Resilient Bridge face flawless Cuchulainns

Intermediate final preview

Damien Donohoe

This year’s Cavan Intermediate Football Championship final will pit two clubs with remarkably similar ambitions against one another for the ultimate prize, the right to play senior championship football in 2026. Both Cuchulainns and Butlersbridge have built patiently from underage structures and now stand on the brink of the top flight.

Butlersbridge arrive with a notably youthful profile. None of their starting players are over the age of 30, yet they bring a wealth of experience to Sunday’s decider. This will be the club’s fourth Intermediate final since 2020, a remarkable run for such a young group. In fact, from the side that started the semi-final replay win over Cornafean, only Cillian Murphy did not feature in last year’s Intermediate decider. That continuity is one of the pillars of their challenge to go a step further this year.

The numbers tell a story of resilience. Across seven championship games this year, Butlersbridge have scored 14 goals and 64 points, conceding 5-86. That works out at an average return of 15.14 points per game while conceding 14.42, a winning margin of less than a single point. They reached the final via a rugged route, two wins, a loss and a draw in the group stage, then a semi-final replay before finally booking their place in Sunday’s final. Their championship record this year stands at four wins, one loss and two draws.

Cuchulainns, by contrast, come in with a flawless slate. Under Niall Lynch they have won all six of their championship outings, scoring 12 goals and 103 points while conceding only two goals and 88 points. That’s an average of 23.1 points scored per game and just 15.6 conceded, a striking winning margin of over seven points per outing. On form alone, the Mullagh side look ominously strong but given only five of their team have experienced a county final, will that balance the scale?

The two finalists have met three common opponents en route. In round one Butlersbridge beat Drumgoon by four points, whereas Cuchulainns later won by two. In round three Butlersbridge were held to a draw by Knockbride, after an emphatic comeback by last year’s junior champions, Cuchulainns had already defeated Knockbride by 11. And while Butlersbridge lost to Killinkere by six points in the group stage, Cuchulainns swept past the same opposition by 13 in the semi-final. The form chart suggests Cuchulainns hold the edge, but finals have a habit of ignoring form.

One of the most intriguing sub-plots will be the kick-out battle. Both teams have demonstrated an ability to dominate aerially throughout this championship. For Butlersbridge, the likes of Joe Dugdale, Josh Mee, Davin Graham, Cathal Leddy and Ciaran O’Reilly are all capable in the air. Cuchulainns can counter with Ryan Tobin, Philip Smyth, Adrian Taite and the McGee brothers, Bryan and Niall, all renowned for their high fielding. How each team sets up to secure primary possession from restarts, whether they persist with long deliveries or look to play shorter, could shape the flow of the game.

Up front, there are clear danger men. For Cuchulainns, Evan Doughty remains their go-to scorer, having notched 1-14 across his last two games. He will demand serious attention from the Butlersbridge defence. In their semi-final win over Killinkere, Bryan McGee played closer to goal, adding another dimension to the attack. That twin threat may prompt Keelan Melaniff to redeploy Cathal Leddy nearer to goal to lend support, while Diarmuid McCorry could also be tasked with curtailing Doughty’s influence, although those roles might yet be reversed on the day.

From Cuchulainns’ perspective, keeping a lid on Butlersbridge’s scoring stars is equally critical. Fionntán O’Reilly is the ‘Bridge’s top marksman. While many of his scores have come from frees, he showed in the quarter-final win over Baileborough (five points from play) that he is a threat in open play too. Cuchulainns will need discipline in the tackle because O’Reilly punishes indiscretions from the dead ball.

Another factor for Lynch and his coach Ronan Flanagan is how to handle the returning Caoimhín O’Reilly. Home from Australia for a short visit, he featured in both semi-final games and is set to line out at full forward for Butlersbridge on Sunday. The dilemma is whether to put Niall Carolan on Fionntán or Caoimhín O’Reilly. Cuchulainns have options, Cian Donoghue and even Ryan Tobin could do a job, but they will need to get those match-ups right.

There is also the question of momentum versus rest. Butlersbridge have had a slightly shorter turnaround of just eight days from their semi-final replay to the Intermediate final. That might be a disadvantage, but Arva showed last year that positive momentum can sometimes trump extra recovery time. Butlersbridge will be hoping the energy from back-to-back games carries them rather than drains them.

Getting and keeping out goals may prove crucial. In the 13 games that the two sides have played so far in this years championship only once have they failed to raise a green flag. In those 12 games the team that scored the most goals won with the exception of Butlersbridge v Knockbride which finished in a draw 4-10 to 2-16.

Everything points to a fascinating contest between two clubs who mirror each other in ambition and philosophy. Butlersbridge bring youthful exuberance mixed with hard-earned scars from previous finals, Cuchulainns arrive as the form team, brimming with confidence. The game may be decided by which side can win the kick-out battle, limit the opposition’s main scorers and hold their nerve in the final quarter but it’s a 50/50 call.