Dessie Farrell unhappy with venue uncertainty ahead of Mayo clash

LOGISTIC NIGHTMARE: Dublin manager Dessie Farrell is not happy that the venue or date for their round 3 clash against Mayo has yet to be decided. Pic: Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile

All-Ireland SFC: Cavan 0-13 Dublin 5-17

Cavan hadn’t crossed paths with the Dubs for almost 20 years when Jim Gavin brought his four-in-a-row All-Ireland champions to Kingspan Breffni Park for a National League opener in early February of 2019.

Mattie McGleenan’s boys were wide-eyed newcomers to the rarified surroundings of the top tier and 16,231 people shared their wonderment as they filled out the old stand and ample terracing in one of the GAA’s most evocative amphitheatres.

The throw-in was delayed 15 minutes to accommodate the traffic, much of it coming from the capital, but the visitors won pulling up with seven points to spare. Two years later they were back and there were almost 9,000 less souls to pay witness.

That 2019 tie deserves context. Played on the last round of the league, Cavan needed a win and something of a miracle to escape relegation to Division Two but they had been more than competitive up to that. Kerry had only three points to spare when they visited.

Novelty value clearly only stretches so far though and so it was that a crowd of 9,028 saw fit to spend their time and their money taking in Saturday evening’s All-Ireland group stage encounter. Not a terrible figure but hardly a bumper audience either.

Too predictable, not enough jeopardy, this is the championship still.

It’s a terrible combination for any sport trying to drum up interest. Everyone knew that Dublin would sail through this and, whatever transpired here, Cavan’s ‘big’ day will only come against Roscommon in a fortnight.

Win that and they go through to the knockout stage with one win and a pair of defeats. For Dublin the acid test will come with their last dip in the pool, against Mayo at a neutral venue that has yet to be decided.

Tullamore and Cavan again have been mentioned as possible hosts for that but it is likely to be Tuesday before the counties involved are told when and where and Dessie Farrell made his displeasure known in his own understated way.

“It’s definitely a problem. Even not knowing what day is a problem. We have two doctors on our panel there and they’re continually asking us what do we know about when the game is on because they have to move shifts around.

“And there are others in that position too,” said the Dublin manager after this 19-point distraction. “It’s far from ideal. Even logistically… Booking hotels, all of that type of thing. It’s a challenge, for sure.” 

The reward for a win against Mayo would be a free weekend while the All-Ireland quarter-final preliminary round is being contested and that’s not an insignificant carrot going by the evidence from last year’s results in the last eight.

“The week turnaround is difficult. There’s a big prize for the winner the next day.” 

Dublin won here at their leisure after an initial 20-minute period where Cavan gave as good as they got. It’s a play we’ve seen performed time and again and so too the words offered by Farrell who wasn’t exactly beside himself with delight at the display.

His side were sloppy in front of goal in that opening quarter. The scoreboard, he said, flattered them, but maybe the key point was his reference to the injuries Cavan were dealing with and the related meaning behind other home selections.

His counterpart Raymond Galligan saw fit to change his goalkeeper for the visit of the All-Ireland champions with Liam Brady taking over from Gary O’Rourke. And when he turned to his bench he called on youngsters rather than the older heads sitting behind him.

The inference was clear. This wasn’t a game within their ken anyway so why not use the opportunity to give some rookies the experience of what it takes to live with a Dublin side that he described as a well-drilled machine?

Cavan didn’t appear to do much wrong for the Cormac Costello and Paddy Small goals that broke open the contest in the second quarter and yet before long they had conceded five in total in a span of just 21 minutes.  Is it any wonder that sides shake their heads and put these meetings down to experience?

“From day one we knew the reality was that, regardless of whether we got a result in round one or two, we would have to beat Roscommon,” said Galligan. “That doesn’t change.

“We will review this, give them time to recover and try to get a performance of the year to get a result in two weeks’ time.” 

Scorers for Cavan: O Brady (0-8, 0-5 frees); L Brady (0-1 ‘45’); O Kiernan (Castlerahan), C Madden, J Smith and D Lovett (all 0-1).

Scorers for Dublin: C Costello (2-5, 1-0 pen, 0-2 frees and 0-1 ‘45’); P Small (1-2); S Bugler (1-1); K McGinnis (1-0); B Fenton and C Basquel (both 0-3); P Mannion (0-2 frees); N Scully (0-1).

CAVAN: L Brady; C Reilly, K Brady, L Fortune; P Faulkner, N Carolan, O Kiernan (Denn); C Brady, B O’Carroll; O Kiernan (Castlerahan), C Madden, G Smith; R O’Neill, J Smith, O Brady.

Subs: M Magee for Reilly and P Meade for K Brady (both HT); T Madden for O Kiernan (Denn, 46); R Brady for Kiernan (Castlerahan, 54); D Lovett for O’Neill (55).

DUBLIN: S Cluxton; E Murchan, M Fitzsimons, D Newcombe; B Howard, J Small, S Bugler; B Fenton, K McGinnis; N Scully, C Costello, C Kilkenny; P Mannion, C O’Callaghan, P Small.

Subs: J McCaffrey for Scully (42); C Basquel for O’Callaghan (46); T Clancy for Murchan (51); l O’Dell for J Small (54); P O Cofaigh Byrne for Fenton (55); G McEnaney for P Small (60).

Referee: P Neilan (Roscommon).