Lynch hoping Cuchulainns can click back into their groove after five-week lay-off

Gaelic games

Cuchulainns manager Niall Lynch admits his side could be “a bit under-cooked” as they prepare for their Ulster Club Intermediate Championship opener against Fermanagh champions Irvinestown this weekend but he believes home advantage and a strong few weeks of preparation can make the difference.

“Yeah, a bit like the Irish rugby team, we could be coming in a little under-cooked,” said Lynch.

“And certainly, Irvinestown will provide a big challenge. As you rightly said, they're going back up to senior now, but they would have been third in Division 1 in Fermanagh this year and they're quite a substantial side.”

After winning the county Intermediate Championship with a flawless record, Cuchulainns have faced an unusually long five-week gap before their Ulster opener.

“It seems like a long time,” Lynch admitted.

“Obviously, we're delighted to have this opportunity to play the game. There was definitely a week where people were on a high in the parish and there was a bit of celebrating before we got back to training, but we now have three weeks’ training under the belt. And it's a bit strange to not have played a game by now.

“Throughout the championship, there was a two-week break once and then a two-week break between semi-final and final but apart from that we had a good plan of games and a good schedule. So it's been difficult to deal with, but we've had three reserve matches in that time and some of the guys could play there. A few injuries since the final are just starting to clear up and we're looking like we’ll be dealing with a full deck next week.”

The victory made history as Cuchulainns became the first team to win all seven games under the current championship format introduced in 2016. Lynch admitted that record only became known to them after the fact. There was pressure on his side to deliver, as he admitted before the county final - and deliver they did.

“There is always pressure because people would look at Cuchulainns playing Division 1 football and say ‘there's a team that should win the Intermediate Championship’. But as we've managed to prove for nearly 20 years, it's not as simple as that,” he said.

“There was a little bit of pressure, but most of that pressure is internal. We wouldn’t have been aware that a team hadn’t won all their games previously. You only become aware of things like that after they happen, I suppose.”

Lynch said one of the most satisfying moments came during the comeback win over Drumgoon in the group stage, which he felt was a turning point in the team’s journey.

“We were happy with the way the guys played once we got to Breffni Park. I'd say we were probably one of the only teams who didn't have a group game there. One day where I felt the guys managed the game particularly well was against Drumgoon in Kingscourt,” he said.

“We ended up six points down with Drumgoon playing fairly well and had scored three or four two-pointers. And we were down to 14 men for 40 minutes due to indiscipline and black cards. So on that day, to manage the game and get our noses back in front, that was kind of a turning point where this team started to believe in themselves, I think.”

The Cavan champions gradually found their rhythm and, according to their manager, it took time to identify their strongest line-up.

“I’d say there's certainly an element of fact in that,” he said.

“Ryan Lennon was playing in goals for the first time in a number of years. Ryan Tobin was an addition to the panel, and Mark Gilsenan was home from Australia. Then guys like Adrian Taite really giving it their all. So you're right, it took all of the group stages, I would say, to find our best spots for players.

“We ran out of subs in three matches so we've had 21 guys on the field regularly throughout the championship and I'd be happy enough to play any of those guys in a starting position. But definitely it did take up until the semi-final to find our best selection.”

With injuries now cleared, Lynch says his team is ready for the challenge ahead.

“When you play seven games like that, there’ll be significant knocks along the way and sometimes a guy will have played with a bit of an injury,” he said.

“When you’re looking at a four or five-week break, it’s time to get those bits and pieces sorted out. We had a good week of training last week and we're really looking forward to representing Cavan in Breffni Park next week.”

Having the game in familiar surroundings, as part of a double-header with Kingscourt, is another boost.

“Yeah, it definitely does help. Familiarity when you're entering into an Ulster Championship is a big help. If the shoe was on the other foot and we were heading away, I'm not sure, outside of a few guys who had played at county U20 level, how many of our lads, if any, would ever have played in the Enniskillen venue. We're hoping that familiarity with Breffni Park and the routines around getting yourself ready for a game there will benefit our guys in the long run.”

Lynch believes there’s major value in Ulster games for Cavan clubs, pointing to Munterconnaught’s two wins to date in the Junior competition as an inspiration.

“We were delighted for Munterconnaught at the weekend. I was in Breffni Park for their preliminary round. I wasn’t in the Athletic Grounds but we’ve a couple of staff members here involved with that panel and it's a huge achievement,” he said.

“Really the whole county is getting behind them now and it would be great if they could go one step further and get to that Ulster final. They've shown Cuchulainns and Kingscourt how to do it, so I hope we can represent Cavan as well as they have.”

The east Cavan flavour to this year’s provincial campaign is not lost on the Cuchulainns boss.

“I'd say the problem was that we never had enough blue and white representing Cavan,” Lynch laughed.

“That bit has worked out for this year. Hopefully ourselves and Kingscourt can get over the line on Saturday. I think there will be a big crowd there, with ourselves, Kingscourt and Munterconnaught all on the border down here. I think you'll have people from across a few counties and hopefully plenty of people from Cavan cheering on Cuchulainns and Kingscourt.”

Irvinestown St Molaise have won the Intermediate Championship four times since 2001 and five times in their history, as well as two Senior Championships, the most recent of which was in 1952.