Up For The Match comes to Lavey this Friday

GAA news

With championship fever well upon us Lavey GAA Club are hosting an “Up for Match” event in the Lavey Inn this Friday, commencing at 8.00pm.

With the preliminary round of the Bank of Ireland Ulster senior football championship starting on Sunday, there will be a lot to discuss particularly the fact that the opening game of the competition is between local rivals Cavan and Monaghan in St Tiarnachs Park in Clones.

Games between these two teams, at any level and at any time of the year, never fail to disappoint. Sunday will be no different.

Cavan under new team manager and former goalkeeper Raymond Galligan, commenced the 2024 Allianz national league campaign playing in division 2 having been promoted last season. Galligan has played with a number of the current panel and commands great respect from all the players.

The early stages of the league were good with Cavan playing a new attractive brand of football. However, as the campaign continued Cavan started to drop league points and picked up only one point out of a possible six in their final three games. The important thing, though, was that Cavan had already secured division 2 football for next season and this also meant Cavan would play for the Sam Maguire cup later this year.

For Monaghan their league campaign was disappointing, in the end, getting relegated to division 2 for next season having spent ten years in top flight football, in division 1. This statistic is extraordinary given that they a rural county with low numbers from which to pick county players.

For many years’ survival was often left until the final round of league games for Monaghan to retain their division 1 status and more often than not, victories were secured against the odds, against so called elite counties.

Vinny Corey, as is the case with Raymond Galligan is not long out of his inter-county career and like Galligan would have played with a number of the current Monaghan panel.

The Clontibret man has instilled a belief in this Monaghan team and this was very evident during the league campaign, where players left every ounce of energy, they had, on the field after every game.

Both Cavan and Monaghan were hit with a number of injuries during the league and this had an impact on both teams. The league, however, by now, is well forgotten, with all focus on Clones next Sunday at 4.00pm. The form book will be well shredded by the time the ball is thrown in.

Sunday will be 59 meeting between Cavan and Monaghan in the Ulster senior football championship. 13 times, games ended in a draw. Care to predict Sunday’s result.

If you have an opinion on the outcome of the game or have an interest on the rivalry between Cavan and Monaghan the place to be is the Lavey Inn, Dublin Road, Cavan this Friday night (April 5) when Lavey GAA Club host an “Up for the Match”, commencing at 8pm. Admission to the event is €10.

Guests on the night are: Seamus (Banty) McEnaney, former Monaghan Manager, Paddy McNamee, former Cavan player and Railway cup medal winner, Seamus Donohoe former Lavey and Cavan player, Paul Finlay, former Ulster champion medal winner with Monaghan, Paul Fitzpatrick, Anglo-Celt, Author and award-winning Sports journalist. Host and compare is local GAA commentator Owen McConnon.