Louth manager says Cavan are "Going to be a very tough challenge"

Louth senior footballers make the trip to Kingspan Breffni Park this Sunday for their Round 3 encounter with Cavan in the Allianz National Football League.

Throw-in is set for 2.00 pm as the Wee County look to get back to winning ways following a narrow defeat to Roscommon in their last outing.

Ger Brennan’s side got their campaign off to a strong start with an impressive 1-17 to 0-18 victory away to Westmeath.

However, a two-point defeat at home to Roscommon last time out means the Reds will be eager to get back on track in what is shaping up to be a highly competitive Division 2.

Meanwhile, Cavan, are still searching for their first win of the league after suffering defeats to Monaghan and Meath.

(Craig Lennon of Louth reacts as he pulls up with an injury during the Allianz Football League Division 2 match against Roscommon. Photo by Ben McShane/Sportsfile)

Louth will be without Craig Lennon for the foreseeable future after the forward suffered a quad injury during the Roscommon game.

Brennan confirmed his absence, stating, “We are going to miss Craig Lennon for a few games. He pulled his quad it was a bit tight going into the (Roscommon) match.

“Craig being Craig he wanted to give it a go and we all saw that first point that he scored, but when he upped the pace, the quad just wasn’t able for it.

“He has got a scan, and the medical team are looking after him, but we will do well to see him for the next couple of games at least.

“Hopefully towards the end of the national league, he will be back up and running. We have a few other guys too.

“Paul Mathews is another seasoned campaigner who has been just trying to get back up to speed and get back with pace.

“So, we would hope to have access to Paul and a few of the other guys for the Cavan game at the weekend.”

(Conall McKeever of Louth during the Allianz Football League Division 2 match between Louth and Roscommon at Integral GAA Grounds. Photo by Ben McShane/Sportsfile)

Meanwhile, there is positive news regarding Conor Grimes and ‘Casey’ Byrne, both of whom trained well over the weekend and could feature.

However, Dan Corcoran remains a doubt as he continues his recovery from a knock sustained in the opening game against Westmeath.

The manager explained: “Conor (Grimes) trained well at the weekend, ‘Casey’ Byrne trained well at the weekend.

“Those lads you could certainly do with their expertise and physicality around the middle with the way the new kickout rule is introduced.

“Dan Corcoran is probably going to be another week or two. He picked something up from the first game against Westmeath and hasn’t quite settled yet.

“To be fair to all the players that are currently on the physios table, if it was knockout football then they would all play no problem whatsoever.

“But we are conscious of the intense season that we have ahead of us and one serious injury could rule a guy out for a whole lot of it.

“So, I suppose we are looking at the bigger picture in mind in terms of how we are managing some of these injuries.”

Despite Cavan’s slow start, Brennan is under no illusions about the challenge they will pose on home soil.

He said: “With only eight teams in the division with a couple of wins you are looking up; a couple of defeats and you are looking down and every team in this division can beat each other on any given day.

“Cavan haven’t quite clicked just yet in their first couple of games, but have gone to look at them; they were within a couple of scores both in round one and two.

“They defeated Louth last year; they have big men around the middle. Gary O’Rourke their goalkeeper has a big boot on him, so it is going to be a very tough challenge.

“It is also on home soil for them, they’re going to be very cognizant of the spectators and then the necessity of them to try to reinvigorate their own season and get two points on the board.

“We are very much aware of what we are going into going to Breffni Park on Sunday. To be fair to Cavan and Raymond Galligan they are tough cookies, and I would have enjoyed playing against them in the past.

“Any time you are playing Cavan you know about it because they do throw their bodies on the line. They are happy to play to that imaginary line and sometimes skirt around it and look that's ok for me too.

“You have to do what you have to do to try and get the points for your team. Our lads will have gotten exposure to that last year in Ardee.

“Ultimately it is down to them to ensure that they are prepared mentally and certainly physically for the challenge that lies ahead.”

(Peter Lynch of Louth during the Allianz Football League Division 2 match between Louth and Roscommon at Integral GAA Grounds. Photo by Ben McShane/Sportsfile)

While Brennan does not see this as a must-win game just yet, he acknowledges the importance of getting points on the board sooner rather than later.

“I wouldn’t say it is defining just yet. It is certainly another opportunity to get used to the rules, to try out different personnel, and to see if we can tweak things to get the balance right and hopefully come out on the right side of the scoreboard.

“It wouldn’t be defining but at the same time, you are aware that Cavan are fighting to try to get points on the board and if we can manage to steal the points.

“We are in a more favourable position going into rounds four and five of the national league and compared to last year we had two points after two games.

“This year we have two points after two games, we are always talking about whether can we go one better than the previous season and that is still a discussion we would have regularly with the lads.

“If we can get beyond six points at the end of the national league that would be wonderful, if not at the very least you want to be staying and keeping your division two status.

“You have to take each game as it comes. These three matches I remember last year around three to five, they came so quick and so fast.”

With a crucial run of fixtures coming up, Louth will be determined to put in a strong performance on Sunday and come away with a vital result.