Physicality and aggressive approach bode well for Cavan

Tactics Board

Mark McGowan

As important as the National League seems when you’re in the midst of it, it is quickly forgotten when the evenings lengthen and the scent of championship action carries through the air.

Both Antrim and Cavan will have been reasonably pleased with their league campaigns, the former maintaining Division 3 status and the latter regaining it, but such is the lure of championship Sundays that one side left Corrigan Park with their spirits crushed while the other departed on cloud nine.

The “controversial” venue may have been a talking point in newspaper columns and at bar counters, but Mickey Graham was quick to point out that neither team nor management had issues with the ground and at no point had considered lodging a complaint. In fact, as Graham conceded in his post-match interview, the “negative” press was harnessed by the Cavan management and used as a motivating factor.

In order for a siege mentality to be adopted as an effective tactic, there must be a kernel of truth behind it, and there is little doubt that any criticism of Graham and his side to emerge from the furore was unjust.

Cavan’s aggressive mindset was reflected in a line-up that showcased size and strength throughout, and an aggressive playing style that saw a blue shirt pull the trigger on no fewer than 36 occasions, racking up their joint highest points total since the 1960s.

Graham’s positive approach was evident right from the throw-in as James Smith – wearing number nine – headed for the edge of the square, with Killian Clarke joining Thomas Galligan for the first contest. Smith was picked up by Eoghan McCabe whilst Peter Healy got to grips with championship debutant Patrick Lynch, with the Cavan duo standing several inches taller than their direct opponents.

Antrim centre-back James Laverty alternated between dropping deep to act as a banket for an already stressed full-back line and tracking and negating Gearoid McKiernan’s influence on the 40. All too often, Laverty was caught somewhere in the middle, however, not getting close enough to ruffle McKiernan’s feathers and often leaving the last line of defence dreadfully exposed.

At the other end, Jason McLoughlin was tasked with handling danger man Ryan Murray, with Padraig Faulkner picking up Conor Murray when the full-forward neared goal, and the Kingscourt man otherwise proving a menace as he prowled the general “D” area.

Playing into a stiff head and cross wind in the opening half, Cavan signalled their intent early with Lynch, James Smith, McKiernan, Cormac O’Reilly and Gerard Smith all trying their luck in the early stages - and this willingness to shoot would be a familiar theme all afternoon.

Partly due to poor execution and partly due to conditions, Cavan only converted one of their first seven scoring chances and could’ve been forgiven for allowing frustration to creep into the side, especially when Antrim, who’d been living off scraps, were just a point in arrears at the break and immediately drew level when play resumed.

A characteristic of Graham’s management has been the willingness to make early changes when he doesn’t like what he sees, but we’d entered the final 15 minutes of the game before he looked to his bench and this was a fair reflection of events on the field, with Antrim making a forced early change and then another two tactical substitutions at the break.

Graham’s first switch was to bring in Chris Conroy for Killian Brady shortly after Antrim were reduced to 14 men and Cavan had opened up a five-point lead.

Conroy’s calm demeanour in possession is something of a marked contrast to the Mullahoran man he replaced and Brady is much maligned for his use of the ball at times, but the teak tough defender is often an unsung hero who disrupts and frustrates the opposition, and he won three defensive turnovers in the opening half when the game could very much have gone either way.

Having put themselves in a winning position, Graham’s second change saw another hugely experienced player join the fray. Martin Reilly has been one of this generation’s finest servants, and would likely have started had he not missed most of the league campaign through injury, but the Killygarry man may be better suited to an impact role moving forward, though his two-points, coupled with the long-ball that created the goal have given Graham the kind of selection headaches that managers love to have.

Ultimately, Antrim were disappointing and it is hard to take too strong a position on where this victory leaves Cavan, and though the positives vastly outweighed the negatives, there are certain improvements that Cavan can make with Donegal on the horizon.

One such improvement would be to recognise and exploit situations where long-ball football should be employed. In the opening half, James Smith and Paddy Lynch often found themselves in one-on-one or two-on-two situations with Cavan in possession, but the direct-ball – which Cavan would’ve been strongly favoured to win – never came and both had to collect most of their possession near the sideline.

Against better opposition, these opportunities may not arise, but they did on Saturday and it is somewhat remiss not to take advantage. Particularly when Smith was so impressive early on and Lynch was growing in confidence with every passing minute.

It wasn’t until Martin Reilly’s introduction in the final quarter that the first dangerous direct delivery was attempted, and the veteran’s pinpoint delivery found Lynch who out-muscled his opponent and teed up McKiernan for the game’s only goal.

In Championship, the result is always more important than the performance and Cavan will know this better than most having struggled past Antrim at the same stage 18 months previous before upsetting the apple cart and taking a first Ulster title in 23 years.

But when you can marry performance and result, confidence levels rise, and a talented, experienced and physical team with confidence on their side will be extremely tough to beat.

A sterner test awaits, but with a good performance under the bonnet and the memories of their most recent encounter with Donegal fresh in their minds, there is serious cause for optimism in the Cavan ranks.