Brady anticipates Ulster clash going to the wire

Interview

On Saturday evening next, Arva clubman Ciaran Brady is looking forward to what will be his 29th championship appearance for Cavan since his debut against Monaghan in 2015.

“There’s been a big bank of work done since last November so theses are the days you are looking forward to and I suppose it’s nice that we have home advantage to kick off our campaign in Kingspan Breffni in what will probably be see a big crowd coming to town, so it’s an enjoyable occasion to look forward to,” Brady told the Anglo-Celt.

With the new split season in full swing there’s a change in the gap between league and championship, which means this season feels different to any other he has been involved in since breaking into the Cavan senior team straight out of the U21s, with minor and U21 medals to his name at that point.

“We were just talking at the end of the league about that. I remember one year there was a 10-week gap between the league and the first round of the championship and it got a bit messy with players going off to clubs and players picking up injuries.

“It’s funny, I was sitting down beside Gearoid McKiernan the other evening getting a bit to eat and he said that he picked up a cruciate injury back in 2013 between league and championship. I’m all in favour of the shortened or condensed period because if you have a bit of momentum gained from the league it holds you in good stead going into the championship.

“On the turn side the one beauty about football is, there’s plenty of good days and you can have a good win but if you are going bad there’s always another game to look forward too, to change that around. That’s what the championship and the new calendar year is providing, it’s coming right in after the league and I think, in the main, players are in favour of that.”

“You could say it was the perfect amount of time (between end of league and start of championship for Cavan). You saw last weekend that Mayo had the high of winning in Croke Park and then five days later going down to their own home patch in McHale Park and Roscommon turning them over so it is a high, mentally and physically.

“You can have all the psychologists in the world and everything trying to get you ready for that game but I suppose you do need time for the mind and the body to come down from such a high and get ready again. With the break we’ve got, we did get to enjoy and take in the occasion of winning the league final and the body got the chance to rest and recuperate and we went at it again the week after the final. It’s probably been the ideal turnaround from one game to the next.”

In 2020 Cavan entered the Ulster championship on the back of a relegation from Division 2 while Armagh were promoted from the same division. Cavan went on to lift the Anglo-Celt Cup while Armagh lost in the semi-final so will this year’s league outcomes effect Saturday night’s game?

“Armagh have been playing at the top table for three or four years and they’ve a lot of experience gained up there. Last year they were at the top end of the table and they started off very well with a great win against the Dubs up in Croke Park so they have experienced highly competitive football.

“I suppose even though they got relegated, it could have gone either way. The last day they knew they had a chance of getting into a league final if results had gone their way which was similar to us a couple of years ago when we got relegated against Roscommon from Division 2.

“I think you have to take in the entirety of the league over the seven games and really look at them as a whole that way, rather than where they were placed at the end of it. I don’t think for them it’s all doom and gloom coming down to Division 2.”

Armagh have a championship win under their belt already with a 0-20 to 1-8 win over Antrim. Will that be an advantage to Kiernan McGeeney’s side?

“Of course it is, for players making their championship debut there really is nothing like it. There’s a carnival atmosphere when it comes to championship and for a few of the Armagh lads it will be a little bit more experience having the first game over them.

“Coming down to Kingspan Breffni, they are that bit ahead of us with that game’s experience last week over them. They know where they are and are settled. They picked up a few injuries in the league and they’ve had a bit more time to get lads ready and back on the field so I think they’ll be in good stead coming down.”

Armagh’s star forward Rian O’Neill missed out on their final league game and championship opener but Brady is preparing for all eventualities.

“There’s conversations about who or what will be playing but look, we’ll be taking it that Rian O’Neill will be playing next Saturday and all their other injuries will have cleared up and that’s the way you take it.

“Armagh are going to have their strongest team out and that’s what you plan for it. All our team and the management will be planning for Rian O’Neill and Armagh at full strength with the full panel available to them.”

Cavan will enter the game as underdogs.

“It’s fair enough, I’m not one to place a bet myself but I know lots of people who keep an eye on it and they say the bookmakers are never too far wrong.

“Look, Armagh have been playing Division 1 football for the last couple of years and they were very unfortunate to get relegated from Division 1 this year. They had lots of tight battles with most of them battle going down to the last five or ten minutes.

Mayo with a draw as well so they could have came out either side of them results so I think the book makers backing Armagh is probably justified because of where they are at now in comparison to where we’re at.

“That being said I think Cavan have a great chance going into the game next Saturday and hopefully we can put our best foot forward. I do think it will come down to fine moments in the second half and hopefully we’ll be able to get it to that point in the game and see where it goes from there.”