Opinion: League is a priority as Cavan look to build

Analysis

Huge interest will centre on the Cavan senior footballers over the coming winter as they build for their first campaign under new manager Dermot McCabe. MICHAEL HANNON takes a look forward and asks – and answers – five key questions.

1. Heading into the second year of the new rules, what have we learned from a Cavan perspective?

The first season under the new playing rules has shown that Cavan, like many counties, are still figuring out the balance between control and creativity. The three up/four back rule and the new kick-out regulations have tilted the game slightly back toward athleticism and transitional play.

From a Cavan perspective, the big lesson is that adaptability matters more than ever. Teams who can break at speed and who have defenders comfortable attacking space are thriving. That’s nothing new, but teams who are efficient when they attack and can defend one on one are going to flourish. Cavan were competitive for large spells in most games, but too often found themselves blunted when they lost speed and structure in transition.

The other takeaway is that kick-out variety is crucial. The days of predictable short restarts are over; teams who mix quick middle-third deliveries with occasional long bombs to break ball are prospering. Cavan have the personnel to do that within the county. A wise man once said “it is possible to lose every kick-out in a game of football and still win the match”. You just have to be able to win the ball back in some other area of the field. The homogenous style of mass defending we had grown used to for 15 years still hasn’t been ushered out the door, nor should it be entirely, but the new game will allow you to pick and choose your moments to set up differently without the ball. Cavan didn’t really show any of that type of ambition last year.

The new rules have also underlined just how vital it is to have big, athletic players across your midfield and half-back and forward lines. Teams now need a minimum of four players, but ideally six - from half-back to half-forward - who can stretch the field, contest long kick-outs, and disrupt the opposition press. If you can’t compete physically in that middle third, you’ll spend too much time defending.

The rule changes have also created scope for different styles of play, but teams haven’t fully embraced that yet. There’s an opportunity now to develop clear patterns both with and without the ball - how to defend space collectively, how to turn over possession, and how to transition at pace. The best sides are already starting to figure that out.

2. If you’re Dermot McCabe, do you go all out in the league or aim for the championship?

It’s the oldest question in the book, but it’s especially relevant for Cavan right now. Dermot McCabe inherits a squad with plenty of honest workers and a solid core, but one that needs momentum. For me, that means go after the league.

A promotion push would set the tone for the rest of the year. McCabe knows from his own playing days that confidence and rhythm are built in February and March, not June. A team that learns how to win tight league games is far better equipped for championship pressure later.

That said, the trick is to manage game load smartly, rotate the panel during the middle rounds, blood a few of the promising U20s, but keep a settled spine. Rightly or wrongly Cavan have been accused in the past of easing through the league and then trying to “flick a switch” in summer. McCabe’s best chance to stamp authority is to compete hard early and build belief.

There’s also a strategic reality now that makes a strong league even more essential. The championship arrives so quickly after the league that there’s simply no time to imagine you can suddenly raise your level. There is no four to six week training block to transform a team post league. For Cavan to develop, they must maintain their All-Ireland status, and finishing in the bottom four of Division 2 puts that at risk.

The truth is, you rarely see a county have a poor league campaign and then a successful championship, unless their spring was completely derailed by injuries and so a cohort of players return fresh. The season is too condensed for slow starts. McCabe will know that building momentum in the league isn’t optional, it’s the foundation for everything that follows.

3. What areas of the Cavan team could do with improvement or more depth?

There’s a strong argument that Cavan need greater scoring depth. When Gearóid McKiernan and Paddy Lynch aren’t firing, the team can look short of natural finishers. Finding or developing an inside forward who consistently chips in 0-4 or 0-5 from play would change the team’s ceiling. The league showed a worrying trend of mostly veterans scoring, but as the year progressed that became less of an issue.

One of Oisin Brady or Sean McEvoy has got to go to another level. Ideally both will and given their ages I’d be hopeful neither has yet reached their ceiling.

The half-back line is another area worth bolstering. Cavan have good defenders, but not enough line-breakers who can carry the ball with pace and commit tacklers. Modern football demands those ‘hybrid’ players who can defend and attack with equal comfort.

Midfield, too, needs a succession plan. The engine room has carried a heavy burden in recent years. Faulkner and McKiernan were immense at various stages when James Smith was injured. Bringing through one or two tall athletic players with one eye on the future should be a priority.

As already mentioned, Cavan need big men across the half-back line, midfield and half-forward line. Not all eight, but at least four of those eight positions should be filled by players who are tall, strong in the air, and quick across the ground. It’s about creating a balance between athletic presence and footballing intelligence.

Evan Crowe, for example - who played U20 this year and made his senior debut - showed real promise. His best performance arguably came in Killarney during the championship, and he looks ready to kick on from that experience. He represents the type of dynamic; mobile physicality Cavan will need more of if they’re to match the top teams.

Trawl the county, some lads may require a two-year commitment before they’re going to be at the standard but if the underlying athleticism is there and a decent level of footballing talent then do whatever it takes to develop them. It might be a case of carrying a slightly larger panel than normal. There will be a cost to that and if that means approaching four or five businessmen with a view to financing four or five project players than that’s what I’d advocate.

There may even be one or two players with family connections to Cavan willing to transfer in who could be useful additions to the county panel. Nothing should be off the table.

4. Why have Monaghan out-performed Cavan over the past 15 years?

It’s a question that stings a bit, but it’s worth answering honestly. Monaghan built a continuity of standards that Cavan have rarely matched. They kept a stable management structure, maintained a core group of senior players over a decade, and developed a ruthless edge in closing out games. They also kept their most talented players involved well into their 30s, something Cavan should copy with the class of 2011, our last Ulster minor-winning side.

Cavan, by contrast, have tended to oscillate - a good season followed by a poor one, followed by a rebuilding year. Monaghan were also better at integrating minor and U21 success into the senior setup. Cavan farmed a lot of talent off the 2011 minor team, but not much else off those U21 title winning teams.

In Monaghan every four or five years a group would come along and seemed to feed the next generation, while Cavan often lost players to emigration, burnout, or lack of opportunity. Worse, some lads were promoted too quickly, lost confidence, and never developed in an environment that was all about performance. Finding the time and space to develop players is a difficult task when the pressure to win every game is immense.

Monaghan by hanging onto their Division 1 status some years only had to win two games a year to stay up. They probably did the development bit better over the past decade and a half. Marginally so, but it’s a grain of rice that tips the scales.

And there’s something intangible too: Monaghan cultivated belief that they belonged at Division 1 level. That identity becomes self-fulfilling. Cavan need to rediscover that same collective conviction and when they get back there, that they’re not just visitors in the top flight.

There are also structural differences at club level that have quietly contributed to the gap. Monaghan’s senior football has a higher concentration of quality players. Their promotion and relegation system sees two teams move up and two down every year, keeping competition fierce and standards high.

In Cavan, only one team is promoted and one relegated, which allows weaker senior teams to survive too long and prevents ambitious intermediate teams from breaking through. That stagnation has a knock-on effect: the overall standard of senior football flattens, and players from intermediate clubs often take longer to adapt to inter-county pace.

I’ve seen it happen myself - talented players get called into a county panel, but after eight weeks they’re cut before they’ve had time to adjust to the speed of action and thought required. Monaghan’s structure ensures players are exposed to that intensity every week at club level, which naturally raises their inter-county readiness.

5. Could any of last year’s U20s make a splash with the senior team in 2026?

There are definitely a few who look capable. The U20 side showed real spirit and individual quality, but athletically they were underdeveloped in comparison to Donegal in their Ulster semi final. Given that, it’s hard to say if McCabe will be tempted to fast-track a couple of them.

Evan Crowe, Niall Magee, and Aaron Shekleton are the three most likely candidates to step up. Crowe has already tasted senior football and handled it well. Magee and Shekleton might be blooded this year with a view to making a real impact in 2027. They both have the physical attributes and composure to make it, but time and patience are key.

It’s harder now for U20s to break through immediately since the age grade changed, as at 19 or 20, they’re often still developing physically. A decade ago, it was more common for a 21-year-old to slot straight into the senior setup. That adjustment period is now longer, which makes smart integration all the more important.

If even two or three of that group can establish themselves over the next two seasons, it could inject exactly the freshness and hunger the senior panel needs. However, I would contend that there are plenty of lads within the county from age 22 to 28 who for whatever reason have slipped under the radar, or drifted away from the inter-county scene worth a phone call before we rush through some under developed U20s.

Cavan football remains in a better place than it sometimes feels. Momentum is everything in football.

The league will shape the season, but the broader goal is to restore an identity fit for the modern game: a Cavan team that is physically powerful, tactically adaptable, and mentally resilient. Get those foundations right, and the gap to the chasing pack that live in division 1, who are all eyeing Kerry, is smaller than you imagine.

The gap to Kerry? Well they have David Clifford…