‘Primary possession in midfield crucial’ - Corey

Interview

Clontibret and Monaghan not-so-old-boy Vinny Corey currently manages Gowna. Here KEVIN ÓG CARNEY shoots the breeze with the former star ahead of this Sunday’s Monaghan versus Cavan SFC Qqarter-final clash in Clones.

In the same year (1888) that Celtic was founded in Glasgow, Ulster Football’s Old Firm drew 0-2 apiece in the first-ever Ulster SFC final.

The latest staging of the province’s oldest and, arguably, most intense rivalry will take place this Sunday (3pm) at St. Tighernach’s Park, Clones. Old Firm veteran Vinny Corey says, as ever, the odds are that another game of great derring-do and passion is on the cards but one which is perilous to call.

“It's a 50/50 game, 100 per cent,” the former Clontibret Collossus opines. “I think we’ll be treated to a good game of football and maybe even a great game, especially if the conditions are good. It's another derby that has all the makings of being a great watch.

“And I think the fans will come out in their numbers. The levels of support have dipped over the last couple of years alright, but both sets (of fans) will go to Clones expecting their team to win and go on from there and have a good run in the championship.”

For a man whose lung-tearing bursts up the field helped spirit Monaghan to a number of successes over Cavan in the recent past, the adopted Gowna man reckons neither camp this Sunday will be approaching the game with any semblance of superiority never mind displaying chests-out, peacock-like pride.

“Both teams are in similar positions going into the championship this year after their league campaigns and won't exactly be full of confidence.

“Cavan survived in Division 2 by winning just a couple of games whereas Monaghan were in Division 1 and didn't survive so both teams have struggled in similar ways. It's really difficult to predict a winner.

“Looking at recent matches between Cavan and Monaghan over the last 10 to 15 years, both teams will believe they can come out on the right side this time around.

“Maybe, Cavan's record over Monaghan over the last three or four years will give them a wee bit of a psychological edge but Monaghan won't fear Cavan. And vice-versa too.”

So, like an archetypal cute Cavan hoor, the true-blue Oriel countyman is keeping his hands in his pocket. He’s disinclined to make the local turf accountant even better heeled. Of course, derby duels are notoriously difficult to predict. The script normally goes out the window and Corey recalls the epic championship clash between the sides in Clones in 2020 when Cavan battled back from seven points down to beat Monaghan by a single point.

Tradition points to a Cavan victory this weekend. The Royal Blues have beaten their great rivals 30 times over the course of their 59 clashes to date with Monaghan victorious in just 16 of those derby games but the annals never won anything for any team.

Cavan won their last SFC meeting with Monaghan (albeit by just two scores, 3-12 to 1-12) this time two years ago in the Preliminary Round with Cavan subsequently falling to Tyrone after extra time.

But last January, Monaghan conquered (0-16 to 0-13) Cavan in the Dr. McKenna Cup – albeit in a game which saw maybe half of the players likely to start this weekend absent that night in Kingspan Breffni.

That game marked the debut for Cavan of Corofin (Galway) midfielder Ciaran Brady. It also saw David Garland mark Cavan’s card with a brilliant four points (from open play) tally.

“Fellas like David Garland, Micheál Bannigan and Stephen O'Hanlon have the pace and the skill to hurt Cavan if they are given enough quality ball but I’m sure Cavan know that anyway.

“Then on the Cavan side, you’ve got fellas like Dara McVeety, Tiarnan Madden, Oisín Brady and Gearóid McKiernan who can do damage too.

“The thing is that both counties have found it difficult to win primary possession around the midfield area so will their men up front get the kind of ball they thrive on because both teams have shown a weakness in that aspect of their game.

“It'll be crucial for both teams to gain a proper foothold in the midfield area on a consistent basis in the game. I think whoever gains the lion's share of possession in that area can go on and get all the scores they need to win out because they have enough quality up front.”

What about home advantage for the Farneysiders?

“Some people might say that Monaghan have to benefit from having home advantage but I don't think there's any teams in Ulster who don't like playing in Clones. They all love to play there and I'd say the Cavan players are looking forward to playing there, especially if the supporters from both counties turn out in their numbers as I think they will do,” adds the man who managed Monaghan for two seasons (2023 and 2024) before stepping down in August 2024.

Appointed manager of the Gowna seniors in December 2024, Corey describes the Cavan club scene as “very competitive with very few back-to-back championship title wins by any team and no dominance like Scotstown have in Monaghan”.

Back to what makes the turnstiles chime for the GAA, what did he make of the teams’ respective 2026 NFL campaigns?

“Sometimes too much can be read into results in the National League. Cavan had Meath and Cork on the rack and maybe should have beaten them and those two end up getting to the final and being promoted so it shows you Cavan weren't far off the pace in Division 2.

“Monaghan weren't that bad at all against Donegal in the last game of the league. They put it up to them (Donegal) in the first half but then faded but they'll still believe that on the day they can beat Cavan.

“The teams’ form has dipped in recent years but the fierce rivalry is still there and I think they'll want to beat each other even more so on the back of disappointing league campaigns. For the winners, the troubles in the league will long be forgotten but for the losers a fair wait lies ahead of them before the Qualifiers come around.

“There's a massive prize for the winner. You've the bragging rights obviously but the winning team will obviously hope to get a bit of momentum going and who knows where that could take them.

“The winner will be into the semi-final but still hopeful of travelling under the radar. I definitely wouldn't put any limits on how far the winner could go in this year's championship.”

The countdown has begun in earnest. Ulster bluebloods swatting each other in a marquee venue. What’s not to like about that prospect?