USFC Preliminary Round - Cavan v Donegal - Breffni Park - 20/05/2012

And so it begins again ...
No team has won Ulster from the prelim round twice and when you look at the path that faces Donegal this year, it's hard to see the defending champions win the Anglo Celt again. Cavan, Derry, Tyrone/Armagh just to get to the final [while Mayo face the might of Leitrim or London to reach the same point ].

Jim has repeatedly stressed the importance of being competitive in Ulster as part of Donegal's development. He points to Dublin as an example of a team that went through a natural progression from a focus on provincial honours to an exclusive focus on the AI. After the final league game he spoke about the again saying that before Donegal could think of AIs that they need to be continually competitive in Ulster. There's no doubt in my mind that this is the teams main focus this year.

It'll be interesting to see how Cavan emerge from the fuss and bother of the last while. It has the potential to pull everyone together so they can start to take advantage of the talent that is coming through their underage system. Of course it could also leave them in tatters with no time for a new manager to have an influence in them.

We'll be hoping that Murph recovers from his knee injury in time for this game. As I mentioned after the Armagh game, our key problem for this year (as it was for last year) will be getting scores. Without him we are a good defence. With him we are a top 8 team and capable of giving any team a good run for it.

Can't wait!

Cavan have shown nothing to suggest that will get within 10 points of Donegal in this game. I'd have slightly more faith in Hyland as the number 1 than Andrews but the bad League Campaign and upheaval in management have ruined any chance of us pulling together and ambushing Donegal. Simply a stronger more experienced and all round better team than Cavan.

There'll be a much bigger interest for Cavan supporters in what happens in Longford next Saturday than in what happens in this game. Donegal at a canter. The best I could hope for from this game would be a gallant effort in defeat and some signs that we could win a game or two in the qualifiers with a favourable draw.

Being competitive in Ulster is no easy task! Munster is a formality, Leinster as good as, and Connacht is Mayo's for the taking.

A lot of decent up and coming sides in Ulster with Tyrone, Armagh, Down, Donegal and Derry all with realistic hopes of the title. But only one can win it and 4 of these teams, perhaps even all of them (however unlikely), will end up in the qualifiers. The damage this can do is hard to quantify; an Ulster title for Down could give them that little boost they need to break into real All-Ireland contention while a slip-up could demoralise them and derail them altogether. Same goes for the others. Small margin for error as you rightly point out RMD.

As for the Cavan v Donegal game. Well you really can't look past Donegal. I would hope that the Cavan players can translate their frustrations into a decent fight against Donegal but I just don't see how they will break the Donegal defence. Without Murphy, Donegal would obviously be a lot less potent up front, but they still have the edge over Cavan with their forwards. Cavan have probably accepted they don't have a chance of getting near an Ulster title this year so they will be keen to put it up in what will most likely be their only appearance in the 2012 USFC.

I don't expect a high scoring game at all...I hope I'm wrong but nah.

A decent showing from Cavan in the first 20 minutes or so, Donegal to slowly pick off their points and keep Cavan to a very low score. Donegal to win by at least 4 or 5. That would be a decent result for Cavan.

bluearmy1 wrote:Being competitive in Ulster is no easy task! Munster is a formality, Leinster as good as, and Connacht is Mayo's for the taking.

A lot of decent up and coming sides in Ulster with Tyrone, Armagh, Down, Donegal and Derry all with realistic hopes of the title. But only one can win it and 4 of these teams, perhaps even all of them (however unlikely), will end up in the qualifiers. The damage this can do is hard to quantify; an Ulster title for Down could give them that little boost they need to break into real All-Ireland contention while a slip-up could demoralise them and derail them altogether. Same goes for the others. Small margin for error as you rightly point out RMD.

As for the Cavan v Donegal game. Well you really can't look past Donegal. I would hope that the Cavan players can translate their frustrations into a decent fight against Donegal but I just don't see how they will break the Donegal defence. Without Murphy, Donegal would obviously be a lot less potent up front, but they still have the edge over Cavan with their forwards. Cavan have probably accepted they don't have a chance of getting near an Ulster title this year so they will be keen to put it up in what will most likely be their only appearance in the 2012 USFC.

I don't expect a high scoring game at all...I hope I'm wrong but nah.

A decent showing from Cavan in the first 20 minutes or so, Donegal to slowly pick off their points and keep Cavan to a very low score. Donegal to win by at least 4 or 5. That would be a decent result for Cavan

BA you could take Armagh Down and Derry out of that equation straight away as for Donegal well unless Murphy is fit and available you could rule them out too.

Its Tyrones to lose simple as...................

A very odd opinion there RMD. Yes Tyrone would be the front runners...managerial know-how and experience make them stand out. They appear to be in good form, albeit in a weaker division from the one Down, Donegal, and Armagh were playing in.

But I don't think you can say that the Ulster title is by any means Tyrone's for the taking. Armagh will be no easy task for them. Donegal beat them last year when I'm sure a lot of people were saying it was Tyrone's for the taking. Derry remain a mystery but certainly with the Bradleys fit they can really perform. Down are on the easier side of the draw and have a great opportunity to make the Ulster final...how they will play in that game is anyone's guess. But they would fancy their chances.

You should show a little more faith in your county RMD, you are the reigning Ulster champions and last year's All-Ireland semi-finalists....beating Tyrone and Kildare along the way, and losing narrowly to the All-Ireland champions.

Tyrone are half a step ahead of some of the others but remember , they were tore asunder by a not-that-brilliant Dublin team last year. Their success over the past 10 years leads many to assume they are going to be shoo-ins year year out. This is not the case. They could well win Ulster, and are rightly favourites to do so, but they are no longer miles ahead of the chasing pack.

Hard to see anything but an easy Donegal win.

Cavan beat Donegal last year in the u21s with a style of football and a tactical plan. Hopefully this is put in at senior level and we can look to build on our underage success. Glad to see Hyland in and I believe Forde is going to be a bonus I rate him.

bluearmy1 wrote:A very odd opinion there RMD. Yes Tyrone would be the front runners...managerial know-how and experience make them stand out. They appear to be in good form, albeit in a weaker division from the one Down, Donegal, and Armagh were playing in.

But I don't think you can say that the Ulster title is by any means Tyrone's for the taking. Armagh will be no easy task for them. Donegal beat them last year when I'm sure a lot of people were saying it was Tyrone's for the taking. Derry remain a mystery but certainly with the Bradleys fit they can really perform. Down are on the easier side of the draw and have a great opportunity to make the Ulster final...how they will play in that game is anyone's guess. But they would fancy their chances.

You should show a little more faith in your county RMD, you are the reigning Ulster champions and last year's All-Ireland semi-finalists....beating Tyrone and Kildare along the way, and losing narrowly to the All-Ireland champions.

Tyrone are half a step ahead of some of the others but remember , they were tore asunder by a not-that-brilliant Dublin team last year. Their success over the past 10 years leads many to assume they are going to be shoo-ins year year out. This is not the case. They could well win Ulster, and are rightly favourites to do so, but they are no longer miles ahead of the chasing pack.

Have another look at the post above yours there BA. I've enough of my own odd opinions without being blamed for others!!

RMDrive wrote:

bluearmy1 wrote:A very odd opinion there RMD. Yes Tyrone would be the front runners...managerial know-how and experience make them stand out. They appear to be in good form, albeit in a weaker division from the one Down, Donegal, and Armagh were playing in.

But I don't think you can say that the Ulster title is by any means Tyrone's for the taking. Armagh will be no easy task for them. Donegal beat them last year when I'm sure a lot of people were saying it was Tyrone's for the taking. Derry remain a mystery but certainly with the Bradleys fit they can really perform. Down are on the easier side of the draw and have a great opportunity to make the Ulster final...how they will play in that game is anyone's guess. But they would fancy their chances.

You should show a little more faith in your county RMD, you are the reigning Ulster champions and last year's All-Ireland semi-finalists....beating Tyrone and Kildare along the way, and losing narrowly to the All-Ireland champions.

Tyrone are half a step ahead of some of the others but remember , they were tore asunder by a not-that-brilliant Dublin team last year. Their success over the past 10 years leads many to assume they are going to be shoo-ins year year out. This is not the case. They could well win Ulster, and are rightly favourites to do so, but they are no longer miles ahead of the chasing pack.

Have another look at the post above yours there BA. I've enough of my own odd opinions without being blamed for others!!

i think its me your looking for BA!!!!

Bluearmy likes to pick fights...

Courtesy of L2TR....

Team and panel to face Donegal:

James Reilly; Padraic O'Reilly, Damien Reilly, Ronan Flanagan; Kevin Meehan, John McCutcheon, Robert Maloney-Derham; David Givney, Gearoid McKiernan; Fergal Flanagan, Mark McKeever, Niall Smith; Jack Brady, Eugene Keating, Brendan Fitzpatrick.

Subs: Keith Fannin, Killian Clarke, Jason McLoughlin, Darragh Tighe, Fergal Slowey, Thomas Corr, Joshua Hayes, Kevin Tierney, Niall McDermott, Ray Galligan, Ray Cullivan.

Boxtyeater wrote:Courtesy of L2TR....

Team and panel to face Donegal:

James Reilly; Padraic O'Reilly, Damien Reilly, Ronan Flanagan; Kevin Meehan, John McCutcheon, Robert Maloney-Derham; David Givney, Gearoid McKiernan; Fergal Flanagan, Mark McKeever, Niall Smith; Jack Brady, Eugene Keating, Brendan Fitzpatrick.

Subs: Keith Fannin, Killian Clarke, Jason McLoughlin, Darragh Tighe, Fergal Slowey, Thomas Corr, Joshua Hayes, Kevin Tierney, Niall McDermott, Ray Galligan, Ray Cullivan.

According to my Cavan contact this is a sham team (or is thhat a team of shams?) and we'll see changes for Sunday. Wonder will Cullivan be lining up any more karate kicks this year?

Seems to be a lot of people think this is a sham team. I'm not so sure, don't expect to see a lot of changes to that.

Cullivan's flykick.. What a moment of madness. He's a ball of aggression but not what I'd call a dirty player.

Is the Minor game on beforehand? What kind of a minor team to Donegal have this year RMD? We have a good few from last year still playin with Conor Smith, Ciaran Brady, Gerard Smith, Michael Argue, Andy Graham (the new Johnston)

Jonsmith wrote:Seems to be a lot of people think this is a sham team. I'm not so sure, don't expect to see a lot of changes to that.

Cullivan's flykick.. What a moment of madness. He's a ball of aggression but not what I'd call a dirty player.

Is the Minor game on beforehand? What kind of a minor team to Donegal have this year RMD? We have a good few from last year still playin with Conor Smith, Ciaran Brady, Gerard Smith, Michael Argue, Andy Graham (the new Johnston)

The minors will play before hand all right. Have't seen our minors JS but reports are not great. I'd expect the Cavan underage renaissance to continue.
Cullivan didn't seem like a dirty player all right - just a bit of a daft one!

While it is all but impossible to see anything other than a Donegal win on Sunday, there are a few reasons to give a little bit of hope to the Breffni men.

The first reason is the absence of Michael Murphy. None of the better sides in Ireland are as dependent on one player as Donegal are on their captain, and they are fortunate that they are missing him for this match, rather than against Derry, Tyrone or Armagh.

Exaggerated by Murphy's loss, Donegal's low scoring generally means that the opposition can stay in the hunt for long periods. Cavan will hope to keep the score down for as long as possible, and hope to steal a win with a timely goal or 2.

It is also worth considering that Cavan's season will have been laid out (under Val Andrews) to peak for this match, while Donegal will be aiming to be at 100% 12 weeks from now. That, plus home advantage, and the reality the fact that all sides are rusty in their opening games, means that Cavan will believe that they have a chance of nicking a narrow win.

In reality, though, all of the above should lead to damage limitation, as opposed to an actual upset. Donegal are bigger, stronger and more experienced, and they should win this quite comfortably.

I'm probably in the minority here, given our humble standing in the great scheme of things, but I feel that a somewhat re-juvenated Cavan might give Donegal a rattle on Sunday.
Buoyed by success at U-21 and Terry Hyland in charge, Breffni Park heaving and Jonsmith in attendance, I'll be expecting Cavan to put it up to them.
God forbid Cavan come out of the blocks on fire, Donegal will find scores hard come by...I'll agree, in the main with TC's summation, with the rider that it will be close....

Cavan to beat the handicap.

Donegal have the better players all over the field but I find myself in agreement with TC, if Donegal go in defensive then Cavan wont have many problems keeping up and Donegal may run the risk of losing it. Cavan have suprised Donegal before and could do it again and with the Cavan team it is an unkown so an extra element of suprise.

Going to be very close but Donegal to win by 3.

tis will be a tough game it will be really hard to call,dont i believe that cavan are without a chance they must have the best underage system at the moment in ulster,so it will be closer has anyone herad of the donegal line up yet think jim will be more attacking in ulster and save is 15 behinnd the ball till donegal get to dublin for the b
igger game have to agree murphy will be a big loss as will seanie for cavan,i think it will be tighter than 5 points mcbrearty and mchugh will do enough i think to win this one handy enough.is this the only game in ulster?

I wouldn't go as far as to say Donegal have the better players (maybe they do but it's not obvious). What we could assume - based on championship 2011 - is that Donegal will be better organised, with a better gameplan and stronger work ethic.

But this is 2012 and I think Cavan can give a good acount of themselves. As with any game like this, the underdog needs luck and the injury to Michael Murphy is a good start to Cavan's chances. If they got goals at the right times, as has been appointed out, it could work out for them.

But patience and hard work will be required. Again these things will come natural if they get a bit of luck along the way. All about luck really.

Cavan's conveyor belt of talent at minor and Under 21 level over this past 3 years or so has certainly been delivering the end product in Ulster, the big question now is whether these lads can make the step up at senior level against a Donegal team who will be out to prove that last years memorable campaign wasn't just a flash in the pan. The absence of Murphy and possibly Eamon McGee from the Donegal team will have a major bearing on this game and I certainly wouldn't rule out a Cavan victory on Sunday in Breffni Park with Terry Hyland at the helm.

The more optimistic half of me thinks we can shock Donegal, keep it tight for the first 40 minutes and play ball in the the final 30 to creep ahead. The pessimist in me thinks that we will ship 3-4 goals and lose by 10+. The realistic part of me thinks that we will keep it between 3-6 points and make a decent show of it (in terms of scoreboard, not entertainment)

Something in the region of Donegal 2-07 Cavan 9 points.

Jonsmith wrote:The more optimistic half of me thinks we can shock Donegal, keep it tight for the first 40 minutes and play ball in the the final 30 to creep ahead. The pessimist in me thinks that we will ship 3-4 goals and lose by 10+. The realistic part of me thinks that we will keep it between 3-6 points and make a decent show of it (in terms of scoreboard, not entertainment)

Something in the region of Donegal 2-07 Cavan 9 points.

hard to see where the Donegal scores are going to come from JS, with no Murphy and McFadden who isnt exactly a reliable performer your next main threat it could turn out to be a fine day for Cavan football.

bocerty wrote: hard to see where the Donegal scores are going to come from JS, with no Murphy and McFadden who isnt exactly a reliable performer your next main threat it could turn out to be a fine day for Cavan football.

In fairness though, Boc, I find it a lot harder to see where the Cavan scores will come from. Considering the dificulties Tyrone, Derry, Kildare and Dublin had breaking them down last year, I think this will be a comfortable (if unspectacular) win for Donegal.

Thomas Clarke wrote:

bocerty wrote: hard to see where the Donegal scores are going to come from JS, with no Murphy and McFadden who isnt exactly a reliable performer your next main threat it could turn out to be a fine day for Cavan football.

In fairness though, Boc, I find it a lot harder to see where the Cavan scores will come from. Considering the dificulties Tyrone, Derry, Kildare and Dublin had breaking them down last year, I think this will be a comfortable (if unspectacular) win for Donegal.

theres a lot of pressure on Donegal TC, this is a game they cant win. If they lose they'll get slaughtered and if they only win by a tight margin they'll get the same. Cavan are a bit like England heading to the Euros, no one expects an awful lot from them and that can be dangerous for the opposition.

I'd expect Seanie Johnston to have a field day, oh no wait i forgot.

I'm going for a 1-0 win for Cavan......

Donegal Team for Sunday:

Paul Durcan;
Paddy McGrath, Neil McGee, Frank McGlynn;
Anthony Thompson, Karl Lacey, Leo McLoone;
Neil Gallagher, Rory Kavanagh;
Martin McElhinney, Mark McHugh, Ryan Bradley;
Patrick McBrearty, Colm McFadden, David Walsh

No surprises there.

Not much wiser after this encounter.
Resembled a challenge match from the 20th minute onwards and once Donegal found the net was over as a contest

Cavan started well and scored 3 from play inside 10 minutes. Keating gave McGee a roasting but was a tad premature with the salute to the crowd.

Could have been more as cavan clipped the angle of post after about 3 mins. After that Donegal settled and started to pull clear . Though the blanket defence lacked the intensity of last year.

Cavan were lost in the middle third and their options on the bench are u21 rather than senior level players - in particular in terms of physique. 18 and 12 the most noticeable.

For donegal Big Neil was awesome, mchugh, mcglynn the other highlights, lacey as always oozed class, McFadden scored heavy and won a lot of ball but didn't,t do much with it, kavanagh saw a lot of ball in space but had a few careless turnovers. The major concern was mcgee who took a roasting From keating.

If there is a plan b we did,nt see it today - mcloone playing upfront for 5 mins, mcglynn getting more freedom to roam and very cautious use of the bench being the only tactical things of note.