Kiernan’s Service Station Cavan SFC final Crosserlough v Ramor United (Sunday, Kingspan Breffni, 4pm)
STRANGE as it sounds to say it given the prominence of both clubs in the annals of this competition, Sunday’s Cavan SFC final is a novel fixture.
It seems a quirk of the Cavan championship that Crosserlough and Ramor United have never met in the showpiece; from 2018 to ‘21 inclusive, for example, they each appeared in two deciders but never against each other.
So Sunday’s match-up was long overdue and promises to follow the trend of 2012-21, which produced a notably close succession of finals.
In those 10 seasons, there were four replays, four one-point games and one decided by two, with Cavan Gaels’ five-point winning margin in 2017 very much the outlier.
That has changed in the last two years, with Gowna beating Killygarry and Kingscourt by seven and 17 points respectively, the latter representing the most one-sided final since the 1960s.
Ramor, though, put a stop to the Gowna men’s three-in-a-row dream at the semi-final stage (as an aside, Dermot McCabe, one of Gowna’s joint-managers, has been appointed as manager of Westmeath in the interim, prompting a lively discussion at county board level on Thursday due to McCabe’s role as full-time Cavan Games Development Manager).
Ramor’s win was constructed onwell-worked goals from centre-back and captain Jack Brady and sub Gareth Mannion, who was the match-winner off the bench. It was an impressive display by the Virginia men, extending their 15-year unbeaten run against Gowna in championship.
The evening before, Crosserlough got the better of Cavan Gaels in an arm wrestle – if arm wrestling was full of extremely defensive play and long periods of tedium – with the ‘Lough hanging on to win by 0-10 to 0-8 in a most forgettable game.
The Kilnaleck-based side got off 16 of the first 17 shots in that game yet could never shake a stubborn Gaels side off. It was most unCrosserloughlike; since breaking through back in 2018, they have shown a real ruthless streak in matches when they get on top of inferior opposition.
Part of the reason for their sloppiness – and, to be fair, were it not for a couple of magical moments from Gearoid McKiernan, they would have won by a couple more – must surely have been the fact that they were under-cooked.
Crosserlough gutted all before them en route to the semi-final, winning by 17, 18, 10, 10 and 16 points in their first five matches but an argument could be made that they played the three weakest teams (two ended up in the relegation final), one of them twice.
That’s not their fault, of course. Manager Ryan Daly addressed it this week
“Every championship game is a tough task no matter what your opposition,” said the Carrickmore man.
“The teams that we played at the very, very start, in all the games, they put it up to us for 30, 40 minutes and then there were wee elements of purple patches that we got and some of the scores didn’t reflect the games.”
Ramor, for their part, idled a bit in the group stage. They needed very late goals to beat Ballyhaise and Killygarry, drew with Mullahoran and, already qualified, lost by a point to the Gaels before they found their groove in the second half to see off Castlerahan and continued their excellent record against Gowna.
Key to Ramor’s upturn in form has been the recall of veteran target man Ado Cole, whose ball-winning ability has proven priceless. He will likely be picked up by county man Conor Rehill in what will be one of the key battles.
Elsewhere, Crosserlough will look to fellow county seniors Dara McVeety and James Smith, although the latter is said to be still troubled by an ankle injury which forced his substitution in the semi-final.
Much talk has focused on Paddy Lynch, the leading marksman by a distance in the county, who has been sidelined since tearing his ACL on April 27. In a stunning development, there is talk that Lynch, well ahead of schedule, could play a part.
Interestingly, a similar tale is playing out in the opposite camp. James Brady, brother of Jack, scored 1-8 in the 2021 county final and has been consistently outstanding over the years. He returned from Australia on the eve of championship and was going well before breaking his jaw six weeks ago. He, too, could defy expectations and play some part.
Ramor’s team is built on their defence; county men Brían O’Connell and Mark Magee, former Cavan U20 captain Ben Smith and Ulster U21-winning full-back Damien Barkey are the among the main men in an exceptional rearguard.
Ramor, also managed by Tyrone men in Pat and Jude McNabb from Trillick, are seeking a first title in three years, Crosserlough four. With high winds and some rain forecast, a low-scoring battle is in store, with a draw a real possibility again.
