Allianz National Football League Division Four final: Cavan v Tipperary (tomorrow, Croke Park, 2.30pm, live on TG4)
DIVISION Four finals usually allow players from the smaller counties a rare, never-to-be-forgotten, opportunity to have their day on the hallowed turf of Croke Park.
You can’t say that about today’s pairing.
It’s not even 18 months since these counties took the field at Headquarters for All-Ireland semi-finals as provincial top dogs. Cavan were the surprise Ulster champions and Tipperary caused an equally seismic shock when they beat Cork to win their first Munster crown for 85 years.
Cavan’s Padraig Faulkner, Raymond Galligan and Thomas Galligan won Allstars that year and so did Tipp’s Conor Sweeney but the National League doesn’t allow for any resting on your laurels.
Last season the provincial champions were brought back down to earth with a bump when they tumbled into the basement division after losing out in the relegation play-offs.
Both were expected to force their way back up again this year and they have done so without exactly setting the world on fire.
Cavan topped Division Four with six wins in seven games – their only loss was to Tipperary in round five, but Mickey Graham’s men recovered to edge out London and confirmed their promotion in some style by beating Waterford by 20 points last weekend.
That defeat to Tipp flagged up some question marks over the Breffnimen’s finishing. Creating chances wasn’t the issue, taking them was. In fairness, the conditions were terrible that day but four goal chances went abegging and there were a dozen wides as well so those stats will have to improve today for Cavan to claim their first-ever Division Four title.
It’s no surprise that the consistent Gearoid McKiernan has led the way in the scoring stakes with 1-29 and second to him is goalkeeper Raymond Galligan who has contributed 10 frees and five 45s. The leading forward has been the emerging Paddy Lynch who goes into today’s game with 2-19 under his belt.
Meanwhile, Tipp fans must have feared for their county’s chances of promotion when they began with a draw against Waterford and then a defeat to Leitrim but David Power’s side got the bit between their teeth after a four-goal salvo saw them edge out Wexford in round three.
Consistently excellent Sweeney, Teddy Doyle (2) and Mikey O’Shea got the majors that day and edging out promotion rivals Sligo in round four and then winning in Cavan pushed Tipp into the top two. Wins over Carlow and London (the game was unfairly played last Saturday evening with the other three games on Sunday) confirmed promotion.
Both sides have had a good look at each other and Tipp mentor Tommy Twomey expects Cavan to be a “very dangerous animal” at Croke Park this afternoon.
“Cavan seen us above in their own ground and we probably played one of our better games this year,” he said.
“They have played us, we have beaten them and they will have a bit between their teeth. It’s a big day, it’s a big final and of course both teams will like to win it, no doubt about that.”
Promotion is in the bag and Championship is just around the corner. Tipp have a trip to Waterford coming up on April 30, Cavan travel to Corrigan Park to take on a fired-up Antrim side on April 23.
Wing-back Oisin Kiernan will miss out tomorrow and Luke Fortune may deputise for the Castlerahan clubman. Martin Reilly, Ciaran Brady, Conor Brady, Conor Smith and Oisin Pierson are all waiting in the wings to return so the men who get the jerseys tomorrow will be doing their damnedest to hold on to them.
“When you get to any final you have to go out and win it because days like this don’t come around too often,” said manager Mickey Graham.
“Cavan have been in a number of League finals down through the years and weren’t able to get over the line so we’ll be hoping we can get a result.”
Last weekend Cavan looked finally to have found the fluency that has eluded them so far this year and confidence will be high after they posted 3-21 against Waterford. Tipperary won in Cavan town and the Breffnimen will be determined to avenge that defeat before they turn their sights to Antrim and the Ulster Championship.
Croke Park has not been a happy hunting ground for Cavan and you have to go back 70 years to 1952, when New York-born Mick Higgins led the Ulstermen to victory in an All-Ireland final replay against Meath, for the last time a native of the Breffni county climbed the Hogan Stand steps to raise a cup in triumph at Headquarters.
If Cavan produce what they’re capable of today, Raymond Galligan should bring that long wait to an end.
