The show must go on, says Flanagan

"It's great to be back, it's a joy"

After several months without a ball being kicked, the return to competitive football almost feels like a novelty. Teams are reporting huge numbers at training and interest is sky high.

Castlerahan are a case in point. The two-time defending senior champions recently went back training and, says captain Enda Flanagan, it’s a very happy camp at present.

“It’s great to be back, it’s a joy. The craic and the camaraderie and the competitiveness, it’s great for the wellbeing and everyone’s mental state to be back playing, it’s great to see smiles on everyone’s faces,” said Flanagan this week.

“We were at it hell for leather at the start of the winter, we even trained in the snow. To get that break, it was nice as well, especially if you’re playing all year round for the last few years. I’m sure some lads enjoyed it too but you have the likes of [Stephen] Cooney and Oisin Kiernan who are mad to go all the time, I’m sure they missed it a lot. But other lads enjoyed the break, yeah.

“We’re lucky to have up on 40 players at training, obviously all different calibres but it’s great for wellbeing, no matter what standard you’re at, to get out, have a laugh, be competitive with the lads, it’s great.”

The Ballyjamesduff men have been the most consistent team in the county, making the last five championships finals and also winning the last two Division 1 league titles. However, the off-season has seen a lot of flux at Fay Park, with manager Donal Keogan stepping down, Cian Mackey exiting stage left and talk that talisman Ronan Flanagan, Enda’s brother, may be hanging up his boots.

“Donal was unbelievable, what he did for us, we couldn’t ask for any more from him. I suppose he had to step away at some stage, so that’s just life and the club will go on.

“Glen [O’Reilly, new manager] has been super so far, very competitive, very intense. In fairness to him, he hasn’t seen much of us playing-wise, only small-sided games and you don’t see much in that only how competitive you are and how determined and so on.

“The last night we were out we played a 15 against 15 and that gave him more to look at. Hopefully in the coming weeks we’ll get a challenge or two in before the league starts and he can see what’s what then.”

The changes in personnel will provide opportunities to the extended panel which didn’t exist in recent seasons, Flanagan told the WeAreCavan podcast.

“Cian is gone, Donal is gone, I’m pretty sure Ronan is not playing this year too, likewise a few more of the older stock. But as I said before, the club will go on. We have lots of lads who worked really, really hard, lots of lads biting to get in there. All we can do is focus on the players we have at the moment and continue on with that.

“Donal was one to keep his faith in 17 or 18 players and unfortunately that didn’t give younger lads, and lads who felt they deserved a chance, a chance. But they’ll have lots of chances now and hopefully they can step up to the mark.

“Could I name a few? I don’t want to name too many but the likes of Cian McCabe and Eoin McAuley would have played a lot of league last year and will be well fit to go in the championship. Euan Henry was with the Cavan U21s this year, very sticky corner-back or wing-back and he’ll be around the team this year. There’s three straight away and I’m sure there will be others who will surprise us.”

First up for the holders is a team who gave them plenty of problems last year, Shercock.

“We played them up in Virginia which is a nice tight pitch. They were really well organised, we got it hard to get primary possession, especially around the middle of the field.

Once they got it, they were delivering it into a two-man full-forward line of Killian [Clarke] and Niall [Clerkin] who were very hard to handle, they are probably as good a two-man full-forward line as you’ll get anywhere.

“We went in at half-time, Donal let us know what was what, told us to wake up and made a lot of tactical changes. I think he made two or three substitutions at half-time as well which made a big difference and we came through in the end like we did in a lot of games, we didn’t overly convince but we got through it.”

That was a hallmark of their play last year; in tight situations, they refused to panic.

“Winning the previous year did give us a lot of confidence. Me myself, I never felt we would lose a game no matter what state we were in. The Lavey game was a real example of it, we were 13 points down at one stage, to come back and get a draw… The quarter-final against Killygarry in Crosskeys, you’d think we were beat with Cian after getting sent off but we still came back to get a draw and then we performed the next day.

“It was just confidence and the work we have done for the last seven or eight years, it all combined and thank God, it came through.”

Will there be some trepidation about games coming thick and fast after such a prolonged period of inactivity?

“Not on our side anyway, I think we are all delighted that it’s going to be so short, so quick. We get to play games as much as possible. On teams that don’t have that big of a panel, it might affect them, you might come across a few injuries along the way. But no, we’re delighted with it, we’ll be ready to go so just looking forward to it.”

Flanagan, a former Cavan U21 captain and senior defender, would relish another shot with the county too, he stated.

“I was called in last year mid-season, I got injured as soon as I went in, the first week. I was wrestling with Killian Clarke and he sorted me out. I wasn’t back I think until the replay against Armagh, that didn’t give me much of a chance.

“I’d love to be back in, I haven’t heard anything but I’d love to be back in, yeah.”