Cavan can profit from long ball but Donegal are primed too

Opinion: Tactics Board

Mark McGowan

Despite being three divisions apart, Cavan and Donegal’s league campaigns bore certain similarities. Ultimately, it was a case of ‘job done’ as Mickey Graham’s side secured promotion – and the Division 4 title to boot – while Declan Bonner’s men avoided relegation from the top tier. Both sides flattered to deceive at times, with good wins and strong performances interspersed with defeats (well, one for Cavan) and soul-searching on both terraces and presumably inside both camps.

Also similar was the manner in which both sides dispatched their opponents in the quarter-finals. Early wayward shooting meant that the on-field dominance was not reflected on the scoreboard, but strong second-half performances ensured that they comfortably dispatched opposition that ultimately disappointed.

This is the sides’ first meeting since the 2020 Ulster final where a ravenous Cavan side upset the apple cart and unceremoniously halted Donegal’s drive for three Anglo-Celt Cups in a row. This time, the bookmakers once again make Michael Murphy and Co strong favourites.

Complacency is hard to guard against, but the sting of the 2020 defeat will still linger in the Donegal camp and they certainly won’t be taking the Breffni men for granted this Sunday, but memory works both ways and Cavan know that they are capable of producing big performances when most needed and the return to fitness of Martin Reilly, Oisin Kiernan and Ciaran Brady will give Mickey Graham the kind of selection headache that managers love.

The temptation to opt for experience may be tough to resist, but Ciaran Brady is unlikely to start given the nature and length of his injury and Kiernan wasn’t togged for the Antrim game so is likely to be held in reserve once more. For those reasons, we could see Martin Reilly start with either Cian Madden or Cormac O’Reilly dropping to the bench in an otherwise unchanged line-up.

Declan Bonner will welcome Odhran McFadden-Ferry and Neil McGee back after serving their one-match suspensions, and the former will likely go straight into the side at the expense of Stephen McMenamin or Caolan Ward, and Caolan McGonagle is in line for a return to the starting 15 after a hand injury.

Jason McGee was sublime against Armagh before being forced off with an ankle injury and his availability is in doubt. Should he not be passed fit to play, then McGonagle will slot in his place, but if McGee does take his place, then we may see Bonner opt for three traditional midfielders with either McGonagle or Hugh McFadden dropping to centre back against Gearoid McKiernan or even to the full-back line should James Smith or Thomas Galligan be deployed there.

Brendan McCole has emerged as one of the country’s top full-backs and has kept Ciaran Kilkenny, Rian O’Neill and Daniel Flynn all scoreless in matches this season.

We can expect him to take up station on Patrick Lynch who will not be afforded the time and space he was against Antrim, but the Crosserlough youngster displays a temperament that belies his years so is unlikely to get too disheartened with the level of scrutiny he’ll receive from his direct opponent.

At the other end of the field, it is likely Padraig Faulkner will get to grips with Patrick McBrearty. The 2020 All-Star has yet to recapture the form that led him to that accolade, but should Cavan pull off another upset then they’ll need a big performance from the Kingscourt full-back.

Between the 21s, Donegal will look to Ryan McHugh and Peadar Mogan as ball-carriers and link up men. McHugh’s league form was something of a worry for Donegal, but the former Young Player of the Year has always performed better on harder ground and his display against Armagh was his best of the year by some distance. In the 2020 Ulster Final, Jason McLoughlin shadowed the Kilcar man all over the field and his disruptive influence frustrated McHugh throughout. We can expect McLoughlin to be redeployed on McHugh, with Luke Fortune attempting a similar smothering role on Mogan.

Of course, to stop Donegal then you need to curb Michael Murphy’s influence. The Donegal captain looked back to his best as he put in a trademark Rolls Royce display against Armagh, dictating the pace of play, kicking scores and marshalling his troops. Justin McMahon, Vinnie Corey and James McCarthy have all managed to frustrate Murphy and freeze him out of a game, but they effectively had to sacrifice themselves to do so.

Killian Brady stepped up to the plate for Cavan in 2020 and did a similar job, but it’s extremely rare that somebody has been able to stop Murphy twice in a row.

But Brady will have no problem being the sacrificial lamb once more and will relish the physical encounter because, despite his ability with the ball, Murphy is no shrinking violet when it comes to the physical side and ‘dark arts’ of the game.

Despite Murphy, McHugh and McBrearty attracting the lion’s share of the attention, Michael Langan could well be the ace in the Donegal pack. Despite a fairly languid gait, Langan has a great turn of pace and a long, powerful stride that makes him so difficult to stop once he opens the throttle.

Having initially seemed a little susceptible to intimidation at senior level, it now appears that his apprenticeship has been served and he responded with gusto when a selection of Armagh players and substitutes tried to strong-arm him when attempting to take a sideline ball in Ballybofey.

Conor Brady has taken a while to settle into the Cavan side but his display against Antrim was as good as he’s put in in a Cavan shirt and he may be asked to back that up by putting the brakes on Langan.

If Cavan are to win this game, then you’d suspect they’re going to need goals. Conor Madden’s late major in 2020 was the crucial score and it came from a hopeful long ball from McKiernan after Thomas Galligan had taken an incredible mark and been fouled in the process. Shaun Patton may have one of the best kick-outs in the game, but he has long been suspect under the high ball and we’ve seen little to dissuade that belief.

Direct ball into the full-forward line has caused Donegal severe problems this season already with Kildare, Monaghan and Dublin all raising green flags as a result, and Armagh unlucky not to add another in the previous round. James Smith and Lynch managed to isolate themselves in one-on-one and two-on-two situations inside against Antrim, but deliveries were slow to come and not entirely accurate when they did.

Galligan’s presence around the square caused havoc in 2020 and both he and Smith should rotate in and out and provide sizeable targets.

When it comes to kick-outs, Patton and Raymond Galligan are among the best in the business. Long, short, clipped, flighted, drilled, dinked, they’ve got them all, and both keepers have big targets to hit between the 45s. I expect both to have a healthy mix of long and short kick-outs and the opposition press will likely vary from situation to situation. Either way, I don’t expect the kick-out battle to be the winning and losing of it for either side.

Ultimately, Donegal have more match-winners on the field and are deserved favourites. Defeat here – and anything other than an All-Ireland semi-final through the backdoor – would surely be the end of Declan Bonner’s reign, but Cavan being a proud footballing county will be loathe to enter the Tailteann Cup draw and nothing is ever guaranteed. That’s the beauty of sport.

Let’s see what happens.