Back in their pomp, the twin axis of Seanie Johnston and Micheál Lyng invariably had the tools to work the oracle for club and county.
Now, as mentors, the pair are fancied to resurrect the fortunes of their native club Cavan Gaels.
However, the county town’s defeat (0-11 to 0-14) to SFC outsiders Mullahoran last weekend means that their second-round tie this Saturday (6.30pm) at Cornafean with a buoyant Ballinagh side takes on added significance for the Gaels.
The Gaels’ 1-10 to 3-13 defeat in the league semi-final to Gowna led to pundits having a re-think about the Blues’ championship potential this year.
The Gaels did a lot right against Mullahoran. However, they laboured badly to convert hard-won possession into the hard coinage of scores and the major worry for messrs.
Johnston, Lyng and co. was their team’s failure to bag a goal over the hour plus.
The Gaels/Ballinagh joust this evening is a local derby and Ballinagh will go into the game as clear underdogs despite winning (0-14 to 1-9) their opening round game last week at the expense of Laragh Utd.
It could be a case of stalemate being the order of the day come the final whistle.
Elsewhere on Saturday, Mullahoran will hope to consolidate their aforementioned victory over the Gaels with another shock win over Ramor Utd at Kingspan Breffni (6.45pm).
However, Ramor Utd seem to have rediscovered a lot of the form they showed in winning the 2021 blue riband title and they are highly fancied to make it two wins from two outings following their, albeit, less than comfortable 1-13 to 0-13 victory last weekend over 2023 IFC champions Ballyhaise.
Mullahoran are a great championship team but Ramor have a hungry look about them that suggests they won’t slip up this evening.
Meanwhile, tomorrow will see outsiders Castlerahan and Lavey clash in Virginia (2pm) with both sides looking to pick up their first points of the championship.
Castlerahan’s 2-8 to 4-12 defeat to Killygarry last time out wasn’t as bad as the scoreline suggests and for long periods, the former’s tactic of using a zonal press stood to them well.
However, Castlerahan, winners of the title in 2018 and 2019, are an ageing team with a lot of players with a lot of mileage on the clock.
For all that, they still should have enough energy and hunger to get the better of a young Lavey side whose confidence must surely have been badly affected by their 1-6 to 4-14 trouncing last time out against Crosserlough.
In the last of this weekend’s SFC matches, Ballyhaise will hope to catch Gowna on the hop in Ballinagh (4pm) tomorrow.
Ballyhaise will be aware that the defending champions (who are gunning for back-to-back titles) have, traditionally, been at their most vulnerable in the early rounds of the championship.
That said, Gowna got a reminder of their obligations last weekend when Kingscourt drew with them and they should learn enough from that mini-setback to do the business tomorrow afternoon
