Galligan names team as Cavan face Louth in Ardee
GAA news
Following a terrific away win in Cork last Saturday, the Cavan senior footballers will be on the road again tomorrow as they meet Louth in Ardee (throw-in 2pm).
Cavan manager Ray Galligan has named his starting team and substitutes. In come Oisin Brady and Cian Madden at the expense of Ryan Donohoe and Ryan O'Neill. The team is:
Gary O’Rourke; Jason McLoughlin, Killian Brady, Oisin Kiernan (Denn); Padraig Faulkner, Niall Carolan, Brían O’Connell; Killian Clarke, James Smith; Ciaran Brady, Cian Madden, Gerard Smith, Ryan O’Neill, Oisin Brady, Paddy Lynch, Caoimhin O’Reilly
The subs are: Fergal O'Rourke, Conor Rehill, Luke Fortune, Cian Reilly, Paddy Meade, Ryan Brady, Ryan Donohoe, Ryan O'Neill, Tristan Noach Hofmann, Tiarnan Madden, Cormac O'Reilly.
The Wee County were one of the most improved teams in the country in recent seasons, coming from Division 4 to finish third in Division 2 last year, behind Derry and Dublin, as well as making a Leinster final.
With manager Mickey Harte and coach Gavin Devlin having surprisingly departed, there was a sense that they may dip but they have been competitive to date, losing by a point to Armagh and beating Cork before a disappointing loss against Meath.
That derby defeat will sting as they missed a lot of chances but they will have targeted Sunday’s match from a long way out. Their home form has been solid; since losing to Laois in January 2022, they have played eight home matches in the league, winning six (versus Limerick, Kildare, Westmeath, Antrim and Cork twice) and losing to Derry by a goal and Armagh by a point.
Cavan, now clear in third place in the table, are rated as favourites to get the win on Sunday (4/6), which interestingly marks the first occasion this season in which the Breffnimen have been fancied by the bookmakers.
Galligan’s squad is likely to be tested as he has a number of injury concerns, with Dara McVeety not fit to feature against Cork; the Crosserlough man misses out tomorrow.
Although they were unfortunate to be relegated on six points from Division 2 in 2020, a win for Cavan on Sunday would all but secure their league status and more than likely – although not certainly – guarantee Sam Maguire football in the summer, results elsewhere depending.
The big plus for Cavan on Saturday, apart from the result, was the form of marksman Paddy Lynch, who finished with 0-9.
“Paddy is a great forward and because of the calibre of player he is, there are high expectations of Paddy each week. It’s testament to him that he came out today and kicked those nine points,” Galligan stated.
“I definitely think he was well aided by some great performances, I think Gerry Smith was immense, Ryan O’Neill worked so hard, Padraig Faulkner, Ciaran Brady, Niall Carolan, lads really, really worked their socks off and when you have guys doing that out the field and have a finisher like Paddy inside, it definitely gives us a great opportunity to get a result.”