'Incredible focus' key for Bellew

Hurling

History proves that while not impossible, it’s difficult to win a final at the first time of asking. When Cavan hurlers beat Louth to reach the Lory Meagher for the first time in 2021, they had just a week to prepare and it all proved too much.

Four years on, Cavan’s approach has been different. This time, the trip up the M3 is strictly business, says manager Ollie Bellew.

“The last time we were here in 2021, the euphoria around the place, it was like a carnival, the heat was incredible. In hindsight, looking back, there was a reason we ran out of steam with 15 minutes to go in Croke Park and it was that euphoria, the heat, the short turnaround – so the objective this time was always to qualify as early as we could and then not to buy into the whole big hype,” the Belfast native said on Sunday.

“We went to Longford (in round four) and viewed it as an All-Ireland semi-final, the winner went to Croke Park. As soon as the final whistle went, a couple of the younger and newer guys were probably a bit excited but there was a real calmness and control about the place.

“There were a lot of happy faces, we had a few photographs with families and things like that but we got into the changing room and it was just, ‘job done’, that’s the next part of it and now we have another one.

“Back in ’21 we went down to Croke Park and walked about the ground and got a sense for it, this year there has been none of that, none of the fanfare. We’ve had three weeks of hard work since that game and we’ll be ready.”

Playing in Division 3 of the National League for the last two seasons has steeled Cavan, Bellew feels.

“It’s incredible… For us, that higher standard showed us what we’re capable of. And we talk about standards and we talk about work-rate and where we need to be at. Aodhgán Fox is incredibly hardworking on our GPS side of things and he’ll tell us when we’re reaching the pitch and games we performed well in and stuff.

“So we know what we need to get up to and hopefully it will stand by us, we’re going to need every single inch next weekend and hopefully that experience in the higher tier is going to stand to us.”

“Every single inch” will be needed against a New York side who have the look of Galacticos at this level. In an interview last week, it was noted by their manager that almost every player on the panel has played inter-county hurling at some level, mostly with the traditionally strong counties, several of them at senior level including Galwayman Johnny Glynn, who is aiming for a Liam MacCarthy-Lory Meagher double.

New York are pulling from 14 hurling clubs; they entered the competition at the semi-final stage, winning one game (they were priced at 1/100 against Monaghan) to make the final. It was Monaghan’s sixth match. It’s hard to see the fairness in it, says Bellew, on any level.

“We’re incredibly focused what we have to do. We have a job to do for ourselves and the next generation of Cavan hurlers particularly and for all those who went before us.

“Cavan and Monaghan being in an All-Ireland final next weekend is what should have been happening and it would have been great for the greater area. I know we’re old rivals but it would have been great for hurling in both counties if we both to get to a final and have a proper step-to at it but we’re not going to think about New York or anything else.

“It’s not New York’s players’ fault, it’s certainly not their management’s fault that they’re in it – it’s an absolute disgrace that they’re in it, it’s an absolute disgrace how the GAA handled it but that’s somebody else’s problem.

“I’ve got my job to do this week and if there’s any integrity in the leadership of the organisation, they’ll look at it hard and they’ll look at the motives of why it came about and how it came about. Absolutely zero assessment of impact on the competition and the significance that it’s got from previous administrations.

“So look, that’s other people’s problems. For the rest of this week, it’s not concerning me at all – we’ve a massive, massive task ahead of us but we’ll prepare accordingly and we’ll be ready next Saturday.”