cash in on recent rule changes.

With the outbreak of Covid-19, the Camogie Association took the decision a few months ago not to allow second string teams from the co-called traditional hurling strongholds to take part in this year’s All-Ireland Premier Junior competition.

Much to their credit, Cavan County Camogie Board, Greville, his team-tank and the Cavan players, as a collective, refused to look a gift horse in the mouth.

“Initially, when we came together some 12 months or so ago, our focus was on the league and then it was on the championship (Nancy Murray Cup) and now it’s on winning the all-Ireland title,” Greville explains.

“It’s been a fantastic journey but we’re not prepared to rest on our laurels. We’re not in the final just to make up the numbers. The girls will give it their all and hopefully that’ll be enough to get them their rewards,” adds the four-time Westmeath SHC medal winner with Raharney,

The Westmeath native insists that at no point on their journey together this year did the Cavan camp look beyond capturing the Nancy Murray Cup but when the team beat (2-14 to 1-3) Tyrone in the Cup final  - thus gaining entry into the All-Ireland Junior semi-final - it was very much game on for the Breffni blues.

Last weekend, Cavan consolidated their Nancy Murray Cup triumph with victory (2-16 to 1-6) over Roscommon in the all-Ireland semi-final after the sides went into the interval on level terms, 0-6 to 1-3.

Cavan showcased their fitness levels, ambition and desire in that game by landing 2-10 in the second-half against Rosscommong side who got off to a lightning start with a goal in the very first minute of the game.

As things panned out, a 44th minute goal from Roisín O’Keefe and another by Shanise Fitzsimons five minutes later catapulted Cavan into a (eight points) lead that they never looked like relinquishing thereafter.

Greville, former manager of the Crosserlough senior camogie team (that won Ulster club titles in 2017 and 2018), has noted how most pundits have written off his side ahead of Saturday’s national decider.

“Nobody from outside the county has really given us a hope. Armagh are the team, it seems, with everything going for themselves. You hear different stories about commentators saying how Cavan only beat less than a handful of teams to get his far and how the team got the rub of the green at times.

“To be honest, nobody in the Cavan camp has been taking much notice of what we hear on the grapevine but we do know what we’re coming up against this Saturday.

“Armagh are the strong favourites and rightly so. They have been competitive in the junior competition for as long as I can remember and were in a few finals over the past five years or so. I remember about three years ago they lost to my own county, Westmeath, by just a point in the final. They have some great players like Rachel Murray and the Donnelly sisters and their goalkeeper is very good, especially solid under the high ball. They have a very balanced team overall.

“We’re only together for little more than a year. We’re only starting off on our journey when you compare us to where Armagh have been and where they’re coming from in camogie. We’re big underdogs but anything can happen in a final.”

PANEL: Josephine Maguire (Ballinagh), Carmel Fay, Eleanor Coyle, Fiona Lynch, Laura Bambrick, Mairéad McCabe (all Castletara), Áine Finnegan, Aoishe O’Reilly, Ciara Finnegan, Ciara Shalvey, Erinn Galligan, Hannah Boylan, Lauren Ellis, Lorna Cahill, Niamh Reilly, Orla Smith, Sinéad McKenna (all Crosserlough); Emer Tierney, Megan Brady, Nomonde Majola, Shanise Fitzsimons, Sinéad Reilly (all Denn); Caoimhe Clarke, Ciara Fitzpatrick, Rebecca Brady, Sarah Clarke (all Drumgoon); Abby Fitzpatrick, Kerri McQuillan (both Kill); Áine Crowe, Roisín O’Keeffe, Rosie Crowe-McKeever (all Lacken); Aideen Coyle, Megan Denning (both Laragh).

MANAGEMENT: Jimmy Greville (manager), Jim Bob Baker, Seamus Sheridan, Paddy Maloney (selectors), Laura Sheridan (FLO), Donal Briody (physio)