Preview: Win in this fixture is long overdue

Opinion

On the face of it, Tyrone in Omagh is the worst possible draw for Cavan but there is no time like the present to end the hoodoo, writes DAMIEN DONOHOE.

So once again we find ourselves facing what appears to be an impossible task in championship. There’s no need to go through the torture of the past as everyone is fully aware of our record against the Red Hand county. We just can’t seem to get the better of them, but sport allows us the chance to take on big challenges that may seem impossible, challenges that we might avoid in our professional or personal lives because failure could have a very detrimental effect on well-being and our future.

But football is different and there is no pressure of that type on the Cavan players going into Sunday match in Omagh because while they have applied a huge effort to preparing for this game, a defeat won’t set them back much in the medium term. A victory, on the other hand, would catapult them forward hugely - and at some point, that win over Tyrone will come because nothing lasts forever.

There was a real sense that last year was a missed opportunity in the Ulster quarter final in Kingspan Breffni because the lads were good enough on the day to scrape a win but just came up marginally short. That, and indeed this, Tyrone team aren’t the same as the sides under Mickey Harte. They give teams a chance to get at them but with two All-Ireland U20 winning teams currently coming through to senior ranks, their glory days may return soon.

During this year’s Allianz Football League, Tyrone had an up and down campaign. In round 1 they began their campaign with a 2-13 to 1-9 victory over Derry in Healy Park. A strong finish saw them hit 1-5 without reply to secure the win. Next up they faced Armagh in the Athletic Grounds, and suffered a 1-23 to 0-18 defeat. Armagh's goalkeeper, Ethan Rafferty, notably scored five points, capitalising on the new, at the time, but now established rules.

They then lost to Mayo, 0-12 to 0-10, in MacHale Park in a game that was marked by a late red card for Tyrone's Michael McKernan. In round 4, a closely contested game against Kerry in Pomeroy, ended in defeat, 3-13 to 2-13. David Clifford's return saw him hit a hat-trick as a fired up Kerry claimed the victory.

Tyrone drew with Galway in round 5, 1-18 to 1-18, in Tuam. Shane Walsh secured the draw for Galway with a last-minute two-pointer free, bringing it back outside the 40-metre arc after a 3v3 infraction.

With their backs to the wall, Tyrone boosted their survival hopes with a 0-25 to 0-19 win over Donegal in round 6. A strong second-half performance saw them forge nine points ahead in the first 10 minutes after the break which proved crucial. Despite a 2-20 to 1-16 victory over Dublin in the final game of the league, Tyrone were relegated to Division 2 on seven points due to results elsewhere.

The Cavan management have a perfect game in that Dublin clash to analyse, for a number of reasons. Tyrone were fighting for their lives to stay in Division 1 so thoughts of the Cavan game or holding something or someone back weren’t there. The match being played in Healy Park gives them a good idea of where the Tyrone players scoring range is. It was also as close to a full hand for Malachy O’Rourke to pick from as he’s had all year.

Watching back that game there were a few things that stood out. Brian Kennedy in midfield is a super fielder on kick-outs and we are going to have to keep him away from ours. His partner Conn Kilpatrick is no slouch either, and they did very well on breaking ball particularly from Dublin’s restarts. Without having kept figures on kick-outs, I felt breaking ball was an area that we did well on in the league so hopefully that continues.

Tyrone’s counter-attack used kick passes more often than any of Cavan’s opponents in Division 2. Darren McCurry made early runs to the half-forward line to be an option for the kick from defence. For Tyrone’s first goal, McCurry delivered a beautiful pass over the head of the defender into Canavan. That all came on top of scoring nine points, with four coming from open play.

Tyrone also managed to get Darragh Canavan generally staying closer to goals while Mattie Donnelly held a wide position on the right wing mostly. Canavan was being marked by David Byrne but the space, and Canavan’s movement off the ball, along with the time on the ball out the field for the passer, meant Byrne was hands down second best. Curtailing McCurry and Canavan’s influence on the game will go a long way to getting the win on Sunday.

Tyrone employed a zonal press on the Dublin kick-out with four front players setting up around the arc but inside the 45-metre line most of the time. The second line had three players outside the 45 anything from 50 to 60 metres from goal, depending on the wind.

The third line was set up around the half-way line with two wide players and a cluster of three or four players in the centre of the field ready to move left or right depending on where the kick went. That cluster included at least one of the three defenders who started in their half of the field, but that back could always commit to going for a breaking ball because one of the wide players would step back into the Tyrone half of the field once he knew the ball wasn’t coming his side.

Niall Morgan continues to have an over-sized impact on the game, despite the rule changes mid-league. His long range free-taking is an asset and his ability to continue to improve their attack when he joins the play can’t be under-stated. In the opening quarter against Dublin, he came out for the Dubs’ kick-out and came through the back of an opponent to punch the ball back into their half of the field.

What was interesting after that was, he came out off his line a few minutes later to intercept a high ball and collided with a player before landing very awkwardly on his neck. The next two high balls he contested he misjudged, and they lead to Dublin scores so there may be something there that could be exploited.

Respect is something that is earned in life and in sport and Tyrone don’t respect Cavan - and they shouldn’t. We haven’t done enough recently to earn their respect but in order to do so, we need to put some doubt in their players’ heads early in the game. There need to be some moments that get Cavan supporters on their feet and make Tyrone stand up and look.

To win this game, we have to be hungrier than Tyrone first and foremost. Breaking ball on kick-outs is a great indicator of this. We need to be clinical up front when we get chances and be brave in attack. I believe if we try to out-smart Tyrone with intricate systems, they will have the advantage after playing at a higher level for a number of years so let’s bring it to a place that is chaotic when we have the ball. Running at them at pace, kicking into space for our forwards to get one on ones and kicking some high ball to the square.

No-one outside Cavan will say they think we are going this game and very few within the county can logically say we’ll win but the most memorable days are forged when the unexpected happens. The Ulster championship has seen All-Ireland champions regularly fall at the first hurdle and so in the 100th year of the Anglo-Celt cup maybe the stars will align and we can get that much overdue win.