Daly adds new faces to Cavan management team
Cavan LGFA has confirmed Emmet Daly as Cavan Senior Ladies manager for the 2027 season, with the Virginia native set to enter his third year in charge.
His management team will include a new addition, with former Down Senior Ladies Coach and Manager Colm Donnelly joining the set up.
He will team up with Donal Farrelly (head coach), Mattie Cahill, Killian Tracey and Debbie Lee Gaffney (coaches/selectors) in addition to Andy Tsang, lead S&C coach and Kelley Fay, Cavan Ladies’ sports psychologist.
The appointments were ratified at the most recent Cavan LGFA full County Board meeting.
Since taking charge in October 2024, Daly has overseen the most successful period for Cavan Senior Ladies in more than a decade.
Under his management, Cavan secured successive promotions from Division 3 to Division 1 of the Lidl National League, reaching the top tier of League football in the county’s history, and won back-to-back Intermediate Ulster Championship titles, also a first for Cavan Ladies.
With Donnelly now joining the management team, it means the Breffni county boast having a management team that have been behind the last three Ulster Intermediate Championship winning teams.
Donnelly most recently coached the Mourne Ladies to provincial success in 2024, progressing to the All-Ireland Championship semi-final, and managed the team to the same stage last year.
Not only will playing in Division 1 of the National League be new ground for Cavan, they will be the only Intermediate Championship side in the top flight playing against recent All-Ireland Senior Champions Galway, Kerry and Meath.
But this is a challenge that Daly, his management team and panel are excited for.
“We are delighted to have Colm come on board," he said. "To help in what is going to be a massive challenge next year playing in Division 1 of the League, but one we will relish and face head on. To be playing competitive football against the likes of Galway, Kerry, Armagh and Dublin is not a position any Cavan team have ever been in but we have magnificent group of players to choose from for next season.
"There are players in our county who have won All-Ireland’s, whether it was with Cavan in 2013 or underage titles with county teams. We have All-Ireland School Champions and All-Ireland Club Champions in our county.
"Yes we will be entering most League games as underdogs, we acknowledge that situation, but we absolutely do not fear it” Daly added.
Speaking about aims next year, Daly says progressing in the All-Ireland Championship is a key goal.
“We have had good success over the last 24 months. We achieved successive promotions in the League and we have won back-to-back Intermediate Ulster titles.
"But we have been disappointed, as a group, with our All-Ireland Championship performances and results. In 2025 we suffered a heartbreaking defeat to Westmeath in the Quarter Final stage, and this year we failed to make it out of the group stages.
"Cavan Ladies won the All-Ireland Intermediate Championship in 2013, and that is that last time we have reached a semi final, never mind Croke Park. Without question it is something we will be looking to rectify in 2027,"
Cavan begin their Division 1 Lidl National League on Sunday, January 24.