WHILE it has its detractors before a ball has been kicked, former Cavan ace Cian Mackey believes the inaugural Tailteann Cup is worth backing and says the Breffni men can win it if they are up for the challenge.
Mackey also scoffed at the apathy emanating from the Down camp towards the new tiered All-Ireland series.
In the immediate aftermath of their heavy Ulster Championship defeat to Monaghan, Mourne forward Barry O’Hagan described the Tailteann Cup as “pointless” and preferred the old back door system, now discarded by the GAA after two decades, as a means to rebuild team morale.
“Down were beaten by 10 points,” Mackey said.
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“Imagine them wanting to be in a competition that they’ve just lost by that margin. Monaghan wouldn’t be in the top five – they could win an All-Ireland, you just don’t know – but if you’re losing to them by 10 points, you shouldn’t be thinking you’re too good for a competition.”
All teams have been afforded the opportunity to compete in the Sam Maguire in 2022, although Division Three and Four teams that don’t reach a provincial final automatically drop into the Tailteann Cup.
Fermanagh, Down and Antrim fell at the first provincial hurdle and will play Tailteann Cup football at the end of the month, while Division Four champions joined them last weekend after narrowly losing to Donegal in the Ulster semi-finals.
Out of that Ulster quartet, Cavan can count themselves unlucky after such a spirited and skilful display against Donegal.
“If Cavan play to the best of their ability Cavan win it,” said Mackey, a leading light for the Breffni Blues between 2007 and 2019.
“Cavan are definitely good enough to be in the Qualifiers but are probably not good enough to win an All-Ireland.
“But the Tailteann Cup could be brilliant for some teams. Although Cavan didn’t want to be in Division Four this year, winning those games bred confidence, gave a winning mentality to the dressing room… Tony McEntee said Sligo are going to go hell for leather for the Tailteann Cup because it can only be good for Sligo football and winning games. Winning games at your own level helps and then they can step up after that.
“Cavan are in that unlucky bracket, but for the majority of the other teams I think it’s a great competition. If Cavan go and win it and go straight back up, winning the Tailteann Cup is another piece of silverware, players will see this and more will want to play.”
“Cavan were in touching distance to a team [Donegal] that could go on and win an Ulster title. That’s hard to take for the Cavan players but after a couple of days, things settle, you have a meeting and you go out and show that you’re good enough to win the competition that you are in.”
Mackey, however, isn’t naïve enough to think the new competition will take off all on its own and insists the media has a key role to play in giving it wings.
“The Tailteann Cup needs good exposure and if it doesn’t get it, and the media don’t push it, it will fall like a wet sack. But if it does get exposure I think it will be good.”
In today’s edition, coaches Steven Poacher and Gearoid Adams are less enamoured with the Tailteann Cup and think it will struggle to get buy-in from some participants.
Mickey Harte has already suggested the competition is doomed because of the GAA’s perceived failure to market it, saying: “They’ve already missed the boat.”
