All-Ireland U21 Championship 2011

I felt sorry for Cavan such heartbreak so early in to the game..Galway need to transfer underage success to senior quickly

they looked very good yesterday....

Well lads
Simply fact Galway were the better side, alot of quality footballers and cleaned up at midfield...
Cavan I felt the occasion got to them its a shame alot of nerves and first time in croker for 14 players there which did not help..
Still alot of positives to take from the year and I hope people do not jump on the backs of the players who did their best...
Cavan abu!

Loyal2TheRoyal wrote:

patrique wrote:Good outfit this galway team, but hopefully Cavan can do themselves justice in the 2nd half.

We'll be hearing a lot more of a few of those Galway players. The senior management could do worse than throw the centre-back and two midfielders into the side blindly given how they've struggled there in recent years. The number 13, Danny Cummins, must rate a very bright prospect too.

Cavan, well hard to know if the occasion got to them or if Galway were just that much the better side. They've had a good run and gave their support something to be cheerful about but whether or not those players will provide enough impetus in the senior team to make them a force remains to be seen. I felt lads like Alan O'Meara, Oisin Minagh, Gearoid McKeirnan and Barry Reilly, all of whom seemed to be fan's favourites struggled big time. The wing forward Niall Smith was the best on offer.

On the balance of it, I'd predict that the future of Cavan football is still something along the axis of Givney-Nesty-Pierson-Jelly.

Cummins has had plenty of go's at senior already. Hes got some speed but needs to work on the end product. Throwing Colin Forde straight in at Full back wouldn't do any harm. He was instrumental in Killererins run last yea(should have won Connacht) Hanley has consistently not delivered and it would really send a message from O Flaharta that he means business.
Thomas Flynn and Fionntain O Curraoin will both get runs in midfield for the Champo. In fact I wouldn't be surprised if Flynn started against Mayo. Up front expect Micheal Boyle and Mark Hehir to see plenty of action.
Older heads Micheal Meehan isn't far off a return and both Paraic and Nicky Joyce are flying.
Mayo won't know what hit them

The manner of Cavan's defeat was disappointing but there's no arguing that Galway deserved their win, a much more talented side and the score margin didn't flatter them at all.
It's a pity we didn't compete on the day, they had built up a good winning mentality but this hammering will really have knocked their confidence.

That said it was a great day, encouraging to see all the Cavan folk out, there must have been 15,000 of us there.. And after the game there was no blame or ridicule, everyone I spoke to or met was of the same opinion: Not our day but they've done brilliantly to get this far.

As for the game well it certainly leaves question marks over Gearoid McKiernan at midfield, twice he has met quality opposition and twice he has been anonymous. Our best on the day were Oisin Minagh and Niall Smith. Hopefully now they can bring some of the spirit the U21s showed to the Senior team and give Donegal a rattle.