Galligan: 'All is not lost'

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The manner of Cavan’s heavy defeat to Donegal brought to mind Hemingway’s line about going bankrupt “gradually, then suddenly”. Cavan were in the game and motoring quite well yet, in a flash, they were beaten by 19 points.

There was something surreal about it and it lent an air of almost shock to the post-match interviews and analysis. Cavan manager Raymond Galligan, asked was it fair to call it a capitulation, conceded it was – but he pointed out that the margins were fine and Cavan should have been closer before the onslaught started in earnest in the last 20 minutes.

“Yeah, probably yes. Probably was, in one sense. I think we went in half-time seven points down. I think realistically, the goal just before half-time really knocked us. We were excellent for what 32 minutes, two points down,” Galligan mused.

“The game plan was exactly as we pictured. We played against a gale and we missed a two pointer and three gilt-edged opportunities in front of goal five or six minutes into the second half to bring it back to one or two points. Missed them. Look, quality teams are going to go up the field and just stretch the lead. And I think that probably knocked the stuffing out of us as a whole.”

Galligan was more than happy with how Cavan played for the first half hour and accepted that mistakes will be punished ruthlessly by the best teams.

“Absolutely, we ticked a lot of boxes in the sense of what we were looking for in the first half. But as I say, just those three minutes…. You know, we just lost our composure, we lost possession, and at this level, you're going to get hurt. And I think that was probably was a sucker blow, because, you know, we did so so much right.

“But look, as I say, we missed the opportunities early in the second half to just narrow the gap. I think narrowing the gap with the breeze at your back gives you confidence. It also gives you that opportunity to keep pressing high.

“You just can't miss them at this level. That's just the harsh reality. And we did, unfortunately. Look, we're very, very disappointed.

“But we live another day. We have another two weeks to get ourselves prepared. And, you know, so much is still possible.”

Losing by 19 points is embarrassing for any team but the margin won’t make the job of bouncing back more difficult, Galligan insisted.

“No, not at all. No, no, definitely not. Like, it's a defeat, and it's a comprehensive victory for Donegal. But for me, what I'm most disappointed in is that we went in seven points down at half-time, most disappointed that we missed gilt-edged opportunities for us to get into the game.

“Yes, the last 20 minutes, we kind of fell apart, but it's because we just worked so hard and we were so assured that we were going to give a good performance and try and really bring it to the home stretch.

“Because we had worked hard, we had been really good in the final quarter of every game really over the last number of months and we just didn't get it, didn't get it off our bench.

“So look, yeah, we've lots to work on. But as I say, we've two weeks, Tyrone's coming in a very similar vein. And look if Donegal, get a result against Mayo, you're in a preliminary qualifying, which we would have been happy with, you know, from day one.”

Getting turned over in possession is a death sentence against Donegal, who break with such speed and purpose.

“Yeah, look the key was to keep the field big, keep moving the ball at pace from left to right and going in numbers at their attack. We knew, once we go down a channel that we had to get it off very fast, because they obviously narrow the field at speed and they play a high zone, or kind of a very zonal defence.

“So look,” he said, referring to Donegal’s first goal, “we just brought the ball into the tackle, you know, and that's the bottom line. We had worked religiously for the last two weeks not to bring the ball into the tackle. We did, we got coughed up, and the scramble to get back, unfortunately, we just didn't get back in time and they got the goal and that's just the harsh reality of playing at this level.

“But look, I thought the lads were immense for large parts, and they worked so, so hard. And I do feel really sorry for them, because they've applied themselves so well over the last number of weeks.

“But all is not lost, and I think that's the most important thing. We were in a position last year after the All-Ireland series, where we had six, seven months to kind of lick our wounds and get back on the horse. We have two weeks. We've potentially three weeks. And we've seen lots of areas to our game that we both can work on and take confidence from.”

Despite the disappointment, Galligan sounded a bullish tone.

“But I think it's very important to recognise that in Cavan we put so much on Ulster championship football for the last 20 years. And you know, there's a lot of big days ahead of us so we're going to go all out to really prepare for Tyrone.

“We've got to be sure that we make sure that with the quick turnaround, that we're ready for that too, for hopefully a preliminary quarter-final. So it's about getting bodies right, getting bodies fitter, working on our game and making sure that we bring our best performance against her own, and hopefully we're out again the following week to bring another big performance.”