Football

GAA: Donegal v Cavan: a new feast of attacking expressionism or the old defensive repression?

Donegal have been trying to find the balance between attack and defence during the National League. Picture by Margaret McLaughlin
Donegal have been trying to find the balance between attack and defence during the National League. Picture by Margaret McLaughlin Donegal have been trying to find the balance between attack and defence during the National League. Picture by Margaret McLaughlin

Ulster Senior Football Championship preliminary round


Donegal v Cavan


Sunday, 4pm, Ballybofey, deferred coverage on BBC2 NI at 7pm

*****

WELCOME to this year’s cabaret. Everything you’ve seen, heard and read suggests that it will be different. A feast of attacking expressionism rather than defensive repression. But will it really?

Donegal and Cavan are the ones standing before a blank canvas with the artistic licence to do as they please.

But like a Scrabble board, if the two sides decide to shut it down from the start then it could be a very slow and tactical summer on the whole.

Take the 2014 season as recent evidence that the sprightly trends of League do not necessarily becomes the trends of Championship.

That was a wonderfully open spring but the summer lungs never aired their capacity, producing a constricted version of what had gone before and ending with a drab All-Ireland final between Donegal and Kerry.

Ulster football took a battering last winter when Tyrone and Monaghan, its two best, collapsed so limply at the feet of the all-conquering Dubs.

The dark nights were filled by promise and as dawn turned to dusk, many of them were fulfilled. You could argue that six of the province’s nine contestants made improvements in attacking terms, be in terms of setup, style or both.

Donegal and Cavan are in that six, for sure, though both have developed offensively off the back of sacrificing a few bolts on the back door.

Balance is the hardest thing of all to get right. Donegal didn’t get it right in the league. The average of 1-15 they conceded far outranked their average score of just over 1-12, and unsurprisingly was their worst defensive record since Jim McGuinness took over in 2011.

Rory Gallagher turned the first wheels on the process of weaning them off that outmoded style, and Bonner had threatened to go the full hog before a first half red card in Kerry on the opening day offered space for a rethink.

And when their second half with 14 men looked more balanced than their first with 15, they took their leaning from that. Then when Paddy McBrearty got himself injured before the Tyrone game, they nearly had to throw baby, bathwater and all out.

The Michael Murphy conundrum is no closer to solved. He is unlikely to venture too close to the edge of the Cavan square, with McBrearty and Jamie Brennan the two most probable inside, especially if Niall O’Donnell is injured.

His fitness and that of Paddy McGrath and Martin McElhinney will determine a lot about their starting side. Ciaran Thompson and Cian Mulligan would be the ones sweating most profusely on their spots in attack, while any one from Eamonn Doherty, Paul Brennan or Leo McLoone could miss out if McGrath is fit.

Frank McGlynn will drop back from half-forward and there’s a chance that either Eoghan Bán Gallagher – their second best player in the league behind McBrearty – or the reformed Leo McLoone operating as a second sweeper.

The difference this time is that they will try and push up on Raymond Galligan’s kickouts and with a trio of Murphy, MacNiallais and Hugh McFadden in the centre, Donegal will fancy their chances of winning the 50-50 battle.

Not that Galligan kicks much down the middle. His placed restarts tend to go towards sidelines, particularly to his right, where he favours that magnificent kick over the head and into the space for a turning half-back.

Cavan have done so much right in winning promotion back to Division One, when nobody really gave them a chance. The opening day draw with Clare looked like a point lost in a potential lower-end scrap at the time, but they confounded every prediction to usurp Tipperary by the campaign’s end.

There was a harsh lesson, though, in the Division Two final. Their attacking play that day was sublime at times, orchestrated mostly by Dara McVeety.

His pace and timing carved up the Roscommon defence in the first 20 minutes, his impact just as big as it had been against Tipperary, when his move to full-forward turned the game.

A badly torn hamstring going for a ball late in the second half against the Rossies could be the run that derails Cavan’s bid for a first Ulster title since 1997. He is that important to them.

Had he been fit, you could well have argued a very strong case that, even in spite of the Ballybofey factor, the Breffnimen were primed for that big win that they so crave.

They weren’t great for a lot of their Ulster defeat by Monaghan last year and yet only a late Conor McManus goal and the width of post separated them from Malachy O’Rourke’s side.

Cavan football has had a couple of good qualifier results since its resurgence began but they really, really need a big win in Ulster at this stage.

Mattie McGleenan’s altered their approach to offer a greater attacking threat this year, but they are likely to sit tight in the first half. Enda Flanagan being named at wing-forward is an indication that he will drop back and allow Ciaran Brady – who had a superb spring - or Conor Moynagh go free.

Having not seen a huge amount of league football, Niall Murray is returned to the starting side, while the pacy Caoimhin O’Reilly will be paired in attack by Conor Bradley, who will be one of four championship debutants in blue.

Gearoid McKiernan will be expected to try and provide their physical presence at midfield along with Bryan Magee, who did well in the latter part of the league after his switch in there. Killian Clarke might be named at eight but it’s anyone’s guess where he will actually play, having been full-back, wing-back and midfield at different times this season.

Padraig Faulkner has taken on the mantle of chief man-marker and his success against Patrick McBrearty, or lack thereof, will be a determining factor.

The irony of it all is that if Donegal come out man-for-man, they will be exposing themselves as much as they’ll be imposing. If they shut the Cavan attack off well enough then they’ll have enough from midfield up to get over the line.

Cavan do have a tendency to struggle against packed defences, with a lack of searing middle third pace rendering them that little bit easier to chew up and spit back out.

It will be by a head and no more, but Declan Bonner’s side to squeeze out of it by three at most.

*****


Man of the moment


Dara McVeety

IT’S no exaggeration to say that his fitness will most likely hold the winning or losing of this game for Cavan. His form through the National League stood out a mile, with some of his performances as good as anything produced by any player in the top flight, never mind Division Two. It was the fact that they were in the second tier that kept his light under a bushel. The Crosserlough man’s versatility means Donegal will have to have two or three plans to deal with him, from playing as a free man breaking from deep to being the target man inside. If his hamstring is anything short of ready - and the indications are that, having not been named to start, he will only play a small part at best – it will be a massive blow.

*****


Team talk


Cavan: R Galligan; J McLoughlin, P Faulkner, N Murray; M Reilly, C Brady, C Moynagh; K Clarke, B Magee; C Mackey, O Kiernan, E Flanagan; C O’Reilly, G McKiernan, C Bradley

DARA McVeety is the glaring omission as Mattie McGleenan names four championship debutants, namely Bryan Magee, Oisin Kiernan, Enda Flanagan and Conor Bradley. Niall Murray returns to the side, with Enda Flanagan named in attack, from where he will drop back and allow Ciaran Brady or Conor Moynagh to play the sweeper role. Seanie Johnston is held in reserve too.

Donegal (probable): S Patton; E Gallagher, N McGee, E Doherty; P Brennan, L McLoone, R McHugh; O Mac Niallais, H McFadden; C Thompson, M Murphy, F McGlynn; C Mulligan, P McBrearty, J Brennan

DONEGAL haven’t released a team but there are believed to be a number of injury doubts. Paddy McGrath, Martin McElhinney and Niall O’Donnell are all touch-and-go to be involved, although Ryan McHugh and Michael Murphy are both expected to have fully recovered from bangs to take their place in the side. Murphy’s likely to form a midfield trio with Odhran MacNiallais and Hugh McFadden, with Frank McGlynn the man likely to drop back from attack.

*****


Cavan tactical take

YOU look at their last two games and you see two very different teams. Against Tipperary, they shut the game down against the wind and then when it was there to be won, they had the adaptability to come out and win it, even if they rode their luck a bit at times. In the final against Roscommon, they were brilliant in attack but so open at times in defence. Mattie McGleenan’s demeanour after that suggested he will have looked hard at the defensive gaps the last six weeks, and there will be a sweeper system in place from day one, with Ciaran Brady the most likely candidate. Gearoid McKiernan is named at full-forward but will more probably turn up at midfield while Killian Clarke is expected to play in defence, though quite where is anybody’s guess.

*****


Donegal tactical take

DECLAN Bonner’s side are in a stick or twist dilemma. They came at the league with a brave new, man-for-man approach but over the seven games it became more diluted as reality dawned. The concession of goals was extremely costly in terms of their relegation and towards the end, they were back playing something resembling the deeper-lying, counter-attacking style of recent years. That was perhaps amplified by Patrick McBrearty’s injury mid-campaign. They will likely keep Michael Murphy around the middle rather than up front, especially if Cavan load their defence early on.

*****


Key battle


Patrick McBrearty v Padraig Faulkner

THERE wasn’t a better forward in Ireland in the early part of the season as McBrearty went off about tearing up the scoring charts. Using his strength and pace to find a way on to his left foot, and then kick scores from any and everywhere when he does, counteracts the one-footedness. Padraig Faulkner was entrusted with man-marking duties on Conor McManus last summer and did a good job until he lost him on the vital goal. If he can restrict McBrearty to even a couple of scores from play, it will go a long way for Cavan.

*****


Weather watch

THERE’S a 50 per cent chance of passing in Ballybofey, but even on a sod that can become fairly sticky fairly quickly, it’s unlikely to have much impact on proceedings. There isn’t expected to be a great deal of wind around MacCumhaill Park either, and at 13 degrees we might even see an odd replica jersey make its way from beneath the winter coat.

*****


Last Championship meeting


2012 Ulster SFC preliminary round: Donegal 1-16 Cavan 1-10

THIS game was rather like the weather - dull, predictable, and lacking heat, but with nothing really to complain about.


That’s not to say there was much in the way of entertainment, but the crowd of almost 13,000 that turned up surely knew what they were letting themselves in for, and might even have been surprised by the amount of scores they witnessed from these two teams with very defensive set-ups.


There were 20 points from play in all, but there were few moments of excitement, with both goals coming from penalties.


As anticipated, Donegal cruised comfortably into a rematch of last year’s Ulster final, against Derry, with a performance of competent efficiency.


Even without their captain Michael Murphy, the holders carried far too much scoring threat for their hosts, racking up their impressive tally without every really getting into top gear.


Colm McFadden was their main man, notching 1-6, although only one of his scores came from play. Cavan’s full-forward, the versatile Eugene Keating, hit five points from play, but he lacked support, in several senses.

*****


Previous Championship meetings

2012 Ulster SFC preliminary round: Donegal 1-16 Cavan 1-10


2011 Ulster SFC quarter-final: Cavan 1-8 Donegal 2-14


2005 All-Ireland SFC round two: Cavan 1-11 Donegal 1-10


2002 Ulster SFC preliminary round: Cavan 0-15 Donegal 1-17


1998 Ulster SFC semi-final: Donegal 0-15 Cavan 0-13


1997 Ulster SFC semi-final: Cavan 2-16 Donegal 2-10


1992 Ulster SFC quarter-final replay: Donegal 0-20 Cavan 1-6


1992 Ulster SFC quarter-final: Cavan 1-15 Donegal 1-15


1991 Ulster SFC quarter-final: Donegal 2-14 Cavan 0-12


1990 Ulster SFC quarter-final: Donegal 0-13 Cavan 0-9


1989 Ulster SFC quarter-final: Cavan 0-14 Donegal 3-12

*****


Who’s the ref?


David Gough (Meath)

DIDN’T have quite as strong a 2017 as he had a 2016, but could still have been disappointed not to have been given last year’s All-Ireland final. Very much a defender’s referee, he is keen to allow the physical contact whenever possible, and any forward that doesn’t get a free in the first instance might as well just surrender the ball. It’s a big few weeks for referees in general with the new directives over head-high tackles and melees placing them in the spotlight. You’d imagine the idea of sending men off for those offences would be contrary to an official such as Gough, who likes to let the game flow.

*****


Betting box

Donegal 2/5


Draw 15/2


Cavan 11/4


Handicap


Donegal (-3) 11/10


Draw (-3) 9/1


Cavan (+3) 10/11


First goalscorer


No goalscorer 11/2


Patrick McBrearty 11/2


Jamie Brennan 8/1


Caoimhin O’Reilly 9/1


Good value


Either team to win by 1-4 points or draw 4/6