By Shaun Casey

CURRENT Cavan championship winners Ramor United are under new management, with their own John Brady taking over this season.

Brady, who won a Cavan Intermediate championship with Ballyhaise in 2015, has given the county champions some down time before preparing for the 2022 campaign.

“It’s a good feeling, there’s a good buzz about the place. With that, there’s a lot of pressure as well after winning the championship last year and there’s a lot of other teams that would have strengthened a good bit.

“We decided after last year just to give them the time off so we’re just getting back to it now.

“The weather wasn’t very contusive to being out on the field for the last couple of weeks so we’re hoping to get back out on it hopefully this week.

“We had a good year last year, won the championship for the first time since 2016, so it’s going ok. We’re going to lose a few players this year, so we’ll see how it goes.

“With the whole restrictions lifting now I don’t think any clubs knows who they’re going to have or who they won’t have.

“We’ll just take it one game at a time. There are lads at different stages in their training, if there’s lads that haven’t got the work done or the rehab done, we won’t be playing them.

“It’ll give other lads chances to get game time under their belts and maybe try and prove themselves, so I think we’ll be competitive in every game.

“That’s the main aim and see where that brings us, it’s kind of unknown at this stage, you’re going into the league at this stage without any challenge matches because of the weather and other factors.”

The competition within the Breffni county is ferocious and Brady feels that stands against the Cavan teams once they enter the provincial competitions.

“You probably have five or six teams that can win the championship on any given year in Cavan. Clubs have to put in such an effort to win in Cavan that by the time they come to Ulster they’re kind of jaded.

“Kilcoo in Down, or Sleacht Néill or Crossmaglen, in years gone past, would have tailored their training to near the end of their own club championship to time a run for Ulster and possibly All-Irelands.

“It’s probably a harder one to win in Cavan and you don’t get building up that two in-a-row or three in-a-row, it hasn’t been done since Cavan Gaels probably done it and Gowna back the years as well.”

Ramor will be without some of their key personnel, as Brady describes, leaving their title defence under severe pressure.

“The standards set high, plus probably two of our top scorers all year, ones out of the country, James Brady, and the others Sean McEvoy, he’s got a scholarship now in America for Maryland for four years, a soccer scholarship.

“You’re down probably two of the most prolific scorers in the county to be honest but you have to get on with it and hopefully other lads with step up to the mark.”

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