WHEN December ends, it’s all change to the routine for not only Raymond Galligan, but half the Cavan panel.
Of the 30-odd men that Mattie McGleenan has at his disposal, 15 of them are currently based in Dublin, either for work or living permanently.
While the panel are back training, the Dublin-based contingent do their three nights’ gym work in the capital and only begin the regular 90-minute ascent up the road once the turn of the year comes.
You sense that the Cavan goalkeeper is counting the days. He’s spent much of the last two-and-a-half months laid up with torn ankle ligaments suffered on club championship duty with Lacken.
It ruined his club football for the year, playing just once since, and he chuckles at the rumours that he had walked away from the Breffni squad.
“I suppose it’s maybe because so many of the boys are over 30. I’d be in that bracket now and maybe people put two and two together.”
The Irish News Allstar goalkeeper from 2016, Galligan lives in Templeogue and is a social worker at St Michael’s House Special School.
And as he readily admits, before he landed that job, there were times when the football came before the career in his thinking.
“I know personally, I’ve jumped two or three different jobs in the last five years and the bottom line has always been to be able to accommodate training four or five nights a week.
“I did a lot of 24-hour shifts with disabilities and I just couldn’t do it. It was either give up the football or give up the work, and I suppose my heart rules my head too many times.
“You kept looking to get that kinda job, the schoolteacher idea.
“You can see the guy that’s working 9 to 6 or half 6, to get out of Dublin with traffic and get to Cavan two or three nights a week, it’s a massive commitment. If it’s a stressful job on top of that…
“It’s just such a big commitment now and you have to put the time in. The top counties are doing it and if you’re not putting in the hours, you’re not catching them. It’s a catch 22 really.”
His decision to stay, as well as that of Cian Mackey, present Mattie McGleenan with a boost. For too many winters, the tale in Cavan has been of talents defected.
There is a small turnover in the shape of James McEnroe, Rory Dunne and Tomás Corr opting out but the former Tyrone forward can look forward to a greater degree of continuity than Terry Hyland enjoyed at times.
The flames of optimism that enveloped the county amid their four-in-a-row run at Ulster under-21 level have died away somewhat, although there remains a hope that the breakthrough is on its way.
A narrow miss against Monaghan and a qualifier loss to the previous year’s All-Ireland semi-finalists Tipperary last season meant a short summer and Galligan admits progress hasn’t been as rapid as some expected.
“Over the last two or three years, my own personal view is that our own fault as players that we haven’t made significant progress.
“We did great in 2016, got promoted to Division One, which was a great stepping-stone. Unfortunately we came straight back down and if we’d been able to maybe stay up a year extra, it would have been great.
“We have a great bunch there and we feel that we do have the 25-30 best players in the county there that are available. The players we have are the best that’s available.
“Where we are in Division Two is a great base for us to kick on and really progress in the Ulster Championship. Last year we were probably finding our feet in Division One, and we were unfortunate that we got a tough start with the likes of Dublin and Monaghan, so we didn’t really get to experiment with too many guys.
“Every game was a championship game in the league. In Division Two, you can start to see players and really plan for championship a bit better.”
To be pulled out in the preliminary round in Ulster is usually a poisoned chalice but in comparison to last year’s fate, Galligan is happy to take it.
While heading into Ballybofey is a nightmare for any visiting team, and very few ever win there, the Breffnimen will at least have a bit of momentum left over from the league.
Promotion back to the top flight would be the ideal way to head into the championship but either way, at least they won’t be sitting idle for the guts of three months as they were last year.
“Last year was a very tricky year. It was tough for new management coming in, we got a tough league and then ended up with an 11-week break between the league and the first round of Championship.
“It meant there was a lot of club football played, lots of niggles were picked up in that break and we didn’t have great momentum going into that championship.
“If you had been playing a bit closer – like next year, where we’re in the preliminary round – it’s maybe all a bit more constant.
“But I found last year, the big 11-week break, as much as we were doing a lot of hard training and getting challenge games, it was hard to gauge where you were actually at, compared to Monaghan who had the preliminary round going in.”
