Where have all the Cavan forwards gone?

The social media maxim began to gain traction around 2011 and, for a few years, was beloved of the Breffni faithful.

The hashtag (#thefutureisblue) caught the imagination as Cavan reeled off four successive Ulster U21 titles from 2011 through to 2014. Four years on from the last of that run, though, and the standing army of famously-fervent Breffni supporters is still waiting to be mobilised for an Ulster senior final, let alone a last four game in the All-Ireland series.

A common theory as to why a senior breakthrough has not yet arrived hinges around the lack of ‘marquee’ forwards on those successful U21 sides – and there is merit in it, too.