With the leagues now in the rear-view mirror, it’s all about the championship from this weekend onwards. It’s coming down the tracks thick and fast and for two former Cavan goalkeepers; life on the side-line instead of the goal-line will become very real this weekend.
Alan O’Mara and Raymond Galligan, the two youngest inter-county managers in the game at present, both get their Championship managerial careers underway on Sunday, at two completely different ends of the globe.
An u21 Ulster Championship winner with the Breffni Blues back in 2011, O’Mara is now the manager of New York having taken over from Armagh man Johnny McGeeney at the end of last year. He’ll line his team out for the very first time when Kevin McStay’s Mayo come to visit on Sunday.
Galligan on the other hand is preparing for his first championship game in the Cavan dugout as they take on near neighbours and arch-rivals Monaghan in the preliminary round of the Ulster Championship.
17 February 2024; Cavan manager Raymond Galligan before the Allianz Football League Division 2 match between Cork and Cavan at SuperValu Páirc Ui Chaoimh in Cork. Photo by Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile
It’s a repeat of the same fixture at the very same venue as 2020 when Galligan, who was guarding the goals that day, proved to be the hero as he knocked over a late, late point that secured an away day win after extra time for Cavan.
That victory kickstarted a remarkable run that ended with the Anglo Celt Cup returning the Kingspan Breffni Park for the first time in 23-years and an All-Ireland semi-final appearance against the six-in-a-row chasing Dubs.
Since taking over the reins from Mickey Graham, Galligan has enjoyed relative success during the first couple of months of his tenure, leading Cavan to a third-place finish in Division Two.
Their recent form hasn’t been anything to write home about however and a win on Sunday would be their first since February 25. Two back-to-back defeats to Armagh and Fermanagh along with a draw against Meath was how they fared in the month of March.
A Cavanman in New York
Over 5,000km away, Cavan will be represented in the Big Apple with O’Mara plotting the downfall of Mayo. That will be his main focus this weekend, but he will let his mind wander across the Atlantic and he’ll be cheering on the Cavan men in spirit.
Historically, New York are no hopers when it comes to Championship ball, although there’s been plenty of teams that have left Gaelic Park with a fright, although that all changed at the start of last season.
New York are sure to be buoyed by their history-making win of 2023 when they dramatically overturned Leitrim in the first round of the Connacht Championship after a penalty shootout to claim a first ever win in the championship.
“I'm not going to lie; Cavan is a huge part of my life and I'm a very passionate Cavan supporter,” New York boss O’Mara told Balls. “I still know many of the players and the management team, but my life now is New York.
“This is my team; this is my county. Don’t get me wrong, after our game on the Monday, I'll sit down and watch it on GAA GO or whatever and I’ll definitely want to hear the result.
“But Sunday for me is a real focus in terms of, this is something that's been months of my life and our lives now, and I'm just very much looking forward to that. I'll always be rooting for Cavan; I watch multiple games during the year.”
O’Mara, a member of the Westmeath NY club, was Galligan’s understudy in 2019 when Mickey Graham led Cavan to the Ulster final, which they lost to Donegal, but was off the panel when Galligan captained the county to a first provincial crown since 1997.
The pair have more in common than just their place of birth. Former Tyrone star Stephen O’Neill is a key member of Galligan’s management team while O’Mara has former New York captain Ronan McGinley, a Red Hand native himself, in as his head coach.
Cavan and New York will be forever linked as the most decorated county in Ulster remain the only team to have ever won an All-Ireland title on American shores, dating back the 1947 All-Ireland final in the Polo Grounds, New York when they overcame Kerry.
“I know it's funny because like Ray is their manager and me and Ray have trained together for years,” added O’Mara. “We're both probably the second youngest and the youngest inter-county managers on the scene so I've been delighted to see him take the helm.
“I've delighted to see him go about the business and take the mantle up from Mickey. I was part of Mickey's backroom team, so I wish Cavan and him the best of luck but for me, it's about New York, it's the only show in town for me.”
