TG4 Ulster Senior Football Championship round one: Cavan v Donegal (Sunday, Kingspan Breffni, 2pm)
THE road to provincial senior success begins on Sunday with Cavan and Donegal getting the 2023 championship underway in Kingspan Breffni Park.
Defending champions Armagh are not in action until next weekend when they take on Donegal in round two of this three-round round-robin format championship.
This game could then prove to be decisive in determining who will make it to the final if Armagh, as title favourites, defeat both Cavan and Donegal over the next few weeks.
However, that is being extremely presumptuous and unfair to Sunday’s opponents, two teams who know that anything can happen on the day in championship football and with Armagh as their target, they are there to be knocked off the pedestal.
These sides have been regular opponents in the provincial championship and this meeting is their fourth in five years with Donegal winning all four.
The sides met in the semi-final last year and Cavan will not need to be reminded of Suzanne White’s 2-3 haul as they proved much too strong, winning 3-19 to 1-11.
They also met the year before and with Donegal winning a high-scoring 6-16 to 2-17 encounter. Then there was the extra-time epic in 2019, which Donegal won 0-24 to 2-13.
Donegal, in the past, have started as favourites to Cavan in these games by virtue of their form, their experience and previous meetings, but this up-coming fixture is one where Donegal will not carry the favourites tag and it’s very much a game up for grabs and Cavan will be eying a scalp.
Donegal have had a difficult season so far – their Division One league campaign ending in relegation to the second tier where they will come across Cavan next season.
Maxi Curran has been without a number of his experienced players, leaders and match-winners like Geraldine McLaughlin, Karen Guthrie, Yvonne Bonner and Niamh Hegarty - for the whole of the league.
Their return, even if not all of them, would be a huge boost now that the championship has arrived, and we will have to wait and see if any of them are in the squad.
They still have a lot of experience with captain Niamh McLaughlin back to full fitness, Katy Herron and Nicole McLaughlin coming back in in the latter stages of the league, Amy Boyle Carr, Shelly Twohig, Roisin Rodgers as well, while the experience the newer players like Katie Long and Katie Dowds have gained over the league will stand to them.
Cavan have not been without their trials and tribulations this year either.
They did not play their last league game against Tyrone as the players took a stand regarding the failure of the Cavan LGFA County Board in honouring against the Cavan LGFA County Board who they said failed to honour parts of an agreement around travel expenses and gear between the two parties.
Despite the off-field issues for Cavan they finished mid-table in Division Two and will really be looking forward to this game.
They too have a mix of experience and youth and hold a strong forward line of Aishling Sheridan, Lauren McVeety and Geraldine Smith, Aisling Gilsenan in the half forward line, captain Neasa Byrd holding centre half back and behind her the experienced Shauna Lynch with Ciara Finnegan and Ally Cahill around the middle.
Both teams will be keen to let their football do the talking and this has the makings of a great game of championship football.
