All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Qualifier round 3A: Cavan v Derry (Saturday, 3.30pm, Kingspan Breffni Park)
WHAT a difference a month makes. Let’s rewind to June 16 when Cavan and Derry were in wildly different places than they find themselves heading into Saturday’s all-Ulster Qualifier clash at Kingspan Breffni Park.
Cavan were Ulster’s dark horses. After a storming finish to their league campaign secured promotion to Division One, there were whispers that Tyrone’s seemingly straightforward path to the provincial decider could be derailed by a new pretender.
Those whispers grew louder when the Breffni men picked apart a lacklustre Armagh on home soil to set up a semi-final date with the Red Hands. Could they spoil Tyrone’s party and reach a first provincial final since 2001?
Derry, on the other hand, were at a low ebb on June 16. Still reeling after being dumped out of Ulster by Mickey Harte’s noisy neighbours, they were written off as beaten dockets. The looming Qualifier clash with Louth may have put a Championship win on the board in Damian Barton’s first year, but it was surely nothing more than a stay of execution?
Fast forward four weeks and the landscape has changed significantly. Cavan may have put their finger in the dyke on the first day to snatch a last-gasp draw, but the banks were well and truly broken in the replay as the rampant Red Hands ran in five goals to go with their 18 points.
To add injury to insult for Terry Hyland, a groin injury forced the withdrawal of key forward David Givney just 26 minutes into that game and he is expected to miss the rest of the summer. Derry, meanwhile, despatched Louth at Owenbeg on June 18 and bounced back from seven points behind at half-time to claim another Leinster scalp when rumbling the Royals last weekend.
With the likes of Mark Lynch finding form, substitute Niall Loughlin doing damage from the bench and Enda Lynn getting minutes under his belt for the first time since January, all of a sudden things are starting to look up.
Saturday will be a huge test of whether Derry have made any meaningful progress since that humbling by the Hands, rather than simply papering over the cracks against teams operating around, or below, their level.
From Barton’s point of view, the first-half performance against Meath will be of huge concern. Granted, Derry were playing against a deceptively strong breeze, but the fundamentals were lacking - just as they had been when Tyrone assumed control before half-time at Celtic Park on May 22.
Despite having plenty of bodies in defensive positions, the men in red jerseys struggled to land a glove on the Meath players as, time and again, they waltzed inside the 45 unchallenged. Mickey Newman’s goal came from a Derry mistake, while the Royals spurned two other gilt-edged opportunities to put the Oak Leafers to bed before the end of the half.
Hyland will have noted the difficulty the Oak Leafers have had containing runners from deep. Against Tyrone, they couldn’t get a handle on Peter Harte and Mattie Donnelly, while Meath raided at will in the opening 35 minutes.
With men like Gearoid McKiernan, Conor Moynagh and Dara McVeety expert at coming onto the ball and delivering the killer blow, the Cavan boss will see this as an area to exploit. The loss of Givney, though, cannot be underestimated. His return to the Cavan panel after a short-lived retirement forced Hyland to rethink his system, as the towering Mountnugent man had been the focal point of the operation.
With Givney winning his own ball or breaking it down for others, it was a formula that worked well during the league. Without him, they require a rethink. Eugene Keating has great upper body strength and is well capable of winning his own ball, but he doesn’t have Givney’s height or aerial prowess.
Even with Givney, they failed to trouble the scoreboard for 20 minute periods in both halves of their first meeting with Tyrone, while there were no positives - barring the never-say-day attitude of Cian Mackey - to be gleaned from their performance the second day.
Returning from that shellacking with a home game against Division Four outfit Carlow was a stroke of luck, though again, they failed to score for a 20 minute period. Considering the nature of the Tyrone defeat, it is understandable if there were a few nerves about leaving the house unattended - but Cavan will have to get back to their dynamic best if they are to reignite their Championship hopes.
Referee Eddie Kinsella could also have a key role to play, as is always the case in clashes between two Ulster sides. So far this year, he has proved a lucky charm for Cavan, as he was the man in the middle when they won a crucial league game at home to Galway and against Armagh in the Championship.
Both managers have named unchanged teams from last week, though don’t be surprised if Martin Reilly starts in Breffni blue on Saturday. The industrious half-forward came on as sub last week, but had to be withdrawn with a dislocated finger, yet he is understood to be ready for action.
Cavan’s only defeat at Kingspan Breffni Park this year has come at the hands of - you guessed it - Derry, during the early days of the league. The Oak Leafs also won the Dr McKenna Cup meeting between the counties.
A look at the history books tells you the last two Championship meetings between the counties - in 2004 and '13, also in the Qualifiers - have gone to extra-time. You wouldn’t be surprised if this game followed suit.
But it is hard to shake the feeling that, should they get back near the level reached against Armagh, Cavan will have too much energy and too much pace for Derry.
TEAM NEWS
Cavan: R Galligan; K Brady, R Dunne, P Faulkner; F Flanagan, C Moynagh, C Brady; T Corr, L Buchanan; D McVeety, G McKiernan, K Clarke; C Mackey, E Keating, S Johnston
Derry: T Mallon; G McKinless, C McKaigue, K McKaigue; C McFaul, B Rogers, C Mullan; C McAtamney, N Holly; D Heavron, C Bradley, E Brown; J Kielt, E McGuckin, M Lynch.
RECENT CHAMPIONSHIP MEETINGS
2013 All-Ireland SFC Qualifier round three: Cavan 1-22 Derry 0-20 (aet); 2004 All-Ireland SFC Qualifyier round two: Derry 0-25 Cavan 2-9 (aet); 2001 All-Ireland SFC Qualifier round four: Derry 1-14 Cavan 2-7; 2000 Ulster SFC quarter-final: Derry 2-13 Cavan 1-5; 1999 Ulster SFC quarter-final replay: Cavan 0-5 Derry 2-14; 1999 Ulster SFC quarter-final: Derry 2-15 Cavan 2-15
