1719811 Cavan have a great history however are they really now a top county in modern day football ?. Four U21 ulster titles in a row and no All Ireland final. Tyrone win Ulster and add the All Ireland showing Cavan the way. #interesting
yes believe me, This has been noted in Cavan. We were hammerd by Galway in the 2011 final so no excuses there (they were simply much better than us). but we were within a point I think in the other semi-finals so it shows that we probably didn't know how to win.(although some will say we were unlucky. also against Donegal this year we were 2 points up and 2 minutes of injury time gone when Ryan McHugh scored a goal so if we had got through that, who knows..but yes you are right. 4 titles and no all-ireland, then Tyrone come along and win at the first attempt (in recent years.. I mean).
I don't think the underage titles matter that much, not so long as 2 of 3 players are always filtering into the Senior's. And if that is helping the Senior's achieve success, then the overall process is effective and the end goal is achieved.
Donegal have recently been the most effective Ulster County at achieving this over the past 6 or 7 years, as while they are strong at every underage level, they have not dominated too much. Yet they seem to always bring through some outstanding players, and always have a few U21 players featuring in their senior side.
At the end of the day, if you dominate at Minor and U21 level for many years, you will eventually hit the Jackpot at Senior level. However senior success is normally built on a blend of experience and youth.
However senior success is normally built on a blend of experience and youth.
Therein lies the problem for Cavan at the moment. The team which Terry Hyland took over was in need of a complete clearout. He tried to hold onto 2 or 3 experienced intercounty players like Mark McKeever and has called Micheal Lyng back into the panel this year.
But we didn't have the quality of established player that Donegal had in Lacey, McFadden, etc. while we didn't have a Michael Murphy coming through either.
I have a feeling (and I hope I'm wrong) that it will take a 2nd wave of successful underage teams to join the current senior crop in 3-4 years time to bring success at senior level. i.e. the current 22-24 year olds we have came into an empty set-up and may only be laying a foundation for the next crop of younger lads.
However senior success is normally built on a blend of experience and youth.
Therein lies the problem for Cavan at the moment. The team which Terry Hyland took over was in need of a complete clearout. He tried to hold onto 2 or 3 experienced intercounty players like Mark McKeever and has called Micheal Lyng back into the panel this year.
But we didn't have the quality of established player that Donegal had in Lacey, McFadden, etc. while we didn't have a Michael Murphy coming through either.
I have a feeling (and I hope I'm wrong) that it will take a 2nd wave of successful underage teams to join the current senior crop in 3-4 years time to bring success at senior level. i.e. the current 22-24 year olds we have came into an empty set-up and may only be laying a foundation for the next crop of younger lads.
I 100% agree with you on the next batch possibly giving Cavan the required formula for senior success, and I have made similar statements as past few seasons.
In 2011, Jim McGuinness blended a very strong Donegal U21 2010 batch with a experienced and competent core of players such as Paul Durkin, Neil McGee, Karl Lacey, Frank McGlynn, Kevin Cassidy, Neil Gallagher, Rory Kavanagh, Christy Toye and Colm McFadden etc. And without this foundation, his efforts would no doubt have faltered and he most likely would have failed to win anything.
Cavan have bread a strong batch of solid and somewhat defensive players, but need 2 or 3 marquee forwards and maybe a big midfield fielder to complete the job. With that, they would be All Ireland winning material, never mind Ulster winning material.
Cavan now have a strong foundation at present, and I thinks success is not far away with a few additions maybe completing the job. Ya know 2 outstanding Inside forwards would make them a really tight outfit, and Martin Dunne is already a quality forward.
2 or 3 marquee forwards would turn almost any team into All-Ireland contenders! If you added, say, Colm O'Neill, James O'Donoghue and Kieran Donaghy to any top 20 team, they would be pretty formidable!
Martin Dunne is top class on his day, but is inconsistent and doesn't win enough primary possession. But I do expect him to cause Monaghan some serious problems if his marker is refereed properly. He comes in for a serious amount of off-the-ball attention and it has effected his performance on a number of occasions, namely the semi-final in Clones 2 years ago where he was anonymous.