Ciaran Brady
By John Harrington
Cavan centre-back Ciaran Brady is making the most of the licence to thrill he’s been given by team manager Mattie McGleenan.
The Arvagh club-man isn’t just tasked with locking down the Cavan defence, he’s also expected to get forward whenever possible and join the attack.
His runs from deep have been a hugely effective weapon for the Breffni County so far during a League campaign that has brought them to Sunday’s Division 2 Final against Roscommon at Croke Park.
He’s scored in six of Cavan’s seven matches for a total of 2-5 from play and has relished the chance to show what he can do on the front foot.
“That's what the game is played for, to enjoy it,” Brady told GAA.ie. “I suppose that's what's happening at the minute.
“I'm lucky that we have been solid at the back and we know if one man gets forward that another man can drop in behind and cover and that's what's good about this Cavan team.
“Lots of lads have shown versatility and that they can play in any one position. That's the way the game has gone.
“It's not the old fashioned way of having two big midfielders, two quick wing-forwards. Everyone is a runner these days, the way the game has gone.
“When lads are training four or five times a week you're going to be able to cover big distances in a game. There's no point standing still when you have the capacity to cover the big distances.”
During Terry Hyland’s four and a half years in charge of Cavan he moulded them into a very well organised team defensively.
Cavan v Tipperary - Allianz Football League Division 2 Round 7
Since McGleenan succeeded him after the 2016 championship campaign he’s tried to build on those solid foundations by encouraging the team to play a more adventurous brand of football without compromising that defensive solidity too much.
“In previous years we were probably set up very well and we were hard to beat,” said Brady.
“But I suppose we had to evolve our game one step further and turn into a team that's hard to beat but can also put up a big score.
“I think the way the game has gone it's become a more attack-minded game. We've had to evolve and we have. We're putting up bigger scores this year in the League. That shows improvement.
“Mattie McGleenan has been encouraging us all to take our own responsibility and take it on, which we've hopefully done.
“We've a manager there who's ultra-positive and supports us in every way and promotes us to get the best out of ourselves. There's no rigid system.
“We know the game-plan is there and he's pushing us all to play better and to express ourselves with total commitment to the cause.
“That's what we're giving, and then when you're doing that and getting a few wins, you're in good spirits.”
Cavan v Tipperary - Allianz Football League Division 2 Round 7
Promotion back to Division 1 was the target at the start of this Allianz League campaign, but it would do this Cavan side no harm at all to win some silverware and beat Roscommon in Sunday’s Final.
They’ve been something of a nearly team in recent years, coming up short in some big games by narrow margins.
And though they’re still a young side with further room for improvement, Brady thinks it’s time they started to really deliver on their potential.
“It is a young team, but we've been saying that for the past couple of years and it's time now we got a bit of just reward for underage success,” he said.
“I suppose Sunday provides the vital opportunity for that, to get the national success.
“We definitely still are improving, but Cavan haven't won a national title in a good few years. I suppose this would be good to get a winning mentality into the team again.”
