Brady: ‘We want to do it for ourselves, do it for Cavan’

By Maitiú Monaghan

In the opening minutes of the Cavan Senior Football Championship Final, Gowna captain Conor Brady drove through the centre of the Kingscourt defence and opened the scoring for his side.

It set the tone for what was to come from Vinny Corey's side, who went on to reclaim their title with surprising ease.

A centre-back with number six on his jersey, Brady is a cool operator who never seems shaken regardless of the situation.

Watching him, it can sometimes be hard not to shake the comparison with his manager- Vinny Corey. Back in the day, the Clontibret man was himself a no-nonsense centre-back, it's clear to see why Brady is his captain.

The dust has settled on the county final, but Brady tells the Celt he is still "delighted" with how it turned out.

"Any time you win a Championship it is massive. We were very disappointed last year, both with losing and the performance.

"The score line might have flattered us in the end, but on the field, Kingscourt were very physical and a quality team.

"You've your day's work done when you beat them, there's huge respect between the two clubs.

"There was also a bit of relief to get over the line," Brady added.

It is no secret that football in Gowna is very much a family affair. The Cavan champions take great pride in the club's history, and how the jersey is passed down from generation to generation.

"Between ourselves (Bradys) and the Maddens, the Fitzpatricks and the Hartins there are a couple of families that have been really big contributors to the team," the Gowna captain explained.

"We're a really tight knit group, a small parish that can't afford to lose anyone. So, we keep everyone involved, and pushing on for our club."

This weekend, Gowna will face another small parish with a rich family history- Armagh Champions Crossmaglen.

The south Armagh side have a star-studded forward line, including the O’Neill brothers of Oisin, Rian and Aaron and their cousin Cian McConville.

Between them, the O'Neill / McConville clan kicked 0-11 in Cross' county final win over Killeavy.

The Celt asks Brady his thoughts on facing Crossmaglen.

"It isn't going to be easy no matter who you get," he explains. "Everyone is a county champion, Crossmaglen are no different.

"They have huge tradition, they're a massive club, so it is going to be a huge challenge for us- no doubt about that.

"The boys will be looking forward to it. We want to represent Cavan club football, we want to represent Gowna, we'll put a lot of effort in to get ready for that.

"I know there are lads who will relish (playing the big teams), it isn't something we shy away from.

"We don't have the house-hold names in Gowna at the minute that other teams do, but it isn't something we'll shy away from," Brady added.

Brady had touched on the fact that Gowna is representing the Breffni County on the provincial stage.

The bookies have them in the middle of the pack, fifth favourites at 7/1. If they beat Crossmaglen this weekend, those odds will shorten dramatically.

However, Cavan's recent record in the competition is poor, but it is something that Brady is hoping Gowna can put right.

"We want to do it for ourselves, but we want to do it for Cavan too.

"There have been some great club teams in Cavan, and great competition in recent years. Maybe we haven't done ourselves justice in Ulster, us included in 22 and 23.

"We want to rectify it, get over the line in Ulster and show people the quality we have in Cavan," Brady said.